Opinion
7406N 7406NA Index 158800/16
10-18-2018
Bindu MANNE, Plaintiff–Appellant, v. BERKOWITS SCHOOL OF ELECTROLYSIS, INC., Defendant–Respondent.
The Law Office of Gregory A. Goodman, P.C., Jericho (Gregory A. Goodman of counsel), Hauppauge, for appellant. Marks, O'Neill, O'Brien, Doherty & Kelly, P.C., Elmsford (James M. Skelly of counsel), New York, for respondent.
The Law Office of Gregory A. Goodman, P.C., Jericho (Gregory A. Goodman of counsel), Hauppauge, for appellant.
Marks, O'Neill, O'Brien, Doherty & Kelly, P.C., Elmsford (James M. Skelly of counsel), New York, for respondent.
Richter, J.P., Manzanet–Daniels, Kapnick, Kern, Moulton, JJ.
Orders, Supreme Court, New York County (Erika M. Edwards, J.), entered October 27, 2017, which denied plaintiff's motion for a default judgment, and granted defendant's order to show cause to deem its late answer timely filed, nunc pro tunc, unanimously affirmed, without costs.
Given that defendant asserted a reasonable excuse for its delay, namely, ongoing settlement negotiations between plaintiff and defendant's insurance carrier, the court exercised its discretion providently in denying the default judgment (see Zwicker v. Emigrant Mtge. Co., Inc., 91 A.D.3d 443, 444, 936 N.Y.S.2d 158 [1st Dept. 2012] ). Given the strong public policy favoring resolution of cases on their merits, the court properly accepted defendant's answer, deeming it timely filed nunc pro tunc (see Berardo v. Guillet, 86 A.D.3d 459, 926 N.Y.S.2d 521 [1st Dept. 2011] ).
We have examined plaintiff's remaining arguments and find them unavailing.