Opinion
July 8, 1996
Appeal from the Supreme Court, Suffolk County (Lama, J.).
Ordered that the judgment is reversed, on the law, with costs, and a new trial is granted on the issue of damages only. The findings of fact as to liability are affirmed.
We agree with the defendants that "[o]n this record [they were] entitled to have the jury consider, in mitigation of damages, whether there was any negligence on the part of the plaintiff * * * subsequent to the alleged malpractice" ( Dunn v. Catholic Med. Ctr., 55 A.D.2d 597, citing Carpenter v. Blake, 75 N.Y. 12, 24; see also, Ferrara v. Leventhal, 56 A.D.2d 490). This error deprived the defendants of a fair trial with respect to the jury's assessment of damages. Because the jury's verdict as to liability was not against the weight of the evidence, the new trial should be limited to the issue of the amount of damages suffered by the plaintiff (see, Dunn v. Catholic Med. Ctr., supra). Bracken, J.P., Thompson, Krausman and Florio, JJ., concur.