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Wittrock v. Maimonides Med. Center-Maimonides

Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, Second Department
Apr 21, 1986
119 A.D.2d 748 (N.Y. App. Div. 1986)

Opinion

April 21, 1986

Appeal from the Supreme Court, Kings County (Lodato, J.).


Order affirmed, without costs or disbursements.

In November 1982, this medical malpractice action was commenced against the respondents. While the complaint alleged that the plaintiff Lorenza Wittrock had suffered both physical and mental pain as a result of a stillbirth, the bill of particulars merely alleged psychological trauma. A note of issue and a certificate of readiness for trial were then filed. Thereafter, the plaintiffs served a first amended verified bill of particulars which alleged continuous pain in the lower extremities along with the pain incident to childbirth and delivery.

In the order appealed from, Special Term granted the respondents' separate motions for summary judgment. Additionally, it found that the first amended verified bill of particulars was a nullity because it was served without leave of court pursuant to CPLR 3042 (g). We affirm.

Absent independent physical injury, a plaintiff may not recover for emotional and psychic harm as a result of a stillbirth (Tebbutt v. Virostek, 102 A.D.2d 231, affd 65 N.Y.2d 931; Friedman v. Meyer, 90 A.D.2d 511, appeal dismissed 59 N.Y.2d 763). The plaintiff Lorenza Wittrock's labor pains are not actionable as they were incident to the childbirth process and unrelated to the stillbirth (see, Farago v. Shulman, 104 A.D.2d 965, affd 65 N.Y.2d 763; Gastwirth v. Rosenberg, 117 A.D.2d 706).

Further, the first amended verified bill of particulars was not served prior to the filing of a note of issue, nor did the plaintiffs seek leave of court to amend (see, CPLR 3042 [g]). The first amended verified bill of particulars is, therefore, a nullity. We have examined the plaintiffs' other contentions and find them to be without merit. We further note that the derivative claim of the plaintiff James Wittrock for loss of consortium must fall with the main action as against the respondents (see, Liff v. Schildkrout, 49 N.Y.2d 622). Mollen, P.J., Mangano, Bracken and Gibbons, JJ., concur.


Summaries of

Wittrock v. Maimonides Med. Center-Maimonides

Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, Second Department
Apr 21, 1986
119 A.D.2d 748 (N.Y. App. Div. 1986)
Case details for

Wittrock v. Maimonides Med. Center-Maimonides

Case Details

Full title:LORENZA WITTROCK et al., Appellants, v. MAIMONIDES MEDICAL…

Court:Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, Second Department

Date published: Apr 21, 1986

Citations

119 A.D.2d 748 (N.Y. App. Div. 1986)

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