November 14, 2006

Hospital for Joint Diseases v Travelers Prop. Cas. Ins. Co. (2006 NY Slip Op 08214)

Headnote

The court considered an action to recover no-fault medical payments in a case where the plaintiff sought summary judgment on a cause of action to recover unpaid medical treatment. The plaintiff submitted a hospital bill with a signed certified mail return receipt and the affidavit of its third-party biller, which showed that the defendants failed to pay the claim or issue a denial of claim form. The defendants were unable to raise a triable issue of fact in opposition to the motion for summary judgment and failed to demonstrate their entitlement to judgment as a matter of law in their cross motion. The Supreme Court found that the defendants' failure to timely object to the adequacy of the claim forms or seek verification of the assignment constituted a waiver of any defenses based thereon. Therefore, the court affirmed the order granting the plaintiff's motion and denying the defendants' cross motion.

Reported in New York Official Reports at Hospital for Joint Diseases v Travelers Prop. Cas. Ins. Co. (2006 NY Slip Op 08214)

Hospital for Joint Diseases v Travelers Prop. Cas. Ins. Co. (2006 NY Slip Op 08214)
Hospital for Joint Diseases v Travelers Prop. Cas. Ins. Co.
2006 NY Slip Op 08214 [34 AD3d 532]
November 14, 2006
Appellate Division, Second Department
Published by New York State Law Reporting Bureau pursuant to Judiciary Law § 431.
As corrected through Wednesday, January 17, 2007
Hospital for Joint Diseases, Plaintiff, and New York and Presbyterian Hospital, Respondent,
v
Travelers Property Casualty Insurance Company et al., Appellant.

[*1]

In an action to recover no-fault medical payments, the defendants appeal from an order of the Supreme Court, Nassau County (Joseph, J.), dated October 31, 2005, which granted the motion of the plaintiff New York and Presbyterian Hospital for summary judgment on the third cause of action and denied the defendants’ cross motion for summary judgment dismissing that cause of action.

Ordered that the order is affirmed, with costs.

In support of its motion for summary judgment on the third cause of action, the plaintiff New York and Presbyterian Hospital, as assignee of William Browne, made a prima facie showing of entitlement to judgment as a matter of law by submitting a hospital bill with a signed certified mail return receipt and by submitting the affidavit of its third-party biller, who attested that he billed the defendants for the subject medical treatment and that the defendants failed to pay the claim or issue a denial of claim form (see New York & Presbyt. Hosp. v Allstate Ins. Co., 30 AD3d 492, 493 [2006]). In opposition to the motion the defendants failed to raise a triable issue of fact, and in support of their cross motion for summary judgment dismissing the third cause of action the defendants failed to demonstrate their prima facie entitlement to judgment as a matter of law. The defendants’ failure to timely object to the adequacy of the claim forms or seek verification of the assignment constituted a waiver of any defenses based thereon (see Nyack Hosp. v Encompass Ins. [*2]Co., 23 AD3d 535 [2005], lv denied 7 NY3d 741 [2006]; Hospital for Joint Diseases v Allstate Ins. Co., 21 AD3d 348 [2005]; Nyack Hosp. v Metropolitan Prop. & Cas. Ins. Co., 16 AD3d 564 [2005]; New York Hosp. Med. Ctr. of Queens v AIU Ins. Co., 8 AD3d 456 [2004]).

Accordingly, the Supreme Court properly granted the motion and denied the cross motion. Schmidt, J.P., Adams, Skelos and Covello, JJ., concur.