August 6, 2012

Infinity Health Prods., Ltd. v New York Cent. Mut. Fire Ins. Co. (2012 NY Slip Op 51497(U))

Headnote

The court considered the fact that the plaintiff, Infinity Health Products, Ltd., was seeking to recover first-party no-fault benefits as the assignee of Alexander Fitzmichael, Jr. The main issue before the court was whether the defendant, New York Central Mutual Fire Insurance Company, had established its "independent medical examination" No Show defense in order to deny the plaintiff's claim. The court reviewed evidence that showed the scheduling letters for the independent medical examinations had been timely mailed, and that the assignor had failed to appear for the scheduled examinations. The holding of the court was that the defendant was entitled to summary judgment dismissing the complaint, as the plaintiff had not challenged the defendant's entitlement to judgment. Therefore, the court reversed the order, and granted the defendant's cross motion for summary judgment.

Reported in New York Official Reports at Infinity Health Prods., Ltd. v New York Cent. Mut. Fire Ins. Co. (2012 NY Slip Op 51497(U))

Infinity Health Prods., Ltd. v New York Cent. Mut. Fire Ins. Co. (2012 NY Slip Op 51497(U)) [*1]
Infinity Health Prods., Ltd. v New York Cent. Mut. Fire Ins. Co.
2012 NY Slip Op 51497(U) [36 Misc 3d 141(A)]
Decided on August 6, 2012
Appellate Term, Second Department
Published by New York State Law Reporting Bureau pursuant to Judiciary Law § 431.
This opinion is uncorrected and will not be published in the printed Official Reports.
Decided on August 6, 2012

SUPREME COURT, APPELLATE TERM, SECOND DEPARTMENT, 2d, 11th and 13th JUDICIAL DISTRICTS


PRESENT: : RIOS, J.P., PESCE and ALIOTTA, JJ
2010-3057 Q C.
Infinity Health Products, Ltd. as Assignee of ALEXANDER FITZMICHAEL, JR., Respondent, —

against

New York Central Mutual Fire Insurance Company, Appellant.

Appeal from an order of the Civil Court of the City of New York, Queens County (Carmen R. Velasquez, J.), dated September 23, 2010. The order, insofar as appealed from as limited by the brief, in effect, denied defendant’s cross motion for summary judgment dismissing the complaint.

ORDERED that the order, insofar as appealed from, is reversed, without costs, and defendant’s cross motion for summary judgment dismissing the complaint is granted.

In this action by a provider to recover assigned first-party no-fault benefits, plaintiff moved for summary judgment and defendant cross-moved for summary judgment dismissing the complaint. The Civil Court found that plaintiff had established its prima facie entitlement to summary judgment, that defendant had “established mailing of proper and timely denials,” and that “[t]he sole issue remaining for trial is whether defendant established its [independent medical examination] No Show defense.” Defendant appeals, as limited by its brief, from so much of the order as denied its cross motion.

In support of its cross motion for summary judgment, defendant submitted an affidavit by [*2]an employee of Crossland Medical Services, P.C. (Crossland), the entity which had scheduled the independent medical examinations (IMEs) on behalf of defendant. The affidavit established that the IME scheduling letters had been timely mailed in accordance with Crossland’s standard office practices and procedures (see St. Vincent’s Hosp. of Richmond v Government Empls. Ins. Co., 50 AD3d 1123 [2008]; Delta Diagnostic Radiology, P.C. v Chubb Group of Ins., 17 Misc 3d 16 [App Term, 2d & 11th Jud Dists 2007]). Defendant also submitted affidavits by the doctors who were to perform the IMEs which established that the assignor had failed to appear for the scheduled IMEs (see Stephen Fogel Psychological, P.C. v Progressive Cas. Ins. Co., 35 AD3d 720 [2006]). As plaintiff has not challenged the Civil Court’s finding, in
effect, that defendant is otherwise entitled to judgment, defendant’s cross motion for summary judgment dismissing the complaint is granted.

Accordingly, the order, insofar as appealed from, is reversed, and defendant’s cross motion for summary judgment dismissing the complaint is granted.

Rios, J.P., Pesce and Aliotta, JJ., concur.
Decision Date: August 06, 2012