Bryan v. Sanchez

2025 NY Slip Op 32112(U)

• Court: New York Supreme Court, Kings County
• Decided: June 10, 2025
• Docket: Index No. 514553/2023
• Status: Unpublished

Opinion

Bryan v Sanchez 2025 NY Slip Op 32112(U) June 10, 2025 Supreme Court, Kings County Docket Number: Index No. 514553/2023 Judge: Anne J. Swern Cases posted with a "30000" identifier, i.e., 2013 NY Slip Op 30001(U), are republished from various New York State and local government sources, including the New York State Unified Court System's eCourts Service. This opinion is uncorrected and not selected for official publication. FILED: KINGS COUNTY CLERK 06/13/2025 10:36 AM INDEX NO. 514553/2023 NYSCEF DOC. NO. 42 RECEIVED NYSCEF: 06/13/2025

At anIAS Trial Term, Part 75 ofthe Supreme Court of the State of New York, Kings County, at·the Courthouse located at 360 Adams Street, Brooklyn, NewYC>rk on the 10th chiy of June 2025 PRESENT : HON. ANNE J. SWERN, lS.C.

BUMEE BRYAN, DECISION & ORDER Index No.: 514553/2.023 Plaintiff, CalendarNo.: 14 -against- Motion Seq.: 001 0DILBER MARTINEZ SANCHEZ AND E & S MAINTENA NCE US, INC.,

. Defendants.

Recitation ofthefollowi ng papers asrequired by CPLR 2219(a): Papers Numbered Notice of Motion, Affirmation, Affidavits. and Exhibits (NYSCEF 24-36)........................................................ l, 2 Affinnation and Exhibits in Opposition (NYSCEF 37~39) ................................... 3 Reply Affirmation and Exhibits (NYSC:EF 40~41); ............ ;........ ;, ....................... .4

Upon the foregoing papers and after oral argument, the decision and order of the Court

is as follows;·

This is an action for personal injuries arising out of a motor vehicle accident on

5/23/2022 at the intersection of Tompkins Avenue and KosciuszkC> Street'. Plaintiffhas moved

for summary judgment against defendants on the issue of liability and dismissing defendant's

affirmative defenses relating thereto. In support of the motion, plaintiffsubm its, inter alia, the

parties' deposition testimony and a dash camera video (NYSCEF 31, 32, 24, 3 6). The video

demonstrates that defendant failed tcr yield or stop at the stop sign on Kosciuszko Streefbefore

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ei1tering·the intersection, &triking plaintiff's vehide--on Tompkins Avenue in violation-ofVTL

.§ 1142 [a].

DefeI1dant argues that summary judgmentis inappropriate because ajury must determine

-the parties' credibility. Ho.we:ve:r,.defo11diµit_concedes_ that he.failed to see plaiµtiff's vehicle

before .proceeding through the stop sign (NYSCEF DOC. -32, p.26, lines 17-22; DOC. .37, if4);

When deciding a sllinntary judgment rnotiort,the Court's role is solely to identify the.

existence..-cif triable' issues, .and not.to determine the 1nerits .of any such issues {Vega v Restan·i

C.ons.tru.ction Corp., 18 NY~d 499; 505 (2012]) or the credibility of the movant's version of

events (see Xiang Fu He v Troon Management, l11c., 34 NY3d 167, 175 [2019] [internal citatforts

omitted]). The Court views the evidence in the light .most favorable to the nomnoving partyt

affording .them.the benefit ofaH-r~asonable inferenc.~sthat .c~ be drawn frotn the evidence (~ee· Newt v Shop -& Stop, Inc., 65 NY2d 625, 626 [1985]). The motion should IJe denied where th~

facts-are in dispute, where different. inferences may be-drawn from ·the-eviclence, or wher:e the

credibility of the •witnesses is in ·question (see Cameron v City ofLong Beach, 297A02d 773,

774 [2dDept. 20021). ). Onceplaintiff establishesaprim a/acie entitlement to summary

judgment,. "the h:urden shifts to the·ltorimoying:party to produce evidentiary proof in admissible·

fonn sufficientto establish the ex1stence··of:material issues of fact that require- a trial for

resolution" (Giuffrida v Citibank, 100 NY2d 72, 81 [2003]. and Alvarez v. PrQspect Hospital, 68

NY2d324}.

A yiolation ofthe Vehicle and Traffic Law constitutes negligence per se (Siezeme v Levy,

208.AD3d 809,810 [2nd Dept 2022]). However, a party with the right ofway may be h¢ld

respop.sible for the ac~jdent if he OJ," she did not use reasonabie c·are to avoid the accident eve~

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though proceeding with the right-of:.way (Jeong Sook Lee-Son v Doe, 170 AD3d 973; -975 [2d

Dept. 2019]).

The video, together with defendant's admissfop. that he fajled to see plaintiff's vehicle

before proceeding throug_h intersection,. establishes .apr.ima far::ie entitlemep.t to su:inmary

judgmen,t (Sieze_me v-Levy,; 208 AD3d 8-1 0; Rodriguezv City ofNew Yor~ 3_1 NY3d 312 [2018]) ..

Plaintiff has established tbatd¢fen.dmit_"was negligent_ as a matter of law-for the accidentwithout

any t1egligence .on the part of plaintiffcontributing_thereto. The vi~eo demonstrates tha:t

defendant never stopped at the sign before entering the intersection. D~fendant failed to

demonstrate the existence ofa question of facttQ warrant the <:lenfal of summaryjudgm.ent on the

issue ofth:eir negligence_ and the dismissal of their second, sixth and eight a_fl,inn11tive defenses

(Giµffrida v Cttihank, l 00 NY2d 81 and Alvarez v. Prospect Hospital, 68 NY2d 324; CPLR §

The Co-urt ~ conside;:red the parties~remaining ·arguments. and- finds .same to be without

merit.

.Accordingly; .ii is-hereby

ORDERED that plaintiff's motion for an order of summary judgment on the issue of

liabiHty and defendants~ negligence is gratited, ai:td it is-further

ORDERED "that defendants'' second, sixth ap.d eighth· affirmative defenses: are dismissed,

.and it is further

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ORDERED that this action shall proceed to trial on damages only.

This constitutes the decision and order ofthe Court.

ENTER:

For Clerks use only: Hon. Anne . Swern, J.S.C. MG _ _ Dated: 6/10/2025

MD _ _ Motion seq.# _ _ __

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