Cherfilus v. McAlmon

2025 NY Slip Op 51603(U)
CourtNew York Supreme Court, Kings County
DecidedOctober 10, 2025
DocketIndex No. 530607/2023
StatusUnpublished

This text of 2025 NY Slip Op 51603(U) (Cherfilus v. McAlmon) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New York Supreme Court, Kings County primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Cherfilus v. McAlmon, 2025 NY Slip Op 51603(U) (N.Y. Super. Ct. 2025).

Opinion

Cherfilus v McAlmon (2025 NY Slip Op 51603(U))

[*1]

Cherfilus v McAlmon
2025 NY Slip Op 51603(U)
Decided on October 10, 2025
Supreme Court, Kings County
Maslow, J.
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This opinion is uncorrected and will not be published in the printed Official Reports.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 October 10, 2025

Supreme Court, Kings County



Artelien Cherfilus, Plaintiff,



against

Kevin McAlmon and KEYA DASHAWN HACKETT, Defendants.





Index No. 530607/2023



Rubenstein & Rynecki, Esqs., New York City (Mark Battipaglia of counsel) for Plaintiff.

Law Offices of Jennifer S. Adams, Williamsville (Michael De-Guida-Derise of counsel), for Defendants.


Aaron D. Maslow, J.

The following numbered papers were used on this motion:

Defendant's Submission in Support of Motion — NYSCEF Document Nos. 17-24
Plaintiff's Submission in Opposition to Motion — NYSCEF Document Nos. 37-44
Defendant's Submission in Reply to Opposition to Motion — NYSCEF Document No. 49

Upon the foregoing papers, having heard oral argument, and due deliberation having been had, the within matter is determined as follows.

Background

Plaintiff brought suit against Defendants for personal injuries allegedly sustained in a June 9, 2023 motor vehicle accident. Per Plaintiff's bill of particulars, he sustained injuries as [*2]follows:

-Lumbar sprain
-Right shoulder sprain
-Right knee sprain
-Suprapatellar effusion of right knee joint (NYSCEF Doc No. 22 ¶ 9).

As per Insurance Law § 5104 [a]), "Notwithstanding any other law, in any action by or on behalf of a covered person against another covered person for personal injuries arising out of negligence in the use or operation of a motor vehicle in this state, there shall be no right of recovery for non-economic loss, except in the case of a serious injury, or for basic economic loss."

Serious injury is defined though nine statutory categories:

a personal injury which results in death; dismemberment; significant disfigurement; a fracture; loss of a fetus; permanent loss of use of a body organ, member, function or system; permanent consequential limitation of use of a body organ or member; significant limitation of use of a body function or system; or a medically determined injury or impairment of a non-permanent nature which prevents the injured person from performing substantially all of the material acts which constitute such person's usual and customary daily activities for not less than ninety days during the one hundred eighty days immediately following the occurrence of the injury or impairment [last category known as "90/180"] (Insurance Law § 5102 [d]).

Plaintiff's bill of particulars failed to comply with the requirement set forth in CPLR 3043, as follows:

(a) Specified particulars. In actions to recover for personal injuries the following particulars may be required:
. . .
(6) Statement of the injuries and description of those claimed to be permanent, and in an action designated in subsection (a) of section five thousand one hundred four of the insurance law, for personal injuries arising out of negligence in the use or operation of a motor vehicle in this state, in what respect plaintiff has sustained a serious injury, as defined in subsection (d) of section five thousand one hundred two of the insurance law, or economic loss greater than basic economic loss, as defined in subsection (a) of section five thousand one hundred two of the insurance law (CPLR 3043 [a] [6]).

While Plaintiff's complaint did not specify which categories (definitions) of serious injury his injuries measured up to, there were allegations that his injuries were permanent:

37. That as a result of the aforesaid contact, plaintiff ARTELIEN CHERFILUS was injured.
. . .
39. That by reason of the foregoing and the negligence of the said defendants, this plaintiff, ARTELIEN CHERFILUS, sustained serious, severe, and permanent injuries to his limbs and body, still suffers and will continue to suffer for some time, great physical and mental pain and serious bodily injury; became sick, sore, lame and disabled and so remained for considerable length of time.
40. That by reason of the wrongful, negligent and unlawful actions of the defendants, as aforesaid, the plaintiff, ARTELIEN CHERFILUS, sustained serious injuries as defined in the Insurance Law of the State of New York, and has sustained economic loss greater than basic economic loss as defined in said Insurance Law.
41. That by reason of the foregoing and the negligence of the said defendants, this plaintiff, ARTELIEN CHERFILUS, is informed and verily believes his aforesaid injuries are permanent and that he will permanently suffer from the effects of his aforesaid injuries and he will be caused to suffer permanent embarrassment and continuous pain and inconvenience. (NYSCEF Doc No. 20 ¶¶ 37-41 [emphasis added].)

Defendants move for summary judgment dismissing the complaint on the asserted ground that Plaintiff's injuries do not satisfy the threshold of serious injury as defined in the statutory categories enumerated in Insurance Law § 5102 (d) (see NYSCEF Doc No. 17).



General Discussion

Summary judgment, including in a motor vehicle accident case, is a drastic remedy that should be granted only if no triable issues of fact exist and the movant is entitled to judgment as a matter of law (see Alvarez v Prospect Hosp., 68 NY2d 320 [1986]; Andre v Pomeroy, 35 NY2d 361 [1974]).

The issue of whether a claimed injury falls within the statutory definition of "serious injury" is a question of law for the Court, which may be decided on a motion for summary judgment (see Licari v Elliott, 57 NY2d 230 [1982]). A moving defendant bears the initial burden of establishing, by the submission of evidentiary proof in admissible form, a prima facie case that the plaintiff has not suffered a serious injury proximately resulting from the subject motor vehicle accident (see Toure v Avis Rent A Car Sys., Inc., 98 NY2d 345 [2002]; Gaddy v Eyler, 79 NY2d 955 [1992]). A failure to make such a showing requires denial of the motion, regardless of the sufficiency of the opposing papers (see Curiale v Delfavero, 211 AD3d 905 [2d Dept 2022]).

In order to make out a prima facie case that a plaintiff has failed to achieve serious injury as defined in Insurance Law § 5102 (d), a defendant must rule out all categories claimed in the bill of particulars (see Diaz v Nightingale Bakery & Beverage Distrib., Inc., — AD3d —, 2025 NY Slip Op 04630 [2d Dept 2025]; Santos v Fiktus, 232 AD3d 698 [2d Dept 2024]; Curiale v Delfavero, 211 AD3d 905), and/or must establish that whatever injuries are claimed by the [*3]plaintiff did not proximately result from the subject motor vehicle accident (see Lemieux v Horn, 39 NY3d 1108 [2023], affg 209 AD3d 1100 [3d Dept 2022]; Franklin v Gareyua, 29 NY3d 925 [2017], affg 136 AD3d 464 [1st Dept 2016];

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