Goldfarb v. New York City Health & Hosps. Corp.

2025 NY Slip Op 31890(U)
CourtNew York Supreme Court, Kings County
DecidedMay 22, 2025
DocketIndex No. 531901/2021
StatusUnpublished

This text of 2025 NY Slip Op 31890(U) (Goldfarb v. New York City Health & Hosps. Corp.) 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
Goldfarb v. New York City Health & Hosps. Corp., 2025 NY Slip Op 31890(U) (N.Y. Super. Ct. 2025).

Opinion

Goldfarb v New York City Health & Hosps. Corp. 2025 NY Slip Op 31890(U) May 22, 2025 Supreme Court, Kings County Docket Number: Index No. 531901/2021 Judge: Consuelo Mallafre Melendez 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. INDEX NO. 531901/2021 NYSCEF DOC. NO. 155 RECEIVED NYSCEF: 05/22/2025

At an IAS Term, Part MM ESP- 7 of the Supreme Court of the State of NY, held in and for the County of Kings, at the Courthouse, at 360 Adams Street, Brooklyn, New York, on the 22nd day of May 2025.

SUPREME COURT OF THE ST ATE OF NEW YORK COUNTY OF KINGS ---- ----- ------ ------ ------- --- ---- ------ -- ------ ------ ------- ------- ----- X ADAM GOLDFARB, as Administrator of the Estate of SARAH GOLDFARB, a/k/a SARAH MARY GOLDFARB, DECISION & ORDER deceased. ADAM GOLDFARB and ERICA GOLDFARB. individually, Index No. 531901/2021 Mo. Seq. 1 Plaintiffs,

-against-

NEW YORK CITY HEAL TH & HOSPITALS CORPORATION. HAJIR D!LMANIAN. M.D .. NEW YORK- PRESBYTERIAN BROOKLYN METHODIST HOSPITAL, DEEPAK AST!, M.D .. NEW YORK HEART AND VASCULAR SPECIALISTS. P.C .. WYCKOH HEIGHTS MEDICAL CENTER, MARK A. SELDON, M.D. and CARDIOVASCULAR CONSUL TING OF NEW YORK. P.C.,

Defendants. -- ---- ------ ------- ----- ------- ------ ------ -- ------- ------ ------ ------ -- -- X HON. CONSUELO MALLAFRE MELENDEZ, .J.S.C. Recitation. as required by CPLR ~2219 [a]. of the papers considered in the review: NYSCEF #s: 89- 90. 9l - l27, 129, 130 - 148. 149- 151. 152- 154

Defendants Hajir Dilmanian, \1.D. ("Dr. Dilmanian··) and New York-Presbyterian

Brooklyn Methodist Hospital (''Methodist I lospital .. ) move (Seq. No. I) f

CPLR 3212. granting summary judgment in their favor and dismissing Plaintiffs' complaint and

any claims against them in this action.

Plaintiffs oppose the motion.

Plaintiffs commenced this action on December 14. 2021. on behalf of Decedent's estate.

asserting claims of medical malpractice. lack of informed consent. and \\rongful death against

[* 1] 1 of 15 INDEX NO. 531901/2021 NYSCEF DOC. NO. 155 RECEIVED NYSCEF: 05/22/2025

the movants and others. The claims arise from an alleged failure to diagnose and treat Decedent's

heart disease prior to her death in December 2019.

Prior to the claims against the moving defendants, Decedent presented to a City MD

urgent care center (not a party to th is action) on August 2, 20 l 9. She was 27 years o Id and had

complaints of upper abdominal pain and dyspnea (shortness of breath) on exertion. The medical

professional at the urgent care center sent her by ambulance to Woodhull Hospital (defendant

New York City Health & Hospitals Corporation), where she underwent an EKG and

echocardiogram and was assessed with sinus bradycardia. According to the Woodhull records, an

outpatient stress echocardiogram ("stress echo") was recommended by the cardiology consult.

She was discharged on August 3 with instructions to follow up with a primary care provider and

cardiologist.

On August 26. 2019, Decedent presented to movant cardiologist Dr. Dilrnanian. at

Methodist I lospitaL for a cardiology evaluation. She reported no chest pain or shortness of breath

according to his records. On physical examination, she had a low pulse rate, regular heart rhythm

with no murmur or gallop, and normal blood pressure. Dr. Dilmanian performed an EKG and

noted abnormal results, including T wave abnormality and marked sinus bradycardia with

premature atrial complexes. He assessed she had possible left atrial enlargement and inferior

ischemia. He ordered a stress echo and repeat transthoracic echocardiogram ("TTE") to be

performed at Methodist Hospital. There is no record that these tests were ever scheduled.

Decedent never returned to Dr. Dilmanian or Methodist Hospital.

Subsequent to her visit with Dr. Dilmanian. Decedent had a syncopal (fainting) episode

on October 28, 2019 while running on a treadmill. She was taken to defendant Wyckoff Heights

2 of 15 [* 2] INDEX NO. 531901/2021 NYSCEF DOC. NO. 155 RECEIVED NYSCEF: 05/22/2025

emergency department and treated by defendant Deepak J\sti. M.D. She later followed up with

another defendant cardiologist, Mark A. Seldon, M.D. ("Dr. Seldon"') on November 4, 2019.

On December IL 2019. Decedent collapsed while using a treadmill and was taken by

ambulance to Wyckoff Heights, then transferred to non-party Lenox Hill Hospital the following

day. On December 18, 2019. she was declared brain dead and removed from life support. An

autopsy restricted to the heart determined her cause of death \Vas sudden cardiac arrest,

secondary to cardiac arrhythmia from underlying cardiomyopathy, most likely arrhythmogcnic

right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARYC), a genetic heart disease.

Plaintiffs allege that the movant Dr. Dilmanian departed from the standard of care by

failing to obtain and review Decedent's hospital records, failing to order and schedule the stress

echo and TTE tests in an expedited manner, and failing to order a cardiac MRI. Plaintiffs" claims

against Methodist Hospital arise from vicarious liability for Dr. Dilmanian. as \veil as direct

claims of failing to schedule follow-up tests. Plaintiffs further allege that these departures

proximately caused a delay in diagnosis and treatment of Decedent's heart condition, which

diminished her chance of a better outcome.

In support of their motion, Dr. Dilmanian and Methodist Hospital submit an expert

affidavit from Henry S. Cabin, M.D. ('"Dr. Cabin"), a licensed physician board certified in

internal medicine, cardiovascular disease. and interventional cardiology.

The Court notes that Plaintiffs object to the form of Dr. Cabin's affidavit, as well as the

other affida\it submitted by the movants from a Methodist Hospital employee, because these

documents do not contain the "l affirm ... under the penalties of perjury"' language set forth in

CPLR 2106. However, as the movants address in their reply affirmation, CPLR 2106 applies to

an ·' Affirmation of truth of statement,'' which in recent years has been expanded from attorneys

[* 3] 3 of 15 INDEX NO. 531901/2021 NYSCEF DOC. NO. 155 RECEIVED NYSCEF: 05/22/2025

and physicians to "any person:· and may be used "in lieu ofi1'ith the same force and effect as an

affidavit ... (CPLR 2106.) In contrast. the submissions from Dr. Cabin and Tasha Briggs were

"subscribed and sworn" before a New York state notary public and ,vere presented in the format

of an affidavit, which remains a valid and admissible form of evidence.

Dr. Cabin opines that Dr. Dilrnanian complied with the standard of care in his evaluation

and treatment of Decedent on August 26, 2019. He notes that she reported no ARVC symptoms

at the time. denying chest pain. shortness of breath, or syncopal episodes. On physical

examination, she had no signs of arrhythmia. For this reason, he opines there was no reason for

Dr. Dilmanian to suspect ARVC or arrhythmia, and the standard of care did not require him to

refer her to the emergency room for ''any urgent testing or treatments."

Dr. Cabin opines that Dr. Dilmanian properly interpreted her August 26 EKG, which

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Bluebook (online)
2025 NY Slip Op 31890(U), Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/goldfarb-v-new-york-city-health-hosps-corp-nysupctkings-2025.