Manrique v. Warshaw Woolen Associates, Inc.

297 A.D.2d 519, 747 N.Y.2d 451, 747 N.Y.S.2d 451, 2002 N.Y. App. Div. LEXIS 8408
CourtAppellate Division of the Supreme Court of the State of New York
DecidedSeptember 17, 2002
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 297 A.D.2d 519 (Manrique v. Warshaw Woolen Associates, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of the State of New York primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Manrique v. Warshaw Woolen Associates, Inc., 297 A.D.2d 519, 747 N.Y.2d 451, 747 N.Y.S.2d 451, 2002 N.Y. App. Div. LEXIS 8408 (N.Y. Ct. App. 2002).

Opinion

Plaintiff sisters were allegedly struck in the crosswalk at 63rd Street and Third Avenue in Manhattan by an automobile owned and operated by defendants when the motor vehicle was driven in reverse gear and in the wrong direction on Third Avenue, exceeding the speed limit and running a red light. The IAS court properly denied the owner’s motion for summary judgment since the grounds on which the motion was brought were either unfounded or involved disputed issues of material fact, so we affirm.

Defendants’ motion was properly denied since plaintiff pre[520]*520sented objective evidence, through the submission of a sworn affidavit from her treating podiatrist, Dr. Dimitrov, coupled with plaintiffs verified bill of particulars, demonstrating the existence of a triable issue of fact as to whether she sustained serious injury within the meaning of section 5102 (d) of the Insurance Law, including whether she was unable to perform substantially all of her daily activities for at least 90 out of 180 days following the accident (see Schifano v Golden, 268 AD2d 335; compare Sherlock v Smith, 273 AD2d 95).

On their motion for summary judgment, defendants argued that plaintiff had not sustained a “serious injury,” relying upon the unsworn report of plaintiffs treating orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Nachamie, and plaintiffs bill of particulars. Specifically, defendants argued that plaintiff could not establish a “serious injury” since: (1) plaintiffs failure to allege any statutory category constituted an admission of her failure to qualify under any of the specific categories of injury; (2) plaintiffs reliance on subjective evidence was fatal to her claim; and (3) the absence of objective medical findings meant that plaintiff could not sustain a “serious injury” claim.

Plaintiffs “admission” that she sustained a major injury did not constitute an implied negative admission. Whether she can demonstrate the existence of a compensable serious injury depends on the quality, quantity and credibility of admissible evidence. Since plaintiff submitted, in admissible form, medical findings by her podiatrist documenting serious injuries to plaintiffs left foot, the latter two arguments for granting defendant summary judgment are likewise unavailing.

Defendants established their prima facie case for summary judgment since the surgeon’s report did not document any serious injury and the bill of particulars only made conclusory statements (see Conahan v Sanford, 284 AD2d 749, 750-751; Toure v Avis Rent A Car Sys., 284 AD2d 271, 274). While we agree with the dissent that defendants met their burden of proof, we part ways on whether plaintiff demonstrated triable issues of fact in plaintiffs affirmation in opposition. The dissent identifies several supposed flaws in the evidence submitted by plaintiff: Dr. Dimitrov does not make a finding regarding causation, does not state whether the injuries are permanent and does not note any restriction of range of motion. The dissent also finds fault with plaintiffs failure to submit medical findings contemporaneous with the accident proving her serious injuries.

A delay in examining goes to the weight to be given a medical opinion and is properly for a jury (Cassagnol v Williams-[521]*521burg Plaza Taxi, 234 AD2d 208). The central thrust of defendants’ motion for summary judgment was that plaintiff impliedly admitted she had not suffered a serious injury and that this “admission” was confirmed by a lack of objective medical findings and the trivial nature of the injuries claimed. In the context of those issues as actually framed by defendants in their motion, plaintiff clearly met her burden by submitting proof in admissible form which, if believed, establishes that she has sustained objectively verifiable injuries to her left foot including: (1) bursitis of the metatarsal joints; (2) pronation (collapse of the medial longitudinal arch) noting that the disability existed despite physical therapy treatments; and (3) neuritis secondary to the 2 by 4 centimeter scar (see Noble v Ackerman, 252 AD2d 392, 394; Adetunji v U-Haul Co. ofWis., 250 AD2d 483). It is obvious from the title and narrative of Dr. Dimitrov’s report that these injuries resulted from the accident which gave rise to this action. These injuries are neither trivial nor “non-serious.” They constitute objective evidence of plaintiff’s serious injuries and were sufficient to defeat defendant’s motion for summary judgment (Schifano v Golden, 268 AD2d 335).

Neither causation nor duration were the stated grounds or focus of defendants’ motion, although both unpreserved arguments were belatedly made in defendant’s reply and have received much attention on this appeal. Our role is issue finding and not issue resolving. The obvious conflict between the findings and opinions of plaintiffs surgeon, Dr. Nachamie, and plaintiffs podiatrist, Dr. Dimitrov, creates issues of fact which are properly resolved by a jury. While plaintiff may not have the strongest claim and while it may ultimately be found, as argued at length by the dissent, that plaintiffs evidence of injury lacks credibility, that function is for a factfinder at the trial level and not this Court. Concur — Saxe, J.P., Buckley and Lemer, JJ.

Friedman and Marlow, JJ., dissent in a memorandum by Marlow, J., as follows: On the afternoon of August 16, 1999, pedestrians Concepcion Manrique and her sister Maria Manrique were struck by a motor vehicle owned by defendant Warshaw Woolen Associates, Inc. and operated by defendant Bhakeram Ratibhan (collectively referred to as defendants) while crossing Third Avenue at 63rd Street in Manhattan. The Manrique sisters commenced separate actions against defendants, which were consolidated. This appeal involves only the complaint of Concepcion Manrique (hereinafter referred to as plaintiff).

[522]*522Plaintiff alleged in her complaint that she had sustained a serious injury as defined by Insurance Law § 5102 (d). In her amended bill of particulars, plaintiff complained of “permanent headaches, left leg and ankle ache and back pain.” She stated that she was in the hospital on the day of the accident and confined to bed for several more days. She claimed to be unable to go outside for approximately one week after being released from the hospital, and as of March 21, 2000, the date of her amended bill of particulars, was unable to return to her employment. Plaintiff further claimed that she “incurred a major injury to my ankle” and “suffer [ed] from having seen my sister lying lifeless in the street.”

Defendants moved for summary judgment on the ground that plaintiff did not sustain a serious injury within the meaning of Insurance Law § 5102 (d). In support of the motion, defendants relied on plaintiffs amended bill of particulars which, they maintained, failed to meet the serious injury threshold. In addition, defendants submitted a narrative report of Dr. Benjamin A. Nachamie, plaintiffs orthopedic surgeon, who treated her twice in June 2000, 10 months after the accident.

Dr. Nachamie stated that x-rays of plaintiffs foot and ankle were normal, and that her feet and ankles move “well and equally.” He further observed:

“Although [plaintiff claims that] ‘everything hurts’ there is a paucity of findings. When she does not realize she is [being] observed she walks briskly. She jumps on and off the exam table and stands on her toes well.
“There is an excellent range of motion of the back and neck.” Dr.

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Bluebook (online)
297 A.D.2d 519, 747 N.Y.2d 451, 747 N.Y.S.2d 451, 2002 N.Y. App. Div. LEXIS 8408, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/manrique-v-warshaw-woolen-associates-inc-nyappdiv-2002.