McNeil-Sampson v. Perez

2025 NY Slip Op 30987(U)
CourtNew York Supreme Court, New York County
DecidedMarch 25, 2025
DocketIndex No. 153580/2019
StatusUnpublished

This text of 2025 NY Slip Op 30987(U) (McNeil-Sampson v. Perez) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New York Supreme Court, New York County primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
McNeil-Sampson v. Perez, 2025 NY Slip Op 30987(U) (N.Y. Super. Ct. 2025).

Opinion

McNeil-Sampson v Perez 2025 NY Slip Op 30987(U) March 25, 2025 Supreme Court, New York County Docket Number: Index No. 153580/2019 Judge: James G. Clynes 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: NEW YORK COUNTY CLERK 03/27/2025 04:51 P~ INDEX NO. 153580/2019 NYSCEF DOC. NO. 194 RECEIVED NYSCEF: 03/27/2025

SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK NEW YORK COUNTY PRESENT: HON. JAMES G. CL YNES PART 22 Justice -----·-----------------X INDEX NO. 153580/2019 NAKITA MCNEIL-SAMPSON, MOTION DATE 06/17/2024 Plaintiff, MOTION SEQ. NO. 007 - V-

MARVIN PEREZ, CONSOLIDATED EDISON COMPANY OF NEW YORK, INC., CONSOLIDATED EDISON, INC., CONSOLIDATED EDISON SOLUTIONS, INC., CON DECISION + ORDER ON EDISON CLEAN ENERGY BUSINESSES, INC., SAN MOTION MATEO CONSTRUCTION CORP.,

Defendant. - - - - - -----------------------------X

The following e-filed documents, listed by NYSCEF document number (Motion 007) 153, 154, 155, 156, 157,158,159,160,161,162,163,164,165,166,167,168,170,172,177,178,179,180,181,182,183, 184, 185, 188 were read on this motion to/for JUDGMENT-SUMMARY

Upon the foregoing documents, it is ordered that this motion by defendant San Mateo

Construction Corp. (San Mateo), pursuant to CPLR 3212, for an order granting summary judgment

in its favor and dismissal of the amended complaint and any cross-claim(s) against it, on the

grounds that San Mateo is not vicariously liable for the subject accident because defendant Marvin

Perez (Perez), an employee of San Mateo at the time of the accident, was not acting within the

scope of his employment with San Mateo at the time of the accident, is decided as follows.

Plaintiff Nakita McNeil-Sampson, as administratrix of the estate of Sheldon Hedwige

Sampson (decedent), as mother and legal guardian of J.S., and individually, seeks monetary

damages for decedent's conscious pain and suffering and his wrongful death arising from a motor

vehicle accident involving a motorcycle operated by the decedent and a vehicle operated by Perez.

The amended summons and complaint (A/C) (NYSCEF Doc No. [Doc] 162) allegedd that Perez

owned the vehicle he was operating, the accident occurred on April 29, 2017, at approximately

2:08 a.m. and Perez's negligence caused the accident. The A/C further alleges that at the time of

153580/2019 MCNEIL-SAMPSON, NAKITA vs. PEREZ, MARVIN Page 1 of 11 Motion No. 007

[* 1] 1 of 11 [FILED: NEW YORK COUNTY CLERK 03/27/2025 04:51 P~ INDEX NO. 153580/2019 NYSCEF DOC. NO. 194 RECEIVED NYSCEF: 03/27/2025

the collision: Perez was acting as an agent of and employed by San Mateo; Perez was in the course

of his employment with San Mateo; and Perez operated the vehicle with San Mateo's express and

implied permission, consent and approval. Additionally, the A/C alleges that San Mateo is

responsible and liable for Perez's acts of negligence while acting within the scope of his employment and/or agency.

In its answer (Doc 163), San Mateo denies the allegations of the amended complaint,

asserts twelve affirmative defenses, and cross-claims against the other defendants. Discovery

ensued, including depositions, San Mateo timely moved for summary judgment, 1 and plaintiff filed

a note of issue.

Legal Standards

Summary Judgment

The "proponent of a summary judgment motion must make a prima facie showing of

entitlement to judgment as a matter of law, tendering sufficient evidence to demonstrate the

absence of any material issues of fact" (Alvarez v Prospect Hosp., 68 NY2d 320, 324 [1986]).

"Failure to make such showing requires a denial of the motion, regardless of the sufficiency of the

opposing papers" (Winegrad v New York Univ. Med. Center, 64 NY2d 851, 853 [1985]). "Once

this showing has been made, however, the burden shifts to the party opposing the motion for

summary judgment to produce evidentiary proof in admissible form sufficient to establish the

existence of material issues of fact which require a trial of the action" (Alvarez, 68 NY2d at 324,

citing Zuckerman v City of New York, 49 NY2d 557, 562 [1980]).

"Summary judgment should not be granted where there is any doubt as to the existence of

a factual issue or where the existence of a factual issue is arguable" (Forrest v Jewish Guild for

the Blind, 3 NY3d 295, 315 [2004]). "On a summary judgment motion, facts must be viewed in

the light most favorable to the non-moving party" (Vega v Restani Const. Corp., 18 NY3d 499,

503 [2012], quoting Ortiz v Varsity Holdings, LLC, 18 NY3d 335, 339 [2011]). The role of the

1 Other corporate defendants separately moved for and were granted summary judgment. At the time of this decision and order, anly Perez and San Mateo remain as defendants. 153580/2019 MCNEIL-SAMPSON, NAKITA vs. PEREZ, MARVIN Page 2 of 11 Motion No. 007

2 of 11 [* 2] [FILED: NEW YORK COUNTY CLERK 03/27/2025 04:51 P~ INDEX NO. 153580/2019 NYSCEF DOC. NO. 194 RECEIVED NYSCEF: 03/27/2025

court in determining the "drastic remedy" of summary judgment is "issue - finding," not "issue -

determination" (Sillman v Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corp., 3 NY2d 395, 404 [1957] [internal

quotation marks and citation omitted]).

Vicarious Liability

Under the common-law doctrine of respondeat superior, an employer may be held

vicariously liable for torts, including intentional torts, committed by employees acting within the

scope of their employment (see Judith M v Sisters of Charity Hosp., 93 NY2d 932, 933 [1999],

citing Riviello v Waldron, 47 NY2d 297 [1979]). Such liability attaches for the tortious acts of

employees "only if those acts were committed in furtherance of the employer's business and within

the scope of employment" (Doe v Guthrie Clinic, Ltd., 22 NY3d 480, 484 [2014] [internal citations

omitted]). While whether an employee acted within the scope of employment is a fact-based

inquiry (Riviello, 47 N2d at 302-303), "the question may be resolved on summary judgment,

particularly when the material facts are undisputed" (Rivera v State of New York, 34 NY2d 383,

390 [2019] [internal citations omitted]).

The Motion

The following facts are not in dispute. On April 29, 2017, Perez and decedent were

involved in a motor vehicle accident that occurred at approximately 2:08 a.m., and Perez was then

an employee of San Mateo (San Mateo's Statement of Material Facts, Doc 156 at ,-i,-i 1, 4; Plaintiffs'

Response to Statement of Material Facts, Doc 177, ,-i,-i 1, 4.). 2

Moving Contentions

San Mateo contends, based on admissible evidence, that there are no remaining genuine

material issues of disputed fact with respect to the issue of vicarious liability and that it is entitled

to judgment dismissing the A/C and all cross-claims against it. In support, San Mateo points to,

inter alia: Perez's deposition testimony (Perez EBT Tr) (Doc 164) and his affidavit (Perez aff)

(Doc 167); the deposition testimony (Doc 165) and affidavit of Francis Skehan (Skehan) (Doc

2 There also is no dispute that Perez was travelling alone. 153580/2019 MCNEIL-SAMPSON, NAKITA vs. PEREZ, MARVIN Page 3 of 11 Motion No. 007

3 of 11 [* 3] [FILED: NEW YORK COUNTY CLERK 03/27/2025 04:51 P~ INDEX NO. 153580/2019 NYSCEF DOC. NO. 194 RECEIVED NYSCEF: 03/27/2025

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Forrest v. Jewish Guild for the Blind
819 N.E.2d 998 (New York Court of Appeals, 2004)
Vega v. Restani Construction Corp.
965 N.E.2d 240 (New York Court of Appeals, 2012)
Ortiz v. Varsity Holdings, LLC
960 N.E.2d 948 (New York Court of Appeals, 2011)
Freund v. Washington Square Press, Inc.
314 N.E.2d 419 (New York Court of Appeals, 1974)
Matter of Town of Cicero v. Lakeshore Estates, LLC
2017 NY Slip Op 5524 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 2017)
Doe v. Guthrie Clinic, Ltd.
5 N.E.3d 578 (New York Court of Appeals, 2014)
Sillman v. Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corp.
144 N.E.2d 387 (New York Court of Appeals, 1957)
People v. Maerling
385 N.E.2d 1245 (New York Court of Appeals, 1978)
Riviello v. Waldron
391 N.E.2d 1278 (New York Court of Appeals, 1979)
Zuckerman v. City of New York
404 N.E.2d 718 (New York Court of Appeals, 1980)
Winegrad v. New York University Medical Center
476 N.E.2d 642 (New York Court of Appeals, 1985)
Alvarez v. Prospect Hospital
501 N.E.2d 572 (New York Court of Appeals, 1986)
Judith M. v. Sisters of Charity Hospital
715 N.E.2d 95 (New York Court of Appeals, 1999)
Weimer v. Food Merchants, Inc.
284 A.D.2d 190 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 2001)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
2025 NY Slip Op 30987(U), Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/mcneil-sampson-v-perez-nysupctnewyork-2025.