State Farm Fire & Casualty v. Parking Systems Valet Service

85 A.D.3d 761, 926 N.Y.S.2d 541
CourtAppellate Division of the Supreme Court of the State of New York
DecidedJune 7, 2011
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 85 A.D.3d 761 (State Farm Fire & Casualty v. Parking Systems Valet Service) 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
State Farm Fire & Casualty v. Parking Systems Valet Service, 85 A.D.3d 761, 926 N.Y.S.2d 541 (N.Y. Ct. App. 2011).

Opinion

In a subrogation action to recover insurance benefits paid to the plaintiffs insured for the theft of personal property, the plaintiff appeals, as limited by its brief, from so much of an order of the Supreme Court, Queens County (Schulman, J.), entered July 21, 2010, as, upon reargument, adhered to the determination in an order of the same court entered June 23, 2009, denying its postjudgment motion to compel nonparty Mark Baron and attorney Steven David Fink to appear for an in camera review of records and depositions of both of them and for the imposition of a sanction upon the nonparty Mark Baron, and denied that branch of its motion which was for leave to renew its prior motion for the same relief.

Ordered that the order entered July 21, 2010, is modified, on the law, (1) by deleting the provision thereof denying that branch of the plaintiffs motion which was for leave to renew that branch of its postjudgment motion which was to compel a new deposition of nonparty Mark Baron and substituting therefor a provision granting that branch of the plaintiffs motion which was for leave to renew, (2) by deleting the provision thereof, upon reargument, adhering to the determination in the order entered June 23, 2009, denying that branch of the plaintiffs postjudgment motion which was to compel a new deposition of nonparty Mark Baron, and substituting therefor a provision, upon renewal and reargument, vacating the determination in the order entered June 23, 2009, denying that branch of the plaintiffs postjudgment motion, and thereupon granting that branch of the plaintiffs postjudgment motion which was to compel a new deposition of nonparty Mark Baron, to be supervised by the Supreme Court, Queens County, in accordance with CPLR 3104 (a), and (3) by deleting the provision thereof, upon reargument, adhering to the determination in the [762]*762order entered June 23, 2009, denying that branch of the plaintiffs postjudgment motion which was to impose a sanction upon nonparty Mark Baron, and substituting therefor a provision denying that branch of the plaintiffs motion, without prejudice to the plaintiffs right to move, pursuant to Judiciary Law § 756, upon the proper service of appropriate papers, to hold nonparty Mark Baron in civil contempt; as so modified, the order entered July 21, 2010, is affirmed insofar as appealed from, without costs or disbursements.

On February 12, 2004, a parking attendant employed by Parking Systems Valet Service at a restaurant in Bayside parked a car driven to the restaurant by Joseph N. Misk. The car was a leased 2002 Mercedes Benz CL500. After dinner, when Misk attempted to retrieve the car, he was informed by the attendant that both his car and his keys were missing. Misk filed a claim with his insurer, State Farm Fire and Casualty (hereinafter State Farm), which paid out the sum of $78,283 for the loss. State Farm thereafter commenced this subrogation action against Parking Systems Valet Service. Initially, however, State Farm had named “Parking Systems, Inc.” as the defendant; in an order dated September 13, 2006, the Supreme Court granted State Farm’s motion for leave to file an amended summons and complaint, changing the name of the defendant to “Parking Systems Valet Service,” noting that “the defendant does not dispute that it is the correct defendant.”

The action proceeded to trial. Attorney Stephen David Fink appeared and defended the action on behalf of Parking Systems Valet Service, and called a witness, Cesar Uraga, who testified that he was an employee of an entity known as “Parking Systems,” and that he was working on the evening that Misk’s car could not be found. The Supreme Court (Geller, J.H.O.), found in favor of State Farm on its cause of action to recover the value of the missing car. On September 29, 2008, a judgment was entered in State Farm’s favor and against Parking Systems Valet Service in the principal sum of $78,063. Parking Systems Valet Service, represented by Fink, appealed that judgment to this Court and, on May 26, 2009, this Court affirmed (see State Farm Fire & Cas. v Parking Sys. Valet Serv., 63 AD3d 1139 [2009]).

Thereafter, the plaintiff engaged in postjudgment collection . efforts by serving an information subpoena duces tecum upon Mark Baron, the president of an entity known as “Parking Systems,” compelling him to appear for a postjudgment deposition, and to produce various documents for inspection. On February 13, 2009, Baron appeared for the deposition and was [763]*763represented by Fink. When asked whether Parking Systems Valet Service had a certificate of business or articles of incorporation, Baron testified, “I don’t recognize that defendant.” He further testified that he was not associated with Parking Systems Valet Service. When asked about Cesar Uraga, the trial witness who testified that he was employed by “Parking Systems,” Baron testified that, in 2004, Uraga was in fact employed by a company named “American Valet Service.” When asked if “American Valet Service” had an agreement to provide valet services to the restaurant in Bayside patronized by Misk on the night of the incident, Baron testified, “We have no relationship.” When asked if he had ever heard of Parking System Valet Service, Baron stated: “No. No, I have not.” State Farm’s attorney made inquiry of Fink at Baron’s deposition as to whether there were any employees of Parking Systems Valet Service. Fink replied, on the record, while referring to Baron, that “[t]his is the person who would have knowledge of anything to do with the corporate structure of any entity that would have done valet parking or had agreements with this restaurant.” Fink then stated, “Pve always told you . . . Parking System Valet Services is nothing. It’s just a name.” Baron testified that he had heard of “Parking Systems” — an entity apparently distinguishable from “Parking Systems Valet Service.” When asked whether “Parking Systems” is an actual entity, Baron testified that it was not, and that it was a name printed on jackets and signs “used to identify our business.”

After Baron’s deposition, State Farm moved to compel Baron and Fink “to appear for in camera review of records and deposition at the Courthouse in conjunction with sanctions upon Baron for $1,507.80.” State Farm argued that Baron had lied during his deposition when he testified that, among other things, he had never heard of Parking Systems Valet Service. In support of this contention, State Farm submitted affidavits Baron had purportedly filed in other cases, wherein he represented that he was either associated with or was a principal of “Parking Systems Valet Service.” In an order entered June 23, 2009, the Supreme Court denied State Farm’s motion. State Farm thereafter moved for leave to renew and reargue the motion, claiming, inter alia, that its attorney had mistakenly annexed the wrong deposition transcript, rather than Baron’s deposition transcript, to his affirmation in support of the original motion. The Supreme Court denied that branch of the motion which was for leave to renew, holding that State Farm failed to proffer a reasonable excuse for failing to submit those papers in support of the original motion. The Supreme Court granted that branch of State Farm’s motion which was for leave to [764]*764reargue, but, upon reargument, adhered to its original determination. State Farm appeals, and we modify.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
85 A.D.3d 761, 926 N.Y.S.2d 541, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-farm-fire-casualty-v-parking-systems-valet-service-nyappdiv-2011.