Bajaj v General Assurance
2008 NYSlipOp 84460(U)(2d Dept. 2008)
“Motion by the plaintiff for leave to appeal to this court from an order of the Appellate Term, Second and Eleventh Judicial Districts, dated October 22, 2007, which reversed a judgment of the Civil Court of the City of New York, Queens County, entered February 9, 2006.
Upon the papers filed in support of the motion and the papers filed in opposition thereto, it is
ORDERED that the motion is denied.”
Comment: Baja was the case that held that a Plaintiff cannot make its prima facie case based upon a notice to admit. This was the companion to Empire State Psychological Servs., P.C. v Travelers Ins. Co. (App. Term 2d Dept. 2007), which held that interrogatories admitting receipt and the bills being overdue was insufficient to make a prima facie case. The above cases were ruled on as they were because the Appellate Term, Second Department, has consistently opined that the billing claim forms need to be entered into evidence.
This is in contrast to the Appellate Term, First Department, which has routinely held that a prima facie case is set forth through a literal interpretation of Mary Immaculate Hospital as observed in Fair Price Med. Supply, Inc. v St. Paul Travelers Ins. Co., 16 Misc.3d 8 (App. Term 1st Dept. 2007), to wit:
“[d]efendant insurer admitted that it received the no-fault claims at issue and made partial payment on the claims. Inasmuch as defendant’s verified answers to the interrogatories constituted admissions of a party, which are admissible as evidence, defendant may not now be heard to argue that plaintiff failed to submit proof that the claims had been mailed and received, and that they were overdue (see Mary Immaculate Hosp. v Allstate Ins. Co., 5 AD3d 742 [2004]). To the extent that Empire State Psychological Servs., P.C. v Travelers Ins. Co. (13 Misc 3d 131[A], 2006 NY Slip Op 51869[U] [2006]) supports a contrary conclusion, we decline to follow it.”
Had Baja made its way to the Appellate Division, Second Department, then it is likely that the world of Dan Medical would have gone the way of vicarious liability in leasehold cases following the Graves Amendment.
