Key Takeaway
EMA Acupuncture v Allstate clarifies attorney fee calculations in consolidated no-fault cases, establishing $850 maximum applies per aggregate claims from same accident.
EMA Acupuncture P.C. v Allstate Ins. Co., 2015 NY Slip Op 50348(U)(App. Term 1st Dept. 2015)
Good job James F. Sullivan and crew.
We sustain so much of the order under review as limited the amount of any recovery of attorneys’ fees to the sum of $850, the maximum allowable pursuant to Insurance Department Regulations § 65-4.6(e). Since this provision provides that attorneys’ fees in a no-fault action are to be calculated based on the “aggregate of all bills for each insured” disputed in any action, up to a maximum of $850 (LMK Psychological Servs., P.C. v State Farm Mut. Auto. Ins. Co., 12 NY3d 217 ), the $850 limit was properly applied to the claims at issue in this consolidated action, all of which involve the same parties and assignor, and arise from the same accident.”
So assume that you have a typical multisuit involving three providers and one assignor. Can you now make the argument that the attorney fee should be on an aggregate basis? Therefore, $60 minimum and $850 maximum regardless of the amount of Assignee medical providers? With the new-new-new regs, I am unsure this will matter as the minimum has been removed and you need just north of $8100 in combined principle and interest to reach the attorney fee ceiling. Maybe with consolidated NJ surgery cases this can be relevant?
Related Articles
- Attorney Fee Requirements in New York No-Fault Insurance Cases
- LMK Attorney Fee Calculation Problems in NY No-Fault Cases
- Attorney fees for cases filed on or after February 4, 2015
- Third DCA refuses to apply 65-4.6(e) under abuse of discretion standard
- Interest and attorney fee calculations
Legal Update (February 2026): Since this 2015 post, New York’s no-fault attorney fee regulations under Insurance Department Regulations § 65 have undergone significant amendments, including changes to fee calculation methods, minimum thresholds, and maximum allowable amounts. Practitioners should verify current provisions of § 65-4.6 and related fee schedule regulations, as the specific dollar amounts and calculation formulas discussed in this post may no longer be accurate.
