Key Takeaway
Court rules Assignment of Benefits not required for no-fault claims prima facie case. Defendants must properly raise AOB issues first before inquiry permitted.
Beal-Medea Prods., Inc. v Geico Gen. Ins. Co., 2016 NY Slip Op 50594(U)(App. Term 2d Dept. 2016)
“Plaintiff’s motion should have been granted. Defendant’s CPLR 4401 motion for judgment as a matter of law was made before the close of plaintiff’s case, and was therefore premature (see Kamanou v Bert, 94 AD3d 704 ). Furthermore, the court’s reason for granting the application was erroneous, as a no-fault plaintiff is not required to submit an executed assignment of benefits in order to demonstrate its prima facie entitlement to recover on a no-fault claim (see Viviane Etienne Med. Care, P.C. v Country-Wide Ins. Co., 25 NY3d 498 ; Hospital for Joint Diseases v Allstate Ins. Co., 21 AD3d 348 , affd 9 NY3d 312 ; Urban Radiology, P.C. v GEICO Gen. Ins. Co., 39 Misc 3d 146, 2013 NY Slip Op 50850 ). Rather, for the assignment of benefits to become a subject of inquiry, a defendant must first demonstrate that it timely and properly raised an issue with respect to the assignment (see Hospital for Joint Diseases, 21 AD3d 348; Urban Radiology, P.C., 39 Misc 3d 146, 2013 NY Slip Op 50850).”
An Assignment of Benefits is not a permitted inquiry unless raised in a verification or denial. The Court (again) noted that an AOB is not part of a prima facie case.
