Healing Art Acupuncture, P.C. v 21st Century Ins. Co., 2018 NY Slip Op 50583(U)(App. Term 2d Dept. 2018)
(1) “The Supreme Court order granting defendant’s motion for summary judgment held that defendant had established its founded belief that there was no coverage for no-fault benefits arising out of the accident at issue because the collision had been a staged incident.”
(2) “Thereafter, based upon the orders in the Supreme Court declaratory judgment action, the Civil Court, by order entered October 16, 2015, denied plaintiff’s motion for summary judgment, finding that defendant has no duty to provide coverage for the accident at issue. Plaintiff appeals from the October 16, 2015 order of the Civil Court.”
(3) “While defendant did not proffer in the Civil Court an affirmation of its counsel or an affidavit in opposition to plaintiff’s motion, and defendant did not annex the Supreme Court orders as exhibits to any opposition papers, a court “may in general take judicial notice of matters [*2]of public record”
(4) “Consequently, in light of the Supreme Court’s orders and declaratory judgment, of which we take judicial notice, we find that the Civil Court properly denied plaintiff’s motion for summary judgment under the doctrines of res judicata and collateral estoppel”
(5) “[a]nd, upon a search of the record, we find that defendant established its entitlement to judgment as a matter of law. In view of the foregoing, we reach no other issue.”
This says it all I think.
