Woods v Lojas

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Woods v Lojas 2020 NY Slip Op 35395(U) December 10, 2020 Supreme Court, Kings County Docket Number: Index No. 523227/2016 Judge: Reginald A. Boddie Cases posted with a "30000" identifier, i.e., 2013 NY Slip Op 30001(U), are republished from various New York State and local government sources, including the New York State Unified Court System's eCourts Service. This opinion is uncorrected and not selected for official publication. INDEX NO. 523227/2016 FILED: KINGS COUNTY CLERK 12/21/2020 NYSCEF DOC. NO. 113 RECEIVED NYSCEF: 12/24/2020 A. t an I.A. S. Pan CJ, o th. uprem CoPl1 of lh. 'Slate ,f er Yoric, held illl and fuir m County of Kings, 1 th Co11111ilouse, ;atcd l 360 Ad' rn S reel, Boro gh of Brno Jyn. ,cy and St::ne of e.w ,odo. on th IO ,day of December 2020. RES E T: 1· onorable Reginald A. oddie Ju tiic uprem Court *-..a;;.li! _ -" _ E,. - _ - .. • - - -- - --------- ---- -~-- - - - ~'"' - ---;&---- -------- iii l!P _ _ . ..... _ _ Index o. S,23227/201,6 Cal. . 35 fS 2; Plaintiff DE I lff -against- Juan C rlos abo Loja- and Zombra Umo Inc. Defi ndants. Juan Carl s abo Loj nd Zorn bra imo Inc., hird-Party PJ intiffi. -again t~ HarryJ Rhodes, lliird-Party D 6 ndant {'. Recitation, as required by CPLR 2 19' a) o the papers c n id red in the lie iew of-thl U1 motion: Papers M Numhered D cs. # 32-41 75.· 85~98 Upon th - foregoing c ·ted papers defo1 dan ' mo ion :G r ummary j udgm nt on the issue of erious injury threshold, pursuant to "'PLR "2 2 and In ur 1c Law 5104 (.· and 5102 d)., is decid d as foUow. : Plaintiff. ommenced thi a ti on th re uh of an aut mobile accid · nt that oc urre on. January 16 2 16, . ppro imatery 3: t5 pm, on · . hingt n ,, nue at or near it int r cction with 1 [* 1] 1 of 5 INDEX NO. 523227/2016 FILED: KINGS COUNTY CLERK 12/21/2020 NYSCEF DOC. NO. 113 RECEIVED NYSCEF: 12/24/2020 . . Athmtic Av nue in Br okl n, N w Y rk. Pl.aindff sa ,s enger .in on oflhe veh·de . laindff aH ged .he suffered serious injuri , including injuri .s of th cervical, h1mbar aind th raci spin and her right houlder. peeifi aH plaintiff al gcd h had an 6-7 anterior c rvical dis ectom fu ion (surg ry) n D oember 8 2016 C6-7 h miati n with im ing ment 4, C5 and 6 sp nd1 loois. T5-6 and ·r1-8 disc bu]g - viith th at s imping n nt L4-- broad di c ba ed ,c -ntral disc herniation with tear and! impin ement, I :radic.u]opathy and rjght should r tendino is and .smaU joint eff-t1sion, Plaintiff lleg d as a re"ult o · the injuiies she continu ~d to suff r radiatiny pain weaknes -. tend em -s. re ·tdct ions of range of mo 'on,, and djfficulty lifting, arrying and sleepin . efendan · mo ed i r summa - judgment u,suant to PLR 212 ~o dismi complaint on ihe J"ound that. pla1n~iff did n t sustain In uran th _ eri us injury wichin tb. m ning f Law _ 5102 d}. Plaintiff opposed. umma:ry judgment j a dr-asti rem d y and sh ldd not b granted wher ther - is any doubt a to th~ ex· tcno _of ai triable issue(~ e Zuckerman v City ofJ w York, 49 N 2d 557, 562 l] 980]). A party m vin for ummary 'udgment must make a prima facie shoVid of enti dement a · a matter f 1aw sufficient to d monstrat the abset ce of any mate rial i ues o · fact but one a prima f: cie hov/ ng has been made; the burden shi ' to th part , oppo in , tlt motion t p:roduoe evid _ntiruy proof in dmi~siM form suff den o fact - hl h require trial t th -cti n ( Winegrod 1· [1985] · Zuck rm{m In a 9 e, tabii ·h m te-ri l issu of ork Unil . Med Ctr. 64 · Y2d :851 , 853 ~d at 62). riou injury thresh ld" m tion fur . ummary judgment, . here, d fend nt must ini, ially ubmi oompet nt m dica! evid nee • stab ishing that p]aintiff did not suffer a ·serious injury" and th inju ies are n t cau~any relat d to the accident (see lnsunmc La 2 [* 2] 2 of 5 51 02 (d · set1 INDEX NO. 523227/2016 FILED: KINGS COUNTY CLERK 12/21/2020 NYSCEF DOC. NO. 113 RECEIVED NYSCEF: 12/24/2020 Kell v Ghee. 87 d3d 1054, W S (2d Dept 201 l]; :r Wineg,· d 64 N 2d at 853), ··s riou injury · mean a p rsonal injury which re.suits in death; dismembermJ:mt; igni ficant dis Jgur ment; a fr ctw · lo sofa fetu · p rmanent l ss o use of a ody rgan. m mher. function ors ·tern· perm.anent consequential Hmitation of use o, • a b d organ or m mbcr: signincant hmitat1 n of use. fa bod fum:cti nor y tcm; or a me<f all d term.in d injury or imp irm nt of a non:-pemian m natnli sub tantially all of the maiteri hi_ h pli eif h injured p rson rom perfi rming acl · , hich ons· itute uch rson ' s u ual nd , ustomary dai] ac.ti itie for not Je s than ninety days durin th one hundred eiy;hty days immediately foUowinl? the occurrenc . of the injury or impairment lns1m:mce . aw § 51 2 [d]). T 1e is ue i"" not whether plaintiff an uhimately stabU~h a "1 erious in'ury" ut h ther there exist an i' u of t1 ct in the c se on su his ue (Z11ck rman 49 Y2d at 6-l H re, d .Jendoo.ts proffi Ted the ffinned r,adiol grc-al rep rt o Dr. a:rk J. D clke dat d October 29, 2018, who revi -wed MRI lm ofpJ fotiff's lumbar and c-er ·cal pin and r"gh boulder a_nd n ted ther is a bulg at L -SJ and facet hypertrophy at L4-5. His imprcssi n indicated degenerative disc di seas at r, - I with deg nerative central herniation and facet hypertrophy. and mHd stcnosi" facet h pertroph- at "' -4 and L4-5 and c ' ·t po leri r to r'ght fa.ce1joint at L2~ . He tated, 'the ui traumati injury plaintiff h s br, ad bulg fmding are loo ~tand'ng. · o e iden u tained.' Regarding his fi i C, to ugg -t th tan of th cervical spin , h opirLd at 2 thr ugh C7 nd rior disc h miation at C6-7 indicative o st~ble diffu e d enerativ disc dise e with no evidenc to ugge t acute trauma.tic it1jury as ustahed , He opined th MRI of h r shou]der rev aled fluid in j int, ursitis and A j,oint hypertrophy with bursal raying o 'the bur al supraspi natus whlch is degenerat' nd not causaU re1 - ted t th - ccid nt 3 [* 3] 3 of 5 I ngstandfog INDEX NO. 523227/2016 FILED: KINGS COUNTY CLERK 12/21/2020 NYSCEF DOC. NO. 113 RECEIVED NYSCEF: 12/24/2020 ,#I" Defendants also proffer d th orthopedic report of Dr. Li a Nason. d ited eptember 26 20 l 9, a b ard c rtified ortlmpedic surgeon. Dr. . ason indic ted he c ndu ted an xaminati n of the piainti ff on ept m ber 26 2019. Jn the history. Dr. as n m:o,ted, Sh. started t atm nts •a few day " tier her injury. he does not fe I better no compa d to hen he started treatment . Her r lief ••vari d" a fte:r h r trc tment . On a pain scale from I t •10 ( l O o ing th wo t) her pain is 9110. h indicated ·he used pain m dication today fbuprofen) hich did I not reaUf' 1elp with pain. he de cribed th pain as burning. puHms and'" quecz.ing.'' he has ·h oting pain from the neck t buttock·. Sh can a,k mayb " 1½ to 2" city blocks befo beiug in too much pain. .. he bas diffi uli with tairs. , he Ml 't fo "abo:ut 60 minut • before b •ing in too mu h pain. R aching ov :rhead, bending, aJking an "'sitting" make the pain w rse. he al o e perienc 1 king bu kling and weakn ss. Dr. as n al ob e:rved plaintiff was u: :ng a , raigh ,c an and lrnnbar support. Dr. ason dd miin d pl intiff has ignifi and limited ,anges f motion in he 1umJbar, thoracic and ro fle cervical pine and right houJder abduction forw idence o was ion. e rthel ·, sh oon lu , · there mptom magnificati n~ e: aggerated complains of pain and no i ms f 'lraumati injury relat d to the a ident. and in an unusual m · •e, ffered her vailability to t Li fy. co. defen ortho die urg ant proffer d th affirmation o · Dr. leph n Brenner. n board cert·fied ho examfo d pl intifl on June 5, 2019. He indicated h revi . wed the b"I.I of parti . ular.. and p!ainti 'f rs medical :records. He al det nnin d sh had imited ran es o · motj n in he cervi al, thoracic and Jumbar spine. I le condud .d plaintiff's post spin surg ry r or d with ,esidua:1s, thoracic, lumbar. and bilateral. boulder _rain/strain reso]ved and her pr gno i vas fr. Th court not , de • ndants ' m dical. expet'ts failed t relat thei findings t plaintiff"' 0118 , claim and botl Dr. ason and Dr. Brenner examined plaintiff m re t1 an thr e years a , Cr the accident {see Taylor v Taylor 87 AD3d 1129 r2d Dept 2011 ]). urth 4 [* 4] 4 of 5 I, Dr. a n INDEX NO. 523227/2016 FILED: KINGS COUNTY CLERK 12/21/2020 NYSCEF DOC. NO. 113 • • RECEIVED NYSCEF: 12/24/2020 + compl te]y ·gnored plaintiffs ocrvi al 11si n surgery, wbHc Dr. Brenner ac no ledged he uffe residual from the surg -ry and. h r prognosis was fair. coordingl , d fend.ant ra·100 to m ct th ir prima fa ie burd n of proof f estaMj rung plaintiff djd n t suffer a se1-inu injury .see Asta v Rivers 280 AD2d 5 5 5 6 £2d Dept 2001 ]),. Denial f summary ·u:dgmeut is the11 ore \l arranted regardles of the urfficiency O·f plaintifrs opp riti n (. ee Win gradj 64 N 2d t 8 3). hercfo _, the moH n for summar 'udgment is deni. d.. EN ·~ R: j C: [* 5] 5 of 5 - L

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