Savarese v Nicotra Group, LLC
2007 NY Slip Op 08372 [45 AD3d 315]
November 8, 2007
Appellate Division, First Department
Published by New York State Law Reporting Bureau pursuant to Judiciary Law § 431.
As corrected through Wednesday, January 16, 2008


Michael Savarese, Plaintiff,
v
Nicotra Group, LLC, et al., Respondents, et al., Defendant. Schwartz Goldstone & Campisi, LLP, Nonparty Appellants; Baxter Smith Tassan & Shapiro, P.C., et al., Nonparty Respondents. (And Other Actions.)

[*1] Alexander J. Wulwick, New York City, for appellants.

Billig Law, P.C., New York City (Suzanne M. Billig of counsel), for Nicotra Group, LLC and Nicotra Hotel I, LLC, respondents.

Baxter Smith Tassan & Shapiro, P.C., White Plains (James J. Lofrese of counsel), for Baxter Smith Tassan & Shapiro, P.C., and C & M Tile & Marble Contractors, Inc., respondents.

Order, Supreme Court, New York County (Paul G. Feinman, J.), entered on or about April 19, 2007, which conditioned retrial on plaintiff's counsel paying costs in the aggregate amount of $29,722.40 to defense counsel, unanimously affirmed, with costs.

The court properly awarded costs to defense counsel, since the record establishes that plaintiff's counsel had been unprepared on the issue of damages and was unable to go forward without a 10-day continuance. As a result, the court granted [*2]plaintiff's counsel's mistrial motion, and it did so on terms that were "just" within the meaning of CPLR 4402. Concur—Mazzarelli, J.P., Marlow, Williams, Catterson and Kavanagh, JJ.