Rizzo v Torchiano
2008 NY Slip Op 10147 [57 AD3d 872]
December 23, 2008
Appellate Division, Second Department
Published by New York State Law Reporting Bureau pursuant to Judiciary Law § 431.
As corrected through Wednesday, February 11, 2009


John M. Rizzo et al., Respondents,
v
Vito A. Torchiano, Appellant.

[*1] Richard T. Lau, Jericho, N.Y. (Kathleen E. Fioretti of counsel), for appellant.

Joachim, Frommer, Cerrato & Levine, LLP, Garden City, N.Y. (Louis J. Cerrato and Mary Ellen O'Brien of counsel), for respondents.

In an action to recover damages for personal injuries, etc., the defendant appeals from an order of the Supreme Court, Nassau County (Mahon, J.), entered November 28, 2007, which denied his motion for summary judgment dismissing the complaint on the ground that the plaintiff John M. Rizzo did not sustain a serious injury within the meaning of Insurance Law § 5102 (d).

Ordered that the order is affirmed, with costs.

The defendant failed to make a prima facie showing that the plaintiff John M. Rizzo did not sustain a serious injury within the meaning of Insurance Law § 5102 (d) as a result of the subject accident (see Staubitz v Yaser, 41 AD3d 698 [2007]; O'Neal v Bronopolsky, 41 AD3d 452 [2007]; Hughes v Cai, 31 AD3d 385 [2006]). Accordingly, the defendant's motion for summary judgment dismissing the complaint was properly denied without the need to consider the sufficiency of the plaintiffs' opposition papers. Fisher, J.P., Covello, Balkin and Belen, JJ., concur.