Appeal from a judgment of the Justice Court of the Village of Monroe, Orange County (Lawrence Lezak, J.), entered May 11, 2011. The judgment, after a nonjury trial, awarded plaintiff the sum of $583.77 as against defendant Kamy Netram and dismissed her counterclaim.

ORDERED that the judgment is affirmed, without costs.

Plaintiff commenced this small claims action to recover for work, labor and services rendered, and for materials provided, to defendants. Defendant Kamy Netram counterclaimed to recover damages for "false suit, harassment, emotional distress, pain and suffering." Following a nonjury trial, the Justice Court awarded judgment in favor of plaintiff in the sum of $583.77 as against defendant Kamy Netram and dismissed her counterclaim.

The decision of a fact-finding court should not be disturbed upon appeal unless it is obvious that the court's conclusions could not be reached under any fair interpretation of the evidence (see Claridge Gardens v Menotti, 160 AD2d 544 [1990]). This standard applies with greater force to judgments rendered in the Small Claims Part of the court (see Williams v Roper, 269 AD2d 125, 126 [2000]). Furthermore, the determination of a trier of fact as to issues of credibility is given substantial deference, as a trial court's opportunity to observe and evaluate the testimony and demeanor of the witnesses affords it a better perspective from which to assess their credibility (see Vizzari v State of New York, 184 AD2d 564 [1992]; Kincade v Kincade, 178 AD2d 510, 511 [1991]). Upon a review of the record, we find that the determination of the Justice Court rendered substantial justice between the parties to this appeal according to the rules and principles of substantive law (see UJCA 1804, 1807).

Accordingly, the judgment is affirmed.

Nicolai, P.J., and Iannacci, J., concur.
Decision Date: March 01, 2013