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Court Grants Summary Judgment

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The Staten Island plaintiff in this case is appealing an order made in the Supreme Court of Kings County. The order that is being appealed by the plaintiff denied his motion for summary judgment and granted summary judgment to the defendant dismissing the complaint as made against the defendant. The entire case stems from an underlying medical malpractice suit.

Court Discussion

Under the plain language of the insurance policy in question the plaintiff is not covered for contractual liability that was assumed by entering into service agreements with the independent contractors in the case. However, the plaintiff could have been held vicariously liable for the actions of the independent contractors and for that reason the plaintiff is entitled to recover his legal costs for defending against his own liability.

Court Decision

The court is modifying the original order that was made in the Supreme Court of Brooklyn. The provision of the order that granted summary judgment to the defendant to dismiss the complaint to recover legal costs incurred for defending the plaintiff’s liability in the medical malpractice action is deleted.

The provision of the order that denied the branch of the plaintiff’s motion for summary judgment for the claim for legal costs is deleted and in its place there is a provision granting this motion. The matter will be remitted to the Supreme Court of Kings County to determine the amount of legal costs that will be awarded to the plaintiff.

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