Opinion
9483N Index 23218/14E
05-30-2019
Phillip GAYNOR, as Administrator of the Estate of Ronald R. Johnson, Plaintiff–Respondent, v. MOUNT SINAI BETH ISRAEL MEDICAL CENTER, et al., Defendants–Appellants, Neil Jeffrey Zilberg, M.D., et al., Defendants.
McAloon & Friedman, P.C., New York (Roya Namvar of counsel), for Mount Sinai Beth Israel Medical Center, appellant. Bartlett LLP, Mineola (Robert G. Vizza of counsel), for Plancher Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine, PPLC and Kevin Plancher, M.D., appellants. Vigorito, Barker, Patterson, Nicholas & Porter, LLP, Valhalla (Leilani Rodriguez of counsel), for R.N. Network and C.H.G. Health Care Services, appellants. Levine & Gilbert, New York (Harvey A. Levine of counsel), for respondent.
McAloon & Friedman, P.C., New York (Roya Namvar of counsel), for Mount Sinai Beth Israel Medical Center, appellant.
Bartlett LLP, Mineola (Robert G. Vizza of counsel), for Plancher Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine, PPLC and Kevin Plancher, M.D., appellants.
Vigorito, Barker, Patterson, Nicholas & Porter, LLP, Valhalla (Leilani Rodriguez of counsel), for R.N. Network and C.H.G. Health Care Services, appellants.
Levine & Gilbert, New York (Harvey A. Levine of counsel), for respondent.
Friedman, J.P., Gische, Webber, Gesmer, Moulton, JJ.
Order, Supreme Court, Bronx County (Howard H. Sherman, J.), entered March 23, 2018, which, insofar as appealed from as limited by the briefs, granted plaintiff's motion to quash a subpoena served on Sing Sing Correctional Facility, unanimously reversed, on the law and the facts, without costs, and the matter remanded for in camera inspection of the requested employment records.
Defendants met their burden of demonstrating a "sufficient basis" to warrant in camera review of the decedent's employment records (see Civil Rights Law § 50–a[2]–[3] ; Matter of New York Civ. Liberties Union v. New York City Police Dept., 32 N.Y.3d 556, 563, 94 N.Y.S.3d 185, 118 N.E.3d 847 [2018] ). Plaintiff put the decedent's employment history directly at issue in this wrongful death action by making a claim for lost future earnings (see Maglaras v. Mt. Sinai Hosp., 107 A.D.2d 605, 606, 483 N.Y.S.2d 713 [1st Dept. 1985] ; Blake v. Wyckoff Hgts. Hosp., 68 A.D.2d 896, 414 N.Y.S.2d 225 [2d Dept. 1979] ; see also generally Gonzalez v. New York City Hous. Auth., 77 N.Y.2d 663, 668, 569 N.Y.S.2d 915, 572 N.E.2d 598 [1991] ).