Opinion
2002-06075
Submitted March 19, 2003.
April 14, 2003.
In an action to recover damages for personal injuries, the plaintiff appeals from an order of the Supreme Court, Nassau County (Burke, J.), dated June 12, 2002, which denied his motion to substitute the Nassau County Public Administrator in place of the defendant Albert Jeffrey, deceased, and to restore the action to the trial calendar.
Mallilo Grossman, Flushing, N.Y. (Francesco Pomara of counsel), for appellant.
John T. Ryan, Garden City, N.Y. (Thomas G. Lyons, Jr., of counsel), for respondent.
Before: FRED T. SANTUCCI, J.P., GABRIEL M. KRAUSMAN, LEO F. McGINITY, ROBERT W. SCHMIDT, STEPHEN G. CRANE, JJ.
DECISION ORDER
ORDERED that the order is reversed, on the law, with costs, and the motion is granted.
It is well settled that the death of a party stays the action as to him or her pending the substitution of a legal representative, and any determination rendered without such a substitution is generally deemed a nullity (see CPLR 1015; Matter of Einstoss, 26 N.Y.2d 181, 187, 189; Gonzalez v. Ford Motor Co., 295 A.D.2d 474, 475; Meehan v. Washington, 242 A.D.2d 286, 287). Here, the Supreme Court's marking the case off the calendar, and its subsequent dismissal of the action because of the death of the defendant, Albert Jeffrey, were nullities, and the plaintiff was entitled to apply for the appointment of an administrator for that defendant. Upon said appointment, the plaintiff was entitled to substitution (see CPLR 1015[a],[b]; CPLR 1021; Meehan v. Washington, supra; see also 22 NYCRR 202.21[h]).
The contention that the order should be deemed to be an order denying a motion for leave to reargue is without merit.
SANTUCCI, J.P., KRAUSMAN, McGINITY, SCHMIDT and CRANE, JJ., concur.