Opinion
Argued October 10, 2001.
November 5, 2001.
In a proceeding pursuant to CPLR article 75 to permanently stay arbitration of an uninsured motorist claim, James McMillan appeals from an order of the Supreme Court, Nassau County (O'Shaughnessy, J.H.O.), entered November 16, 2000, which granted the petition.
Molod Spitz DeSantis Stark, P.C., New York, N.Y. (Salvatore J. DeSantis, Marcy Sonneborn, and Felix Shneiderovsky of counsel), for appellant.
Gallagher, Walker, Bianco Plastaras, Mineola, N.Y. (William P. Nolan and Charles Weber of counsel), for respondent.
Before: DAVID S. RITTER, J.P., FRED T. SANTUCCI, SANDRA J. FEUERSTEIN, THOMAS A. ADAMS, JJ.
ORDERED that the order is affirmed, with costs.
The Supreme Court properly granted the petition to permanently stay arbitration. It was within the Supreme Court's discretion to consider the appellant's admission contained in the police accident report and hospital records and to weigh it accordingly (see, Matter of Rhodes, 203 A.D.2d 46; Barzaghi v. Maislin Transp., 115 A.D.2d 679; Turner v. Spaide, 108 A.D.2d 1025; Chemical Leaman Tank Lines v. Stevens, 21 A.D.2d 556). The appellant's statement in these reports, describing how the accident occurred, established that there had been no contact between appellant's vehicle and a "hit and run" vehicle (see, Matter of State Farm Mut. Auto. Ins. Co. v. Bermudez, 111 A.D.2d 858). The Supreme Court's finding that there had been no contact between the vehicles was therefore amply supported by the evidence presented (see, Matter of State Farm Mut. Auto, Ins. Co. v. Bermudez, supra; Matter of State Farm Ins. Co. v. Jackson, 106 A.D.2d 508).
RITTER, J.P., SANTUCCI, FEUERSTEIN and ADAMS, JJ., concur.