Sinanaj v. City of N.Y. (In re 91st St. Crane Collapse Litig.)

Full title: In re 91st Street Crane Collapse Litigation. Xhevahire SINANAJ, et al.…

Court: Supreme Court, Appellate Division, First Department, New York.

Date published: May 22, 2014

117 A.D.3d 605 (N.Y. App. Div. 2014)

117 A.D.3d 605

2014 N.Y. Slip Op. 3761

Opinion

2014-05-22

In re 91st Street Crane Collapse Litigation. Xhevahire SINANAJ, et al., Plaintiffs–Respondents, v. The CITY OF NEW YORK, et al., Defendants, New York Crane & Equipment Corp., et al., Defendants–Appellants. [And Other Third–Party Actions].

Wilson Elser Moskowitz Edelman & Dicker LLP, New York (Judy C. Selmeci of counsel), for New York Crane & Equipment,Corp., James F. Lomma, J.F. Lomma, Inc., and TES, Inc., appellants. Cartafalsa Slattery Turpin & Lenoff, New York (Raymond Slattery of counsel), for Sorbara Construction Corp., appellant.

FRIEDMAN

Wilson Elser Moskowitz Edelman & Dicker LLP, New York (Judy C. Selmeci of counsel), for New York Crane & Equipment,Corp., James F. Lomma, J.F. Lomma, Inc., and TES, Inc., appellants. Cartafalsa Slattery Turpin & Lenoff, New York (Raymond Slattery of counsel), for Sorbara Construction Corp., appellant.
Nicoletti Hornig & Sweeney, New York (Scott D. Clausen of counsel), for 1765 First Associates, LLC, appellant.

Smith Mazure Director Wilkins Young & Yagerman, New York (Marcia K. Raicus of counsel), for Leon D. DeMatteis Construction Corporation, appellant.

Michael G. O'Neill, New York, for respondents.

FRIEDMAN, J.P., ACOSTA, SAXE, GISCHE, JJ.

Orders, Supreme Court, New York County (Manuel J. Mendez, J.), entered on or about January 21, 22, and 23, 2014, which, to the extent appealed from as limited by the briefs, denied defendants-appellants' motions to dismiss plaintiff Selvi Sinanovic's claim for pecuniary loss, pursuant to EPTL 5–1.2, unanimously affirmed, without costs.

Defendants lack standing to challenge plaintiff's status as a surviving spouse, since they are neither “personal representative[s]” nor “distributee [s]” of the decedent ( seeEPTL 5–4.4[a][1] ), and damages have not yet been recovered in the wrongful death action for the benefit of the decedent's distributees.