Allstate Prop. & Cas. Ins. Co. v. New Way Massage Therapy P.C.

Full title: In re Allstate Property and Casualty Insurance Company…

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

Date published: Dec 10, 2015

134 A.D.3d 495 (N.Y. App. Div. 2015)

2015 N.Y. Slip Op. 9184

19 N.Y.S.3d 897

Opinion

16383N 653879/13

12-10-2015

In re Allstate Property and Casualty Insurance Company, Petitioner-Appellant, v. New Way Massage Therapy P.C., as assignee of Nancy Febus, Respondent-Respondent.

Bruno, Gerbino & Soriano, LLP, Melville (Mitchell L. Kaufman of counsel), for appellant. The Geller Law Group, P.C., Brooklyn (Abraham J. Meir of counsel), for respondent.

Mazzarelli, J.P., Richter, Manzanet-Daniels, Kapnick, JJ.

Bruno, Gerbino & Soriano, LLP, Melville (Mitchell L. Kaufman of counsel), for appellant.

The Geller Law Group, P.C., Brooklyn (Abraham J. Meir of counsel), for respondent.

Order, Supreme Court, New York County (Cynthia S. Kern, J.), entered on or about April 2, 2014, which denied the petition to vacate the award of the master arbitrator, and confirmed the award, unanimously affirmed, with costs.

Whether or not the fee-sharing arrangement at issue constitutes unprofessional conduct (see 8 NYCRR 29.1[b][4]), it does not constitute a defense to a no-fault action (compare State Farm Mut. Auto. Ins. Co. v Mallela, 4 NY3d 313 [2005] ["insurance carriers may withhold payment for medical services provided by fraudulently incorporated enterprises to which patients have assigned their claims"]). It is solely a matter for the appropriate state licensing board (see e.g. Necula v Glass, 231 AD2d 457 [1st Dept 1996]; see also H & H Chiropractic Servs., P.C. v Metropolitan Prop. & Cas. Ins. Co., 47 Misc 3d 1075, 1078 [Civ Ct, Queens County 2015]).

THIS CONSTITUTES THE DECISION AND ORDER OF THE SUPREME COURT, APPELLATE DIVISION, FIRST DEPARTMENT.

ENTERED: DECEMBER 10, 2015

CLERK