From Casetext: Smarter Legal Research

Ruscillo-Steiner v. City of New York

Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, Second Department
Oct 18, 2004
11 A.D.3d 597 (N.Y. App. Div. 2004)

Opinion

2003-10321

October 18, 2004.

In an action to recover damages for personal injuries, the plaintiff appeals from an order of the Supreme Court, Queens County (Flug, J.), dated October 22, 2003, which denied her motion pursuant to CPLR 4404 to set aside a jury verdict on the issue of liability as against the weight of the evidence.

Before: H. Miller, J.P., S. Miller, Krausman and Goldstein, JJ., concur.


Ordered that the order is affirmed, with costs.

"A jury finding that a party was negligent but that such negligence was not a proximate cause of the accident is inconsistent and against the weight of the evidence only when the issues are 'so inextricably interwoven as to make it logically impossible to find negligence without also finding proximate cause'" ( Cona v. Dwyer, 292 AD2d 562, 563, quoting Rubin v. Pecoraro, 141 AD2d 525, 527; see El-Shafaie v. Verma, 2 AD3d 394). Under the facts of this case, it was logically possible for the jury to find that the defendant was negligent in maintaining the subject roadway, but that its negligence was not a proximate cause of the plaintiff's accident ( see Cantave v. City of New York, 2 AD3d 477; El-Shafaie v. Verma, supra; Reese v. New York City Bd. of Educ., 297 AD2d 793; Cona v. Dwyer, supra). The verdict is supported by a fair interpretation of the evidence ( see Nicastro v. Park, 113 AD2d 129; Sukhoo v. City of New York, 1 AD3d 349; Rubin v. Pecoraro, supra). Accordingly, the Supreme Court properly denied the plaintiff's motion pursuant to CPLR 4404 to set aside the verdict on the issue of liability as against the weight of the evidence.

The plaintiff's remaining contention is without merit.


Summaries of

Ruscillo-Steiner v. City of New York

Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, Second Department
Oct 18, 2004
11 A.D.3d 597 (N.Y. App. Div. 2004)
Case details for

Ruscillo-Steiner v. City of New York

Case Details

Full title:JOANNE RUSCILLO-STEINER, Appellant, v. CITY OF NEW YORK, Respondent

Court:Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, Second Department

Date published: Oct 18, 2004

Citations

11 A.D.3d 597 (N.Y. App. Div. 2004)
782 N.Y.S.2d 675

Citing Cases

SHAY v. VITTING

Nor was the verdict against the weight of the evidence. A jury finding that a party was negligent, but that…