From Casetext: Smarter Legal Research

Tetens v. Elston Realty Corporation

Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, Third Department
Feb 7, 1985
108 A.D.2d 981 (N.Y. App. Div. 1985)

Opinion

February 7, 1985

Appeal from the Supreme Court, Montgomery County (Ford, J.).


Initially, we note that defendant has attached certain papers to its brief that were not included in the record on appeal. Since these papers were not in the certified record on appeal, we may not consider them ( see Mulligan v Lackey, 33 A.D.2d 991, 992).

Plaintiff commenced the instant action in February 1980 seeking to recover for an injury she sustained on January 19, 1979, when she allegedly fell at property owned and maintained by defendant. Issue was joined and subsequently, on or about March 28, 1983, defendant, inter alia, commenced a third-party action for indemnification and contribution against third-party defendant H.J. Duffney Trucking (Duffney). The third-party action was based upon the assertion that at the time of plaintiff's accident, Duffney was in charge of snow removal for the parking lot where plaintiff's fall occurred.

After Duffney answered and examinations before trial were conducted, Duffney, in pertinent part, moved to dismiss the third-party complaint and, in the alternative, for summary judgment. Special Term, without a written decision, denied this motion and the instant appeal ensued.

Duffney first argues that the third-party complaint should be dismissed as it is barred by the Statute of Limitations. This argument is without merit as a contribution claim such as this does not accrue at the time of the commission of the tort, but rather at the time of payment of the underlying claim ( Blum v Good Humor Corp., 57 A.D.2d 911; Siegel, N Y Prac § 35, at 36; § 162, at 203-204 [1978]). We also find no merit to Duffney's assertion that the third-party action is barred by laches.

Duffney next contends that Special Term erred in not granting it summary judgment. We agree. A review of the record reveals that defendant has failed to set forth any evidentiary proof that indicates that Duffney caused or contributed to plaintiff's accident. The order must, therefore, be reversed and Duffney's motion for summary judgment granted ( see, Lerner Stores Corp. v Parklane Hosiery Co., 54 A.D.2d 1072).

Order reversed, on the law, without costs, motion for summary judgment granted, and third-party complaint dismissed against third-party defendant H.J. Duffney Trucking. Mahoney, P.J., Kane, Casey, Weiss and Levine, JJ., concur.


Third-party defendant H.J. Duffney Trucking also moved to dismiss plaintiff's complaint against it. There is nothing in the record, however, to indicate that plaintiff asserted a cause of action against H.J. Duffney Trucking. Accordingly, on the present record, there is nothing to review with respect to this issue.


Summaries of

Tetens v. Elston Realty Corporation

Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, Third Department
Feb 7, 1985
108 A.D.2d 981 (N.Y. App. Div. 1985)
Case details for

Tetens v. Elston Realty Corporation

Case Details

Full title:SHIRLEY TETENS, Plaintiff, v. ELSTON REALTY CORPORATION, Defendant and…

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

Date published: Feb 7, 1985

Citations

108 A.D.2d 981 (N.Y. App. Div. 1985)

Citing Cases

Brusso v. Imbeault

A claim for contribution does not accrue until the party seeking contribution makes payment. E.g., Tetens v.…

Acosta v. Lu

] ).While a claim for contribution under Article 14 of the CPLR can be enforced in the same action giving…