| Schantz v Fish |
| 2010 NY Slip Op 09012 [79 AD3d 481] |
| December 7, 2010 |
| Appellate Division, First Department |
| Brian Schantz, Appellant-Respondent, v Irving Fish, M.D.,Respondent-Appellant. |
—[*1] Heidell, Pittoni, Murphy & Bach, LLP, New York (Daniel S. Ratner of counsel), forrespondent-appellant.
Order, Supreme Court, New York County (Joan B. Carey, J.), entered December 23, 2009,which granted plaintiff's motion to sanction defendant for the spoliation of evidence to the extent ofruling that a negative inference charge would be given to the jury, and denied defendant's motion forsummary judgment dismissing the complaint, unanimously affirmed, without costs.
The motion court properly imposed a lesser sanction than striking defendant's answer, based on itsfinding that the spoliation of plaintiff's medical records does not completely deprive plaintiff of the meansof establishing a prima facie case (compareGray v Jaeger, 17 AD3d 286 [2005]; Herrera v Matlin, 303 AD2d 198 [2003]).
In opposition to defendant's motion for summary judgment, plaintiff submitted medical records andproperly supported experts' opinions in conflict with the opinions of defendants' experts, thereby raisingissues of fact whether defendant departed from good and accepted medical malpractice in his treatmentof plaintiff. Concur—Tom, J.P., Andrias, Sweeny, DeGrasse and RomÁn, JJ. [PriorCase History: 2009 NY Slip Op 33040(U).]