Case Name: Ideal Medical Supply, as Assignee of Lee Cuffie, Respondent, v. Mercury Casualty Insurance Company, Appellant
Court: New York Supreme Court, Appellate Term
Jurisdiction: New York
Decision Date: 2013-03-12
Citations: 39 Misc. 3d 15
Docket Number: 
Parties: Ideal Medical Supply, as Assignee of Lee Cuffie, Respondent, v Mercury Casualty Insurance Company, Appellant.
Judges: 
Reporter: New York Miscellaneous Reports
Volume: 39
Pages: 15–17

Head Matter:
[963 NYS2d 505]
Ideal Medical Supply, as Assignee of Lee Cuffie, Respondent, v Mercury Casualty Insurance Company, Appellant.
Supreme Court, Appellate Term, First Department,
March 12, 2013
APPEARANCES OF COUNSEL
Picciano & Scahill, P.C., Westbury (Albert J. Galatan of counsel), for appellant. Baker, Sanders, Barshay, Grossman, Fass, Muhlstock & Neuwirth, LLC, Garden City (Steven J. Neuwirth of counsel), for respondent.

Opinion:
OPINION OF THE COURT
Per Curiam.
Order, entered April 17, 2012, affirmed, without costs.
A related Supreme Court action brought by the defendant insurer against various medical providers resulted in a declaration that defendant was entitled to deny all no-fault claims arising from injuries allegedly sustained by plaintiff's assignor (Cuffie) in the underlying July 2, 2008 motor vehicle accident. Since the plaintiff medical supplies provider was not a party to the declaratory judgment action it is not bound by Supreme Court's determination, as it did not have a full and fair opportunity to contest the issues in that proceeding (see Gilberg v Barbieri, 53 NY2d 285, 291 [1981]). Although plaintiff's assignor was a named party in the prior action, plaintiff cannot be deemed to be in privity with its assignor, since the declaratory judgment action was commenced after the assignment (see Gramatan Home Invs. Corp. v Lopez, 46 NY2d 481, 486-487 [1979]).