Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 2011

Maksimiak v. Schwartzapfel Novick Truhowsky Marcus, P.C.

Maksimiak v. Schwartzapfel Novick Truhowsky Marcus, P.C.
Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York · Decided March 29, 2011
82 A.D.3d 652; 919 N.Y.2d 330
Maksimiak v. Schwartzapfel Novick Truhowsky Marcus, P.C.

Opinion of the Court

The motion court properly determined that plaintiff failed to state a cause of action for legal malpractice. The documentary evidence established that plaintiffs successor counsel had sufficient time and opportunity to adequately protect plaintiffs rights. Indeed, plaintiffs English counsel timely commenced a lawsuit in England based on the underlying motor vehicle accident that occurred in England. Accordingly, defendants’ alleged negligence cannot be considered a proximate cause of plaintiffs alleged injury (see Somma v Dansker & Aspromonte Assoc., 44 AD3d 376 [2007]).

The court also properly dismissed plaintiffs claim under Judiciary Law § 487. Plaintiff s allegations of deceit are belied by the record, and she failed to allege that she sustained damages as a result of defendants’ conduct (see Havell v Islam, 292 AD2d 210 [2002]).

We have considered plaintiffs remaining arguments and find *653them unavailing. Concur — Tom, J.P, Sweeny, Catterson, Acosta and Manzanet-Daniels, JJ.

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