Izzo v. Onsite Dental

Izzo v Onsite Dental 2026 NY Slip Op 31056(U) March 17, 2026 Supreme Court, New York County Docket Number: Index No. 805102/2025 Judge: John J. Kelley Cases posted with a "30000" identifier, i.e., 2013 NY Slip Op 30001(U), are republished from various New York State and local government sources, including the New York State Unified Court System's eCourts Service.

This opinion is uncorrected and not selected for official publication.

file:///LRB-ALB-FS1/Vol1/ecourts/Process/covers/NYSUP.8051022025.NEW_YORK.001.LBLX038_TO.html[03/25/2026 3:45:53 PM] FILED: NEW YORK COUNTY CLERK 03/19/2026 11:57 AM INDEX NO. 805102/2025 NYSCEF DOC. NO. 23 RECEIVED NYSCEF: 03/17/2026

SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK NEW YORK COUNTY PRESENT: HON. JOHN J. KELLEY PART 56M Justice ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------X INDEX NO. 805102/2025 RICHARD IZZO, MOTION DATE 11/21/2025 Plaintiff, MOTION SEQ. NO. 001 -v- "ONSITE DENTAL", ONSITE DENTAL, LLC., WILSON CHYON, DDS, PETER CHEN, DDS, AMANDA AHMAD, DECISION + ORDER ON DDS and ZI HAN LIU, DDS, MOTION Defendants. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------X The following e-filed documents, listed by NYSCEF document number (Motion 001) 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20 were read on this motion to/for DISMISSAL .

In this action to recover damages for dental malpractice, the defendant Zi Han Liu, DDS, moves pursuant to CPLR 3211(a)(8) to dismiss the complaint insofar as asserted against him for lack of personal jurisdiction, based upon improper service of process. No party opposes the motion. The motion is granted, and the complaint is dismissed insofar as asserted against Liu.

The plaintiff commenced this action on April 10, 2025 against Liu, among others.

Although the plaintiff did not file an affidavit of service describing the service of the summons and complaint upon Liu, Liu submitted his own affirmation, explaining that he was never personally served with a copy of the summons and complaint. Rather, he asserted that his parents received a copy of the summons and complaint at their home in Seaford, New York, but that he did not live there at the time. He averred that, although, during the year prior to his parents’ receipt of that copy of the summons and complaint, he had been residing in Manhattan, and had worked at the defendant OnSite Dental, LLC, on West 45th Street in Manhattan, he had moved to Texas in August 2024, eight months prior to the commencement of this action.

Liu stated that he has lived in Texas since August 2024, and has become licensed to practice 805102/2025 IZZO, RICHARD vs. 'ONSITE DENTAL' ET AL Page 1 of 4 Motion No. 001

CPLR 308 requires that service of process upon a natural person must be effectuated either by personally delivering the summons to that person (CPLR 308[1]), by personally delivering the summons to a person of suitable age and discretion at that defendant’s actual place of business, dwelling place, or usual place of abode and mailing the summons to the defendant’s last known residence or actual place of business (CPLR 308[2]), or, after diligent attempts unsuccessfully have been made to serve the defendant by one of those two methods, by affixing the summons to the door of that defendant’s actual place of business, dwelling place, or usual place of abode and mailing the summons to the defendant’s last known residence or actual place of business (CPLR 308[4]). CPLR 3211(a)(8) provides that “[a] party may move for judgment dismissing one or more causes of action asserted against him on the ground that . . .

the court has not jurisdiction of the person of the defendant.” “‘It is axiomatic that the failure to serve process in an action leaves the court without personal jurisdiction over the defendant’” (Krisilas v Mount Sinai Hosp., 63 AD3d 887, 889 [2d Dept 2009], quoting McMullen v Arnone, 79 AD2d 496, 499 [2d Dept 1981]; see Mortgage Elec. Reg. Sys., Inc. v Congregation Shoneh Halochos, 189 AD3d 820, 823 [2d Dept 2020]).

As relevant to the instant action, CPLR 308(2) permits delivery of the summons “within the state to a person of suitable age and discretion at the actual place of business, dwelling place or usual place of abode of the person to be served and by either mailing the summons to the person to be served at his or her last known residence or by mailing the summons by first class mail to the person to be served at his or her actual place of business in an envelope bearing the legend ‘personal and confidential’ and not indicating on the outside thereof, by return address or otherwise, that the communication is from an attorney or concerns an action against the person to be served, such delivery and mailing to be effected within twenty days of each other; proof of such service shall be filed with the clerk of the court designated in the summons within twenty days of either such delivery or mailing, whichever is effected later; service shall be complete 805102/2025 IZZO, RICHARD vs. 'ONSITE DENTAL' ET AL Page 2 of 4 Motion No. 001

As with CPLR 308(2), employment of the affix and mail method of service “requires both affixing and mailing” (Ventura v City of New York, 2025 NY Slip Op 33432[U], *3, 2025 NY Misc LEXIS 7558, *6 [Sup Ct, N.Y. County, Sep. 12, 2025] [emphasis added]).

Liu established, prima facie, that he was not properly served with process within 120 days after the commencement of the action, as required by CPLR 306-b. Inasmuch as the plaintiff did not file proof of service with respect to the attempted service upon Liu, the court cannot apply the longstanding rule that a process server’s affidavit of service is prima facie evidence of proper service (see Johnson v Deas, 32 AD3d 253, 254 [1st Dept 2006]).

Moreover, inasmuch as the plaintiff did not oppose this motion, he has failed to rebut Liu’s prima facie showing that service of the summons and complaint was never properly effectuated (see Campbell v Harun Harunovich & Lavada, Inc., 2020 NY Misc LEXIS 33391, *10 [Sup Ct, Kings County, Jul. 28, 2020]).

805102/2025 IZZO, RICHARD vs. 'ONSITE DENTAL' ET AL Page 3 of 4 Motion No. 001

Accordingly, it is, ORDERED that the motion of the defendant Zi Han Liu, DDS, to dismiss the complaint insofar as asserted against him is granted, without opposition, and the complaint is dismissed insofar as asserted against him; and it is further, ORDERED that, on the court’s own motion, the action against Zi Han Liu, DDS, is severed; and it is further, ORDERED that the Clerk of the court shall enter judgment dismissing the complaint insofar as asserted against the defendant Zi Han Liu, DDS.

This constitutes the Decision and Order of the court.

3/17/2026 $SIG$ DATE JOHN J. KELLEY, J.S.C.

CHECK ONE: CASE DISPOSED X NON-FINAL DISPOSITION

□ X GRANTED DENIED GRANTED IN PART OTHER APPLICATION: SETTLE ORDER SUBMIT ORDER

□ CHECK IF APPROPRIATE: INCLUDES TRANSFER/REASSIGN FIDUCIARY APPOINTMENT REFERENCE

805102/2025 IZZO, RICHARD vs. 'ONSITE DENTAL' ET AL Page 4 of 4 Motion No. 001