BENAVIDES v. PERALTA (2008)

In an action to recover damages for personal injuries, the plaintiff appeals from an order of the Supreme Court, Suffolk County (R. Doyle, J.), dated January 29, 2007, which granted the defendants' motion for summary judgment dismissing the complaint on the ground that she did not sustain a serious injury within the meaning of Insurance Law § 5102(d).

ORDERED that the order is affirmed, with costs.

The defendants met their prima facie burden of showing that the plaintiff did not sustain a serious injury within the meaning of Insurance Law § 5102(d) as a result of the subject accident (see Toure v. Avis Rent A Car Sys., 98 N.Y.2d 345, 746 N.Y.S.2d 865, 774 N.E.2d 1197;  Gaddy v. Eyler, 79 N.Y.2d 955, 956-957, 582 N.Y.S.2d 990, 591 N.E.2d 1176).   In opposition, the plaintiff failed to raise a triable issue of fact.   The affirmation of the plaintiff's treating physician was without any probative value since it is clear that in concluding that the plaintiff sustained a herniated disc at L5-S1, he relied on the unsworn magnetic resonance imaging (hereinafter MRI) reports of another physician (see Seebaran v. Mendonca, 51 A.D.3d 658, 858 N.Y.S.2d 248;  Malave v. Basikov, 45 A.D.3d 539, 845 N.Y.S.2d 415;   Verette v. Zia, 44 A.D.3d 747, 844 N.Y.S.2d 71;  Furrs v. Griffith, 43 A.D.3d 389, 841 N.Y.S.2d 594;  see also Friedman v. U-Haul Truck Rental, 216 A.D.2d 266, 267, 627 N.Y.S.2d 765).   Similarly, the unsworn MRI reports themselves were without probative value (see Laurent v. McIntosh, 49 A.D.3d 820, 854 N.Y.S.2d 228;  Patterson v. N.Y. Alarm Response Corp., 45 A.D.3d 656, 850 N.Y.S.2d 114;  Verette v. Zia, 44 A.D.3d 747, 844 N.Y.S.2d 71;   Nociforo v. Penna, 42 A.D.3d 514, 840 N.Y.S.2d 396;  see also Grasso v. Angerami, 79 N.Y.2d 813, 580 N.Y.S.2d 178, 588 N.E.2d 76;  Pagano v. Kingsbury, 182 A.D.2d 268, 587 N.Y.S.2d 692).