BABY GIRL v. BRONX LEBANON HOSPITAL CENTER (2008)

The motion by defendants Richard DeVeaux, M.D., Andrzej Reiss, M.D., and Norris Allen, M.D., for an order pursuant to C.P.L.R. § 3211[a] [3], § 3211[a][5] and § 3211[a][7] dismissing plaintiff's complaint as to said defendants, is granted.   Defendants' further motion for an order pursuant to C.P.L.R. §§ 3101, 3102, 3120, 3124, 3126, compelling co-defendant Bronx Lebanon Hospital Center (hereinafter “Bronx Lebanon”) to provide them with a certified copy of its medical records for both “Baby Girl W.” and V.W., is granted without opposition.   Defendants' further motion for an order consolidating this action with the action titled, “V.W. by her legal guardian, C.N. v. Bronx Lebanon Hospital, et al.”, under index number 3032XX/07, is deemed moot.   The request by defendants for an order staying both actions is denied.   The cross-motion by plaintiff for an order striking the tenth affirmative defense of defendants DeVeaux, Riess and Norris which claims that plaintiffs do not have standing to maintain this action, is denied.

This matter was referred to this court by Judge Sallie Manzanet-Daniels as this court presided over the guardianship proceeding involving V.W. and the court's decision and order in that case was filed under seal.

The guardian of V.W., C.N., brought this action against the defendants on behalf of the infant daughter of V.W. as a result of severe injuries the infant sustained at birth.   Defendants DeVeaux, Riess and Norris move to dismiss the complaint on the ground that C.N. lacks standing and/or capacity to prosecute this action.   Defendants argue that pursuant to C.P.L.R. § 1202, a person under the age of eighteen (18) may only appear by one of the other representatives enumerated in C.P.L.R. § 1201.   Said representatives include a guardian, a parent having legal custody or another individual having legal custody.   Defendants assert that C.N. is the guardian of the infant's mother, V.W. but there is no allegation in the complaint that C.N. has been appointed the guardian for the infant.   Moreover, there is no evidence that C.N. has legal custody of Baby Girl W. and the authority to prosecute this action on her behalf.

In addition, defendants point out that the infant's father, K.G., is not deceased and in fact, he filed a separate order to show cause to remove C.N. as the guardian of the infant plaintiff and substitute him as the representative of the infant in this action.   Therefore, defendants assert that C.N. does not have standing to prosecute this action on behalf of the infant.

Plaintiff opposes the motion and cross-moves for an order striking the affirmative defense raised by defendants DeVeaux, Riess and Norris in their answer wherein said defendants assert that plaintiffs do not have standing to maintain this action.   Plaintiff argues that V.W. is the mother of the infant plaintiff and she would have had standing to maintain this action on behalf of her daughter had she not suffered her own injury.   Plaintiff cites to paragraph (i) of the Commission given to C.N. as guardian of V.W.   Said Commission states that C.N. may retain legal counsel for representation of any civil judicial proceeding that V.W. may have been entitled to commence if she were competent.   Plaintiff asserts that since V.W. has a right to bring the action on behalf of her daughter and she has not been stripped of her rights as guardian of her child's property by any court, then C.N. has the legal capacity to act on her behalf.   Therefore, plaintiff opposes defendants' motion and cross-moves to strike the affirmative defense of lack of standing.

C.P.L.R. § 3211(a)(3), a party may move to dismiss one or more causes of action on the ground that the party asserting the cause of action does not have legal capacity to sue.   Lack of standing to sue has been held by the courts of this state to fall within the category of lack of capacity to sue and a party must raise that legal argument in its answer as failure to do so constitutes a waiver of that legal argument.  Security Pacific National Bank v. Evans, 31 A.D.3d 278, 820 N.Y.S.2d 2 (1st Dept.2006);  Gilman v. Abagnale, 235 A.D.2d 989, 653 N.Y.S.2d 176 (3rd Dept.1997).

C.P.L.R. § 1201 states, “Unless the court appoints a guardian ad litem, an infant shall appear by the guardian of his property or, if there is no such guardian, by a parent having legal custody ․”

In the case at bar, C.N. was appointed to serve as the guardian of the infant plaintiff's mother V.W. only.   Plaintiff's interpretation of the provision in the Commission permitting C.N. to bring a civil judicial proceeding on behalf of V.W. to mean that she also has standing to maintain a lawsuit on V.W.'s daughter's behalf, is erroneous.   V.W. was declared by this court to be an incapacitated person requiring the appointment of a guardian.   The guardian has the right to commence a lawsuit on V.W.'s behalf but that does not mean that the guardian has the right to bring an action on behalf of the child of V.W.   Absent any proof that C.N. has legal custody of the infant plaintiff or that she is her guardian, C.N. does not have standing to maintain this action on behalf of the infant plaintiff.

Moreover, there is no evidence that the parental rights of the infant plaintiff's father, K.G., have been terminated by any court.   Defendants submit a copy of an order to show cause brought before Judge Manzanet-Daniels wherein K.G. sought to remove C.N. as the representative of the infant plaintiff and sought to be substituted as her representative in this action.   That motion was denied by Judge Manzanet-Daniels without prejudice and with leave to renew before this court.   However, no such motion has yet been filed before this court for its consideration.

Accordingly, the motion by defendants to dismiss the plaintiff's complaint on the ground that C.N. does not have standing to prosecute this action, is granted.   Defendants' further motion for an order consolidating this action with the action involving V.W., is deemed moot.   Defendants' further motion for an order staying all of the actions is denied as defendants have provided no basis for such a stay.

That branch of defendants' motion which requested an order compelling co-defendant Bronx Lebanon to provide them with a certified copy of its medical records for both “Baby Girl W.” and V.W., is granted.   This court did not receive any papers in opposition to that branch of defendants' motion.

The cross-motion by plaintiff for an order striking defendants' affirmative defense of lack of standing is denied as plaintiff's complaint has been dismissed.

Defendants are directed to serve a copy of this order with notice of entry upon all parties and file proof thereof with the clerk's office.

This constitutes the decision and order of this court.

ALEXANDER W. HUNTER, J.