Late Notice of Claim Can Be Allowed Even in Absence of Reasonable Excuse Where Defendants Had Actual Notice
The Second Department explained the criteria for determining whether to allow a late notice of claim, noting that the lack of a reasonable excuse does not necessarily require denial of the application where there is actual notice and an absence of prejudice:
The determination of an application for leave to serve and file a late notice of claim is left to the sound discretion of the court … . Among the factors to be considered by a court in determining whether leave to serve a late notice of claim should be granted are whether the claimant had a reasonable excuse for the failure to serve a timely notice of claim, whether the municipality acquired actual knowledge of the essential facts constituting the claim within 90 days after the claim arose or a reasonable time thereafter, and whether the delay would substantially prejudice the municipality in maintaining its defense … . Neither the presence nor absence of any one factor is determinative … . The absence of a reasonable excuse is not necessarily fatal … . However, whether the municipality had actual knowledge of the essential facts constituting the claim is of great importance … .
Here, the City defendants had actual notice of the essential facts constituting the claim well within the 90-day period for serving a notice of claim. Bakioglu v Tornabene, 2014 NY Slip Op 03219, 2nd Dept 5-7-14