EVEN WHERE PLAINTIFF CAN NOT DEMONSTRATE SERIOUS INJURY WITHIN THE MEANING OF THE NO-FAULT LAW, PLAINTIFF MAY BE ABLE TO RECOVER ECONOMIC LOSS ABOVE THE STATUTORY BASIC ECONOMIC LOSS ($50,000).
The Third Department noted that even where (as in this case) “serious injury” within the meaning of the No-Fault law has not been demonstrated, an injured plaintiff may still be entitled economic loss above “basic economic loss:”
Under New York’s No-Fault Law, an injured party’s right to bring a personal injury action for noneconomic losses, i.e., “pain and suffering” (Insurance Law § 5102 [c]), arising out of an automobile accident is limited to those instances where such individual has incurred a serious injury … . However, basic economic loss coverage (up to $50,000) is available to a covered person regardless of fault (see Insurance Law § 5102 [a]) and “includes payments . . . for items such as lost earnings of up to $2,000 per month for three years after the date of the accident” … . Where, as here, an injured party asserts a claim for economic loss in excess of basic economic loss, he or she need not demonstrate that a serious injury was sustained … . Rather, all that is required is that such party demonstrate that his or her total economic loss actually exceeded basic economic loss … . To our analysis, “plaintiff[s] made a sufficient showing that [Jones] sustained economic loss in excess of basic economic loss to warrant submission of the issue to [a] jury” … and, therefore, Supreme Court should not have dismissed plaintiffs’ claim in this regard. Jones v Marshall, 2017 NY Slip Op 01432, 3rd Dept 2-23-17
INSURANCE LAW (NO-FAULT, EVEN WHERE PLAINTIFF CAN NOT DEMONSTRATE SERIOUS INJURY WITHIN THE MEANING OF THE NO-FAULT LAW, PLAINTIFF MAY BE ABLE TO RECOVER ECONOMIC LOSS ABOVE THE STATUTORY BASIC ECONOMIC LOSS ($50,000))/SERIOUS INJURY (NO-FAULT, EVEN WHERE PLAINTIFF CAN NOT DEMONSTRATE SERIOUS INJURY WITHIN THE MEANING OF THE NO-FAULT LAW, PLAINTIFF MAY BE ABLE TO RECOVER ECONOMIC LOSS ABOVE THE STATUTORY BASIC ECONOMIC LOSS ($50,000))/BASIC ECONOMIC LOSS (NO-FAULT, EVEN WHERE PLAINTIFF CAN NOT DEMONSTRATE SERIOUS INJURY WITHIN THE MEANING OF THE NO-FAULT LAW, PLAINTIFF MAY BE ABLE TO RECOVER ECONOMIC LOSS ABOVE THE STATUTORY BASIC ECONOMIC LOSS ($50,000))/ECONOMIC LOSS (NO-FAULT, EVEN WHERE PLAINTIFF CAN NOT DEMONSTRATE SERIOUS INJURY WITHIN THE MEANING OF THE NO-FAULT LAW, PLAINTIFF MAY BE ABLE TO RECOVER ECONOMIC LOSS ABOVE THE STATUTORY BASIC ECONOMIC LOSS ($50,000))