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ALTHOUGH PLAINTIFFS APPEARED FOR THE 50-h HEARING, PLAINTIFFS’ ATTORNEY REFUSED TO LET THE PLAINTIFFS TESTIFY UNLESS EACH PLAINTIFF COULD HEAR THE OTHER’S TESTIMONY, BECAUSE THE 50-h HEARING IS A CONDITION PRECEDENT TO BRINGING SUIT, PLAINTIFFS’ LAWSUIT WAS PROPERLY PRECLUDED (SECOND DEPT).

The Second Department, over a two-justice dissent, determined that plaintiffs were precluded from proceeding with the lawsuit because, although plaintiffs appeared for the 50-h hearing, plaintiffs attorney refused to participate in the 50-h hearing unless each plaintiff was present when the other testified. The majority held that the 50-h hearing is a condition precedent to any lawsuit and the statute does not create a right for plaintiff’s to be present for each other’s testimony at the hearing:

The purpose of General Municipal Law § 50-h is to enable a municipality to make a prompt investigation of the circumstances of a claim by examining the claimant about the facts of the claim … . The oral examination of a claimant pursuant to General Municipal Law § 50-h serves to supplement the notice of claim and provides an investigatory tool to the municipality, with a view toward settlement … . “Compliance with a demand for a General Municipal Law § 50-h examination is a condition precedent to the commencement of an action against a municipal defendant, and the failure to so comply warrants dismissal of the action” … . “A party who has failed to comply with a demand for examination pursuant to General Municipal Law § 50-h is precluded from commencing an action against a municipality” … . …

” [A] court cannot amend a statute by inserting words that are not there, nor will a court read into a statute a provision which the Legislature did not see fit to enact'”  … . Moreover, “[i]n the construction of statutes, each word or phrase in the enactment must be given its appropriate meaning” … , which is in derogation of the common law, is to be strictly construed  … . In strictly construing a statute, courts “will not go beyond the clearly expressed provisions of the act” … . Colon v Martin, 2019 NY Slip Op 02312, Second Dept 3-27-19

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