THE EVIDENCE SUBMITTED IN SUPPORT OF DEFENDANT’S SUMMARY JUDGMENT MOTION, INCLUDING AN ATTORNEY AFFIDAVIT, WAS NOT IN ADMISSIBLE FORM, THE MOTION SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN GRANTED (SECOND DEPT).
The Second Department, reversing Supreme Court, determined defendant’s (CCC’s) motion for summary judgment should not have been granted because the supporting evidence, including an attorney affidavit, was not in admissible form:
The affirmation of CCC’s attorney was not based upon personal knowledge and, thus, was of no probative or evidentiary significance … . “The affidavit or affirmation of an attorney, even if he [or she] has no personal knowledge of the facts, may, of course, serve as the vehicle for the submission of acceptable attachments which do provide evidentiary proof in admissible form, e.g., documents, transcripts” … . Here, however, the submissions by CCC on the motion were not in admissible form … . The emails and letters were offered for the truth of their contents and, therefore, constituted hearsay … . CCC failed to establish that any exception to the hearsay rule applied … . Since CCC failed to submit admissible evidence or an affidavit by a person having knowledge of the facts, it failed to establish its prima facie entitlement to judgment as a matter of law (see CPLR 3212[b] …). United Specialty Ins. v Columbia Cas. Co., 2020 NY Slip Op 04511, Second Dept 8-12-20