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IN THIS TRAFFIC ACCIDENT CASE INVOLVING THE DEFENDANT NYC TRANSIT AUTHORITY’S BUS, THE AUTHORITY GAINED TIMELY KNOWLEDGE OF THE POTENTIAL CLAIM WHEN IT INVESTIGATED THE ACCIDENT AND WAS NOT PREJUDICED BY THE DELAY; THE PETITION FOR LEAVE TO FILE A LATE NOTICE OF CLAIM SHOULD HAVE BEEN GRANTED, NOTWITHSTANDING THE ABSENCE OF A REASONABLE EXCUSE (SECOND DEPT).

The Second Department, reversing Supreme Court, determined the petition seeking leave to file a late notice of claim in this traffic accident case should have been granted. It was alleged defendant NYC Transit Authority’s bus collided with a NYC sanitation truck which then collided with petitioner’s car. The Transit Authority investigated the accident and therefore had knowledge of the essential facts of the claim. Because the defendant had timely actual knowledge of the potential claim and did not demonstrate prejudice from the delay, petitioner did not need to present a reasonable excuse for the late notice:

… [A]s the Authority acquired timely knowledge of the essential facts constituting the petitioner’s claim, the petitioner met his initial burden of showing that the Authority would not be prejudiced by the late notice of claim … . In response to the petitioner’s initial showing, the Authority failed to come forward with particularized evidence demonstrating that the late notice of claim substantially prejudiced its ability to defend the claim on the merits … . Since the Authority had actual knowledge of the essential facts underlying the claim and no substantial prejudice to the Authority was demonstrated, the petitioner’s failure to provide a reasonable excuse for the delay in serving the notice of claim did not serve as a bar to granting leave to serve a late notice of claim … . Matter of Manbodh v New York City Tr. Auth., 2022 NY Slip Op 02544, Second Dept 4-20-22

​Practice Point: Here the defendant NYC Transit Authority investigated the traffic accident involving petitioner’s car and therefore had timely notice of the essential facts of the potential lawsuit. In that situation, in the absence of prejudice to the defendant caused by petitioner’s failure to timely file a notice of claim (none here), petitioner need not provide a reasonable excuse and leave to file a late notice should be granted.

 

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