Doyon v. Bascom

Decision Date20 December 1971
Citation326 N.Y.S.2d 896,38 A.D.2d 645
PartiesLudger DOYON et al., Appellants, v. Robert BASCOM, Respondent.
CourtNew York Supreme Court — Appellate Division

John S. Hall, Warrensburg, for appellants.

McPhillips, Fitzgerald & Meyer, Glens Falls (Martin A. Meyer, Glens Falls, of counsel), for respondent.

Before HERLIHY, P.J., and AULISI, STALEY, COOKE and SWEENEY, JJ.

MEMORANDUM DECISION.

Appeal from an order of the Supreme Court at Special Term, entered April 12, 1971 in Warren County, which granted defendant's motion for judgment, pursuant to paragraph 5 of subdivision (a) of section 3211 of the CPLR, dismissing plaintiffs' negligence action as barred by the Statute of Limitations.

The complaint alleges that the plaintiffs sustained damages for personal injuries as the result of a motor vehicle accident which occurred on February 25, 1966. The action was commenced by service of a summons only on June 12, 1970, or nearly four years and four months after the accrual of the causes of action. Upon receipt of the complaint, defendant moved to dismiss the complaint on the ground that the three-year Statute of Limitations had run. The plaintiffs offered nothing in the manner of evidence at the return date of the motion. The plaintiffs, however, argued that defendant's proof submitted in support of his motion was insufficient because the mere passage of more than three years from the date of the accident to commencement of the action was not, of itself, determinative of the motion and plaintiffs further asserted that the statute could have been tolled by infancy, insanity, or imprisonment. Special Term held that it was incumbent upon the plaintiffs to produce some evidence that the statute of limitations had been tolled and granted defendant's motion unless satisfactory evidence of the tolling was submitted within 20 days after the service of the order; plaintiffs failed to produce such evidence.

Paragraph 5 of subdivision (a) of section 3211 of the CPLR states that a party may move for judgment dismissing a cause of action on the ground it is barred by the Statute of Limitations. While the burden of proving the affirmative defense of the Statute of Limitations rests on the party invoking it, a defendant asserting the statute need not negate any exceptions contained therein, the burden resting upon plaintiffs to aver facts showing the case at hand falls within such exception (35 N.Y.Jur., Limitations and Laches, § 23; 36 N.Y.Jur., ...

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  • Vincent v. Money Store
    • United States
    • U.S. District Court — Southern District of New York
    • January 4, 2013
    ...However, the plaintiffs bear the burden of proving that a particular statute of limitation has been tolled. Doyon v. Bascom, 38 A.D.2d 645, 326 N.Y.S.2d 896, 898 (1971). Both the New York borrowing statute and saving statute apply in this case. The New York borrowing statute applies differe......
  • State Workers' Comp. Bd. v. Wang
    • United States
    • New York Supreme Court Appellate Division
    • January 5, 2017
    ...238 A.D.2d 456, 456–457, 656 N.Y.S.2d 669 [1997], lv. dismissed 91 N.Y.2d 848, 667 N.Y.S.2d 683, 690 N.E.2d 492 [1997] ; Doyon v. Bascom, 38 A.D.2d 645, 645–646, 326 N.Y.S.2d 896 [1971] ).9 To the extent that plaintiff relies upon the doctrine of equitable estoppel to toll the statutes of l......
  • Nyahsa Servs., Inc. v. People Care Inc.
    • United States
    • United States State Supreme Court (New York)
    • December 5, 2014
    ...the defense (Hoosac Val. Farmers Exch. v. AG Assets, 168 A.D.2d 822, 823, 563 N.Y.S.2d 954 [3d Dept 1990] ; see Doyon v. Bascom, 38 A.D.2d 645, 326 N.Y.S.2d 896 [3d Dept 1971] ). Thus, the Court must employ what is, in essence, a summary-judgment type analysis (State of New York Higher Educ......
  • Smith v. City of New York
    • United States
    • New York Supreme Court Appellate Division
    • September 21, 2022
    ...upon an exception thereto has the burden of proving 175 N.Y.S.3d 542 that he [or she] comes within the exception"]; Doyon v. Bascom, 38 A.D.2d 645, 326 N.Y.S.2d 896 ["While the burden of proving the affirmative defense of the Statute of Limitations rests on the party invoking it, a defendan......
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