By Edward P. Milstein, Partner Summary judgment motions are almost always the bailiwick ofdefense firms in the area of medical malpractice litigation. We have seenthe use of this litigation tool surge in recent years. Fortunately, we atDANKNER MILSTEIN, PC., have been able to successfully defeat thistactic. The use of the summary judgment motion (after discovery has beencompleted and the case has been placed on the court’s calendar by filing theNote of Issue) by the defendants can provide certain benefits to theplaintiff’s attorney. First, the defendant’s motion papers will contain detailed affidavitsfrom their experts outlining the complete defense to the case and to theclaims of liability. (The liability experts’ identities will also be revealed.)Obviously, this can be very helpful in that it will eliminate surprise andprovide substantially more information than a typical 3 101(d) expertdisclosure. Additionally, if the same expert is produced as a witness attrial,the sworn affidavit will usually provide fodder for cross examination.In addition, the motion compels the plaintiff’s attorney to take a hardand careful look at the case. The success of a medical malpractice casegenerally relies upon minute details which the summary judgment motionwill flesh out. The plaintiff’s attorney must respond to the motion by seeking out thebest experts available to oppose the motion in affidavit form. Thepreparation of the opposition papers provides an excellent opportunity toget “into the weeds” and deal with issues inherent to every medicalmalpractice case by identifying problematic aspects of the case.Recently, we at DANKNERMILSTEIN, PC., have turned the tableson the defense by making motions for summary judgment in 4 speciallyselected medical