Bench and Bar read appellate decisions in order to understand how courts think, how they decide and for guidance in how to present cases.  Panos v Eisen  2018 NY Slip Op 02480  Decided on April 11, 2018  Appellate Division, Second Department could have been instructive, could have explained why Plaintiff”s proofs were lacking, could have illustrated the black-letter law.  The decision gives no explanation at all.

“To meet their initial burden on that branch of their motion which was for summary judgment dismissing the complaint, the defendants were required to “demonstrate, prima facie, either that they did not breach their duty to exercise the ordinary reasonable skill and knowledge commonly possessed by a member of the legal profession or that any breach of that duty did not proximately cause the plaintiff to suffer actual and ascertainable damages” (Montero v Cohen, 104 AD3d 654, 655; see Ferrigno v Jaghab, Jaghab & Jaghab, P.C., 152 AD3d 650, 652; Ragunandan v Donado, 150 AD3d 1289, 1290). The defendants established, prima facie, both the lack of a breach of duty and the lack of proximate cause. Therefore, in order to defeat the defendants’ motion, the plaintiff had “to demonstrate the existence of a triable issue of fact in connection with both matters” (Montero v Cohen, 104 AD3d at 655; see Stukas v Streiter, 83 AD3d 18, 25). Since the plaintiff failed to raise [*2]a triable issue of fact as to whether the defendants’ alleged breach of the duty of care proximately caused him to suffer actual and ascertainable damages, the Supreme Court should have granted that branch of the defendants’ motion which was for summary judgment dismissing the complaint.”