Ordered that the order is affirmed, with costs.
To avoid dismissal for failure to timely serve a complaint after a demand for the complaint has been made pursuant to CPLR 3012 (b), a plaintiff must demonstrate both a reasonable excuse for the delay in serving the complaint and a meritorious cause of action ( see, Chmielnik v. Rosenberg, 269 A.D.2d 555; Quinn v. Wenco Food Sys., Co., 269 A.D.2d 437; Culley v. Morrison, 247 A.D.2d 356). The plaintiff failed to comply with either requirement.