Orders reversed, on the law, without costs or disbursements, and plaintiff's motion for summary judgment dismissing defendant's counterclaim granted.
Defendant's employment, pursuant to an oral agreement, was not for a specific term and was, prima facie, a hiring at will ( Gould v Community Health Plan, 99 A.D.2d 479). Although this, per se, does not rule out a cause of action for wrongful discharge (see Weiner v McGraw-Hill, Inc., 57 N.Y.2d 458; cf. Utas v Power Auth., 96 A.D.2d 940), defendant's allegation that at the time of hiring he was told by plaintiff's personnel that plaintiff was "a good employer from the standpoint * * * of job security [and] that if any problems arose, [plaintiff] would endeavor to work them out equitably" is insufficient to defeat plaintiff's motion for summary judgment ( Murphy v American Home Prods. Corp., 58 N.Y.2d 293; Gould v Community Health Plan, supra). We note that the relevant provisions in the employer's handbook do not exclude termination without cause (cf. Weiner v McGraw-Hill, Inc., supra, p. 460). Mollen, P.J., Mangano, O'Connor and Lawrence, JJ., concur.