CONFIRMED BANKRUPTCY PLAN DID NOT HAVE A RES JUDICATA EFFECT ON AN ACTION ON A MORTGAGE WHICH WAS PENDING WHEN THE BANKRUPTCY PROCEEDINGS WERE COMMENCED.
The Second Department determined the confirmation of a bankruptcy plan did not have a res judicata effect upon an action by plaintiff bank to require the recording of a mortgage that was pending when defendants’ bankruptcy proceedings were commenced:
The plaintiff commenced this action in June 2013, inter alia, to direct the recording of a mortgage allegedly executed in September 2006 to encumber real property owned by the defendants … (the McKennas), and for a judgment declaring that that mortgage is superior in priority over other recorded mortgages on the property. On or about September 24, 2013, the McKennas filed a petition for Chapter 13 bankruptcy … , … automatically stay[ing] this action pursuant to 11 USC § 362(a). By order dated August 25, 2014, the Bankruptcy Court reclassified the plaintiff’s claim, for the purposes of that court, from “secured” to “unsecured,” and terminated the automatic stay for cause as to the plaintiff so that the plaintiff could continue the instant action through the entry of judgment. * * *
While an order confirming a Chapter 13 bankruptcy plan may constitute a final judgment on the merits … , the res judicata effect of a confirmed plan does not apply when a state court action concerning the validity of a lien remains unresolved at the time the bankruptcy proceedings were commenced … . Here, the instant action was pending when the McKennas filed their bankruptcy petition, and, therefore, the Supreme Court properly concluded that the subsequent confirmation of the amended Chapter 13 bankruptcy plan had no res judicata effect on the instant action. U.S. Bank N.A. v McKenna, 2017 NY Slip Op 03215, 2nd Dept 4-26-17
CIVIL PROCEDURE (RES JUDICATA, BANKRUPTCY PLAN, CONFIRMED BANKRUPTCY PLAN DID NOT HAVE A RES JUDICATA EFFECT ON AN ACTION ON A MORTGAGE WHICH WAS PENDING WHEN THE BANKRUPTCY PROCEEDINGS WERE COMMENCED)/BANKRUPTCY PLAN (RES JUDICATA, CONFIRMED BANKRUPTCY PLAN DID NOT HAVE A RES JUDICATA EFFECT ON AN ACTION ON A MORTGAGE WHICH WAS PENDING WHEN THE BANKRUPTCY PROCEEDINGS WERE COMMENCED)/RES JUDICATA (BANKRUPTCY PLAN, CONFIRMED BANKRUPTCY PLAN DID NOT HAVE A RES JUDICATA EFFECT ON AN ACTION ON A MORTGAGE WHICH WAS PENDING WHEN THE BANKRUPTCY PROCEEDINGS WERE COMMENCED)