FATHER’S MOTION TO VACATE THE DEFAULT DISMISSAL OF HIS VISITATION PETITION SHOULD HAVE BEEN GRANTED, LIBERAL POLICY IN FAVOR OF VACATING DEFAULT NOTED.

The Second Department, reversing Family Court, determined father’s motion to vacate the default dismissal of his visitation petition should have been granted. The court noted the liberal policy in favor of vacating defaults in this context:

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In custody proceedings pursuant to Family Court Act article 6, this Court has adopted a liberal policy in favor of vacating defaults… . Under the circumstances presented here, and in light of the policy favoring resolution on the merits in child custody proceedings, the father demonstrated a reasonable excuse for his failure to appear on March 1, 2016 … . The father’s absence was not willful. Notably, the father had never missed any prior scheduled Family Court appearances and had been compliant with all of the court’s directives. Moreover, there was no indication that a final determination of the petitions pending before the court would occur on the March 1, 2016, date. Finally, the father filed his motion to vacate within two months of the default. Under the totality of these circumstances, the court improvidently exercised its discretion in denying the father’s motion to vacate the March 2016 orders on the ground that his excuse for his absence was not reasonable … . Matter of Lemon v Faison, 2017 NY Slip Op 03953, 2nd Dept 5-17-17

FAMILY LAW (FATHER’S MOTION TO VACATE THE DEFAULT DISMISSAL OF HIS VISITATION PETITION SHOULD HAVE BEEN GRANTED, LIBERAL POLICY IN FAVOR OF VACATING DEFAULT NOTED)/DEFAULT (FAMILY LAW, FATHER’S MOTION TO VACATE THE DEFAULT DISMISSAL OF HIS VISITATION PETITION SHOULD HAVE BEEN GRANTED, LIBERAL POLICY IN FAVOR OF VACATING DEFAULT NOTED)