MATTER ERRONEOUSLY TRANSFERRED TO A COURT WITHOUT SUBJECT MATTER JURISDICTION (CIVIL COURT) CAN BE RETRANSFERRED TO THE CORRECT COURT (SUPREME COURT) AFTER JUDGMENT, THE CIVIL COURT JUDGMENT IS VOID AND CANNOT BE ADOPTED BY THE SUPREME COURT (SECOND DEPT).
The Second Department, reversing Supreme Court, in a full-fledged opinion by Justice Dillon, addressing two issues of first impression, determined: (1) a matter erroneously transferred to a court which did not have subject matter jurisdiction (Civil Court) can be retransferred to the correct court (Supreme Court); and (2) after the matter is retransferred the error cannot be remedied in Supreme Court by adopting the disposition of the Civil Court, which is void. The fact that the Civil Court judge was an Acting Supreme Court Justice did not afford subject matter jurisdiction to the Civil Court:
While Judge Marrazzo, by virtue of his designation as an Acting Justice of the Supreme Court, would have been authorized to preside over the trial of this matter had it been pending in the Supreme Court, the same cannot be said for the trial in the Civil Court where the Administrative Order had no administrative or substantive relevance.
Where subject matter jurisdiction is concerned, courts, including our own, may not cut corners. As a matter of both constitutional adherence and public policy, the Appellate Division must guard against courts acting outside of their subject matter jurisdiction, even if they do so unwittingly, in good faith, or in furtherance of judicial economy. Accordingly, we hold that the duties of an Acting Justice of the Supreme Court directed to matters pending in the Supreme Court operate only as to actions and proceedings pending in that particular court, and not for cases litigated elsewhere. …
… [S]ince the Civil Court was without jurisdiction to try the instant matter, rendering the trial and judgment void, its findings of fact and conclusions of law cannot as a matter of comity, res judicata, law of the case, or otherwise, be recognized by the Supreme Court upon its CPLR 325(b) removal of the action, and cannot provide a basis for the Supreme Court judgment presently on appeal. Caffrey v North Arrow Abstract & Settlement Servs., Inc., 2018 NY Slip Op 01043, Second Dept 2-14-18
CIVIL PROCEDURE (SUBJECT MATTER JURISDICTION, MATTER ERRONEOUSLY TRANSFERRED TO A COURT WITHOUT SUBJECT MATTER JURISDICTION (CIVIL COURT) CAN BE RETRANSFERRED TO THE CORRECT COURT (SUPREME COURT) AFTER JUDGMENT, THE CIVIL COURT JUDGMENT IS VOID AND CANNOT BE ADOPTED BY THE SUPREME COURT (SECOND DEPT))/JURISDICTION, SUBJECT MATTER (MATTER ERRONEOUSLY TRANSFERRED TO A COURT WITHOUT SUBJECT MATTER JURISDICTION (CIVIL COURT) CAN BE RETRANSFERRED TO THE CORRECT COURT (SUPREME COURT) AFTER JUDGMENT, THE CIVIL COURT JUDGMENT IS VOID AND CANNOT BE ADOPTED BY THE SUPREME COURT (SECOND DEPT))/CPLR 325(b) (SUBJECT MATTER JURISDICTION, MATTER ERRONEOUSLY TRANSFERRED TO A COURT WITHOUT SUBJECT MATTER JURISDICTION (CIVIL COURT) CAN BE RETRANSFERRED TO THE CORRECT COURT (SUPREME COURT) AFTER JUDGMENT, THE CIVIL COURT JUDGMENT IS VOID AND CANNOT BE ADOPTED BY THE SUPREME COURT (SECOND DEPT))/SUBJECT MATTER JURISDICTION (MATTER ERRONEOUSLY TRANSFERRED TO A COURT WITHOUT SUBJECT MATTER JURISDICTION (CIVIL COURT) CAN BE RETRANSFERRED TO THE CORRECT COURT (SUPREME COURT) AFTER JUDGMENT, THE CIVIL COURT JUDGMENT IS VOID AND CANNOT BE ADOPTED BY THE SUPREME COURT (SECOND DEPT))