DEFENDANT WHO HAD APPEARED IN THE ACTION BUT HAD SINCE MOVED TO SOUTH CAROLINA COULD BE COMPELLED TO APPEAR AT TRIAL BY A SUBPOENA MAILED TO HIS NEW YORK ATTORNEY (FIRST DEPT).
The Second Department determined a trial subpoena issued to a defendant in a medical malpractice action compelled defendant’s attendance despite his having moved to South Carolina:
… [T]he plaintiffs mailed a subpoena to the office of the defendant’s attorneys, located in Mineola, New York. The subpoena commanded the defendant to appear at the trial of this action to give testimony as part of the plaintiffs’ direct case. The defendant moved to quash the subpoena, arguing that he was no longer subject to the jurisdiction of the court because he had moved from New York to South Carolina during the pendency of the action. The Supreme Court denied the motion, and the defendant appeals.
A court of record generally has the power “to issue a subpoena requiring the attendance of a person found in the state to testify in a cause pending in that court” (Judiciary Law § 2-b[1]). “Where the attendance at trial of a party or person within the party’s control can be compelled by a trial subpoena, that subpoena may be served by delivery in accordance with [CPLR 2103(b)] to the party’s attorney of record” (CPLR 2303-a). Here, the trial subpoena was properly served upon the defendant’s attorneys pursuant to CPLR 2303-a and 2103(b)(2). Contrary to the defendant’s contention, because he is a party to this action, over whom personal jurisdiction had been obtained, he is “found in the state” within the meaning of Judiciary Law § 2-b(1) … . Chicoine v Koch, 2018 NY Slip Op 03825, Second Dept 5-30-18
CIVIL PROCEDURE (DEFENDANT WHO HAD APPEARED IN THE ACTION BUT HAD SINCE MOVED TO SOUTH CAROLINA COULD BE COMPELLED TO APPEAR AT TRIAL BY A SUBPOENA MAILED TO HIS NEW YORK ATTORNEY (FIRST DEPT))/SUBPOENAS (DEFENDANT WHO HAD APPEARED IN THE ACTION BUT HAD SINCE MOVED TO SOUTH CAROLINA COULD BE COMPELLED TO APPEAR AT TRIAL BY A SUBPOENA MAILED TO HIS NEW YORK ATTORNEY (FIRST DEPT))/TRIALS (SUBPOENAS, DEFENDANT WHO HAD APPEARED IN THE ACTION BUT HAD SINCE MOVED TO SOUTH CAROLINA COULD BE COMPELLED TO APPEAR AT TRIAL BY A SUBPOENA MAILED TO HIS NEW YORK ATTORNEY (FIRST DEPT))