JUDGE SHOULD NOT HAVE, SUA SPONTE, DISMISSED A FORECLOSURE COMPLAINT AND SHOULD NOT HAVE ADDRESSED THE ISSUE OF STANDING, WHICH IS NOT JURISDICTIONAL AND COULD NOT BE RAISED BY A DEFAULTING DEFENDANT (SECOND DEPT).
The Second Department, reversing Supreme Court, determined the judge should not have, sua sponte, dismissed a foreclosure complaint based upon an alleged failure of a condition precedent, and the judge should not have addressed the issue of standing, which was not a jurisdictional issue and was not, and could not be, raised by defendant, who had defaulted:
“A court's power to dismiss a complaint, sua sponte, is to be used sparingly and only when extraordinary circumstances exist to warrant dismissal” … . Here, the Supreme Court was not presented with any extraordinary circumstances warranting a sua sponte dismissal of the complaint… . The plaintiff's alleged failure to satisfy a condition precedent in the mortgage by failing to provide the defendant with 30 days' written notice of his default in making mortgage payments, even if true, did not deprive the court of jurisdiction to enter a judgment of foreclosure and sale … .
To the extent that the Supreme Court addressed the issue of the plaintiff's standing in the order appealed from, a party's lack of standing does not constitute a jurisdictional defect and does not warrant a sua sponte dismissal of the complaint by the court Moreover, since the defendant defaulted in appearing or answering the complaint, and failed to move to vacate his default, he is precluded from asserting lack of standing as a defense … . Countrywide Home Loans, Inc. v Campbell, 2018 NY Slip Op 05749, Second Dept 8-15-18
FORECLOSURE (JUDGE SHOULD NOT HAVE, SUA SPONTE, DISMISSED A FORECLOSURE COMPLAINT AND SHOULD NOT HAVE ADDRESSED THE ISSUE OF STANDING, WHICH IS NOT JURISDICTIONAL AND COULD NOT BE RAISED BY A DEFAULTING DEFENDANT (SECOND DEPT))/CIVIL PROCEDURE (FORECLOSURE, JUDGE SHOULD NOT HAVE, SUA SPONTE, DISMISSED A FORECLOSURE COMPLAINT AND SHOULD NOT HAVE ADDRESSED THE ISSUE OF STANDING, WHICH IS NOT JURISDICTIONAL AND COULD NOT BE RAISED BY A DEFAULTING DEFENDANT (SECOND DEPT))