THE AFFIDAVIT WHICH PURPORTED TO DEMONSTRATE PLAINTIFF HAD STANDING TO BRING THE FORECLOSURE ACTION REFERRED TO UNIDENTIFIED AND UNPRODUCED RECORDS AND THEREFORE LACKED ANY PROBATIVE VALUE (FIRST DEPT).
The First Department, reversing Supreme Court, over a dissent, determined plaintiff failed to demonstrate standing to bring the foreclosure proceedings:
Plaintiff cannot establish that the note was assigned to it by a written assignment prior to commencement of foreclosure proceedings. Therefore, it must “adequately prove[] that it did, indeed, have possession of the note prior to commencement of this action” … , and where an affiant’s knowledge is based on unidentified and unproduced records, “the affidavit lacks any probative value” and cannot be the basis for an award of summary judgment … . Since plaintiff has failed to establish that it had physical possession of the note prior to commencement of this action, we reverse the motion court’s award of summary judgment to plaintiff. Residential Credit Solutions, Inc. v Gould, 2019 NY Slip Op 03266, First Dept 4-30-19