NEITHER A CERTIFICATION ORDER NOR A STIPULATION EXTENDING THE DATE FOR FILING A NOTE OF ISSUE MET THE REQUIREMENTS OF A 90-DAY NOTICE; THE DISMISSAL OF THE ACTION WAS INVALID; THE MOTION TO RESTORE SHOULD HAVE BEEN GRANTED (SECOND DEPT).
The Second Department, reversing Supreme Court, determined the action was not properly dismissed pursuant to CPLR 3216 and plaintiff’s motion to restore the action to the calendar should have been granted:
… [T]he Supreme Court issued a certification order which … certified the matter for trial and directed the plaintiff to file a note of issue within 90 days. The order provided that “[i]f plaintiff does not file a note of issue within 90 days this action may be dismissed. (CPLR 3216).” Thereafter, the parties executed a stipulation dated June 15, 2017, extending the date by which the note of issue must be filed to September 7, 2017. The action was ministerially dismissed on June 21, 2017, without further notice to the parties. …
An action cannot be dismissed pursuant to CPLR 3216(a) “unless a written demand is served upon the party against whom such relief is sought’ in accordance with the statutory requirements, along with a statement that the default by the party upon whom such notice is served in complying with such demand within said ninety day period will serve as a basis for a motion by the party serving said demand for dismissal as against him for unreasonably neglecting to proceed'” … .
The certification order, which purported to serve as a 90-day notice pursuant to CPLR 3216, was defective as it did not state that the plaintiff’s failure to comply with the demand would serve as a basis for the court, on its own motion, to dismiss the action for failure to prosecute … . Furthermore, contrary to the determination of the Supreme Court, the subsequent stipulation … , which purported to extend the plaintiff’s deadline for filing a note of issue … , did not constitute a valid 90-day demand … .
Moreover, it is evident from the record that the action was ministerially dismissed without a motion or notice to the parties, and there was no order of the court dismissing the action … . Rosenfeld v Schneider Mitola LLP, 2019 NY Slip Op 06813, Second Dept 9-25-19