CPLR 205 (A), WHICH ALLOWS AN ACTION TO BE REFILED WITHIN SIX MONTHS OF DISMISSAL, DOES NOT APPLY TO MOTIONS; THE DEFENDANTS WERE AGGRIEVED BY AN ORDER WHICH STAYED THE PROCEEDINGS FOR FURTHER SUBMISSIONS AND THEREFORE COULD APPEAL THE ORDER (THIRD DEPT).

The Third Department, reversing Supreme Court, over a dissent, determined CPLR 205 (a), which allows an action to be refiled within six months of dismissal under certain conditions, does not apply to motions. Here the plaintiff sought to bring a second motion for a deficiency judgment pursuant to Real Property Actions and Proceedings Law (RPAPL) 1371 after the first was deemed untimely because it was not served within the 90-day time-frame. The dissenter argued the defendants were not aggrieved by the lower court’s order which stayed the proceedings for further submissions and therefore could not appeal:

As an initial matter, plaintiff contends that, because Supreme Court did not ultimately rule on the relief sought — namely a deficiency judgment — and instead issued a stay to allow further submissions from the parties, defendants are not aggrieved by the ruling and the appeal should be dismissed. … We disagree. A party is aggrieved when the court denies the relief it requested or grants relief, in whole or in part, against a party who had opposed the relief … . Here, defendants opposed plaintiff’s second motion for a deficiency judgment as untimely. Had Supreme Court agreed, the case would have been dismissed outright, and defendants would have been relieved of any deficiency judgment. Instead, they continue to be involved in litigation and remain exposed to the potential of said judgment and the financial consequences attendant thereto. Defendants are therefore clearly aggrieved by the finding of timeliness by Supreme Court. * * *

… [P]laintiff urges this Court to find the second motion timely by applying CPLR 205 (a), allowing it to file the second motion six months after the denial of the first motion. … Here, the statute provides that “[i]f an action is timely commenced and is terminated in any other manner than by a voluntary discontinuance, a failure to obtain personal jurisdiction over the defendant, a dismissal of the complaint for neglect to prosecute the action, or a final judgment upon the merits, the plaintiff . . . may commence a new action upon the same transaction or occurrence or series of transactions or occurrences within six months after the termination provided that the new action would have been timely commenced at the time of commencement of the prior action” … . An action is defined as “a civil or criminal judicial proceeding” … . CPLR 105 defines an action to include a special proceeding, whereas a motion is defined as “an application for an order” (CPLR 2211). RPAPL 1371 (2) and (3) expressly direct that a motion for a deficiency judgment be made. Motions are not subject to the tolling provision of CPLR 205 (a). Had the Legislature intended to include motions in CPLR 205 (a), it could have done so and its failure to do so, is presumed to be intentional … . Trustco Bank v The Preserve Dev. Group Co., LLC, 2021 NY Slip Op 00350, Third Dept 1-21-21