THE JUDGMENT LIEN WAS NOT DOCKETED UNDER THE SELLER’S SURNAME; THEREFORE THE BUYER’S ACTION FOR A JUDGMENT QUIETING TITLE WAS PROPERLY GRANTED (SECOND DEPT).
The Second Department determined plaintiff-buyer was entitled to judgment on his quiet title cause of action and to a declaration that the property is not subject to the defendant’s judgment lien. The judgment was not docketed under the seller’s surname:
… [T]he plaintiff demonstrated, prima facie, his entitlement to judgment as a matter of law on the cause of action to quiet title and for a declaration that the real property at issue is not subject to the defendant’s judgment lien. In support of his motion, the plaintiff submitted, among other things, the deposition transcript of a supervisor of the Docket Department of the Kings County Clerk’s Office (hereinafter the supervisor). The supervisor testified at her deposition that the judgment at issue was not docketed under “Paul”—the surname of the title owner of the property. Thus, no valid lien against the property was created (see CPLR 5018[c][1] …). Moreover, there is no dispute that the plaintiff had no actual or constructive notice of a judgment lien on the property … .
In opposition, the defendant failed to raise a triable issue of fact. Any alleged defects in the docketing procedure employed by the Kings County Clerk’s Office are not attributable to a bona fide purchaser of the property … . Charles v Berman, 2021 NY Slip Op 00542, Second Dept 2-3-21