A DISMISSAL OF A COMPLAINT FOR FAILURE TO PROSECUTE (CPLR 3215) IS NOT ON THE MERITS AND THEREFORE IS NOT “WITH PREJUDICE” (SECOND DEPT).
The Second Department noted that a dismissal of a complaint for failure to prosecute pursuant to CPLR 3215 (c) is not on the merits and therefore should not be “with prejudice:”
… [T]he court should not have directed dismissal of the complaint with prejudice, as “a dismissal under CPLR 3215(c) is a dismissal for a failure to prosecute and consequently [is] not a dismissal on the merits or with prejudice” … . Deutsche Bank Natl. Trust Co. v Brathwaite, 2021 NY Slip Op 04659, Second Dept 8-11-21