THE REFEREE’S REPORT WAS BASED UPON INFORMATION IN BUSINESS RECORDS WHICH WERE NOT ATTACHED TO THE AFFIDAVIT IN WHICH THE RECORDS WERE DESCRIBED; THE INFORMATION IN THE AFFIDAVIT WAS THEREFORE INADMISSIBLE HEARSAY (SECOND DEPT).
The Second Department, reversing Supreme Court, determined the referee in this foreclosure action relied on information in business records which were not provided along with the affidavit describing them:
The defendant argues … that the Supreme Court erred in confirming the referee’s report because the referee’s computation was premised upon unproduced business records. “The report of a referee should be confirmed whenever the findings are substantially supported by the record, and the referee has clearly defined the issues and resolved matters of credibility” … . Here, the affidavit executed by an employee of the plaintiff submitted for the purpose of establishing the amount due and owing under the subject mortgage loan constituted inadmissible hearsay and lacked probative value because the affiant did not produce any of the business records she purportedly relied upon in making her calculations … . Consequently, the referee’s findings with respect to the total amount due under the mortgage were not substantially supported by the record … . Wells Fargo Bank, NA v Clerge, 2021 NY Slip Op 05038, Second Dept 9-22-21