HERE THE DOCTRINE OF RES JUDICATA PRECLUDED PLAINTIFF’S FRAUDULENT CONVEYANCE ACTION; THE CAUSE OF ACTION COULD HAVE BEEN RAISED IN THE PRIOR ACTION WHICH WAS DISMISSED (FIRST DEPT).
The Frist Department, reversing Supreme Court, determined the fraudulent conveyance cause of action was precluded by the doctrine of res judicata. Although the fraudulent conveyance claim was not alleged in the prior action, which was dismissed, it could have been raised in the prior action:
In 2016, plaintiff sued NBC, NBF, and PIM, alleging — as she does in the instant action — that NBC and NBF were PIM’s alter egos. In August 2018, Supreme Court (Gerald Lebovits, J.) granted NBC and NBF’s motion to dismiss that action.
While the prior action did not allege fraudulent conveyance, the doctrine of res judicata bars plaintiff from raising that claim here because she could have raised it in the prior action … . Plaintiff learned on or about May 9, 2017 that nonparty Conquest Capital Group had repurchased the equity it had previously sold to PIM. She filed an amended complaint in the prior action on May 26, 2017. Although plaintiff alleges that she did not discover the price at which Conquest repurchased its equity until November 2018, she could have learned this fact earlier by making inquiries … . Aboelnaga v National Bank of Can., 2022 NY Slip Op 03467, First Dept 5-31-22
Practice Point: The doctrine of res judicata precludes causes of action which could have been investigated and raised in a prior action.