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THE DEFENDANT’S AFFIDAVIT SUBMITTED IN SUPPORT OF THE MOTION TO DISMISS WAS NOT “DOCUMENTARY EVIDENCE” WHICH UTTERLY REFUTED THE ALLEGATIONS IN THE COMPLAINT; EVEN THOUGH DEFENDANT MIGHT WIN AT THE SUMMARY JUDGMENT STAGE, THE PROOF REQUIREMENTS FOR DISMSSAL ARE DIFFERENT AND WERE NOT MET (SECOND DEPT).

The Second Department, reversing Supreme Court, determined defendant contractor’s motion to dismiss the complaint against him individually should not have been granted. Defendant, Gabbay, executed the subject home renovation contract on behalf of “Dansha Corp.,” an entity which does not exist. Defendant asserted in an affidavit submitted to support the motion to dismiss, that “Dansh Corp.” is a trade name for “Dansha Realty Corp.,” which does exist. Therefore, defendant argued, he can not be individually liable on the contract. However, irrespective of what might be determined in a motion for summary judgment, a motion to dismiss which relies on evidence must be supported by “documentary evidence.” Defendant’s affidavit does not constitute “documentary evidence:”

Where a party offers evidentiary proof on a motion pursuant to CPLR 3211(a)(7), and such proof is considered but the motion has not been converted to one for summary judgment, ‘the criterion is whether the proponent of the pleading has a cause of action, not whether [the proponent] has stated one, and, unless it has been shown that a material fact as claimed by the pleader to be one is not a fact at all and unless it can be said that no significant dispute exists regarding it[,] . . . dismissal should not eventuate'” … . “‘Whether the complaint will later survive a motion for summary judgment, or whether the plaintiff will ultimately be able to prove its claims, of course, plays no part in the determination of a prediscovery CPLR 3211 motion to dismiss'” … . “A motion to dismiss a complaint pursuant to CPLR 3211(a)(1) may be granted only if the documentary evidence submitted by the moving party utterly refutes the factual allegations of the complaint and conclusively establishes a defense to the claims as a matter of law” … . …

Although there is “no individual liability for principals of a corporation for actions taken in furtherance of the corporation’s business” … , “‘a person entering into a contract on behalf of a nonexistent corporate entity may be held personally liable on the contract'” … . Here, accepting the allegations in the complaint as true and giving the plaintiff the benefit of every possible favorable inference, the complaint states causes of action against Gabbay to recover damages for breach of contract … and money had and received … . There is no dispute that “Dansha Corp.,” the entity named as the general contractor in the contract, does not exist. Furthermore, the evidence submitted by Gabbay failed to conclusively establish that “Dansha Realty Corp.” was the intended party to the contract for purposes of a prediscovery CPLR 3211 motion to dismiss … . The affidavit submitted by Gabbay in support of the motion was not “documentary” within the meaning of CPLR 3211(a)(1) … , and the remainder of the evidence, including invoices sent to the plaintiff from “Dansha Corp.,” do not prove that “Dansha Corp.” is a trade name for “Dansha Realty Corp.” … . Churong Liu v Gabbay, 2023 NY Slip Op 04108, Second Dept 8-2-23

Practice Point: This decision illustrates the different proof requirements for a motion to dismiss based on documentary evidence and a motion for summary judgment. Irrespective of whether a party may win a summary judgment motion, a motion to dismiss supported by an affidavit which is not “documentary evidence” will not win.

 

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