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FAILURE TO SUBMIT PROOF OF MAILING THE SUMMONS AND COMPLAINT PURSUANT TO CPLR 308 (2) IS A JURISDICTIONAL DEFECT (FIRST DEPT).

The First Department, reversing Supreme Court, determined the failure to offer any proof of mailing the summons and complaint was a jurisdictional defect:

Plaintiff’s failure to comply with CPLR 308(2)’s mailing requirement was not a mere “technical infirmity” that may be overlooked by the court pursuant to CPLR 2001 … . “‘In deciding whether a defect in service is merely technical, courts must be guided by the principle of notice to the defendant — notice that must be reasonably calculated, under all the circumstances, to apprise interested parties of the pendency of the action and afford them an opportunity to present their objections'” … . The court found that a late mailing under CPLR 308(2) was not a mere technical infirmity, as it increased the likelihood that the defendant did not receive proper notice of the legal proceeding (id. at 1251). We likewise hold that a plaintiff’s complete failure to comply with CPLR 308(2)’s mailing requirement greatly increases the likelihood that a defendant will not receive the pleadings and have an opportunity to answer. Accordingly, plaintiff’s failure to offer proof of mailing under CPLR 308(2) was a jurisdictional defect requiring denial of plaintiff’s motion for a default judgment. Williams v MTA Bus Co., 2024 NY Slip Op 00692, First Dept 2-8-24

Practice Point: Both delivery and mailing of the summons and complaint is required to effect service of process pursuant to CPLR 308 (2). Failure to submit proof of mailing is a jurisdictional, not a technical, defect.

 

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