PARTIAL PAYMENT OF A DEBT WITHIN THE STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS PERIOD MAY REVIVE OR TOLL THE STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS FOR AN ACTION BASED UPON THE DEBT (SECOND DEPT).
The Second Department, reversing Supreme Court, determined plaintiff in this suit against his employer seeking payment for work performed raised a question of fact whether the statute of limitations was revived by defendants’ partial payment:
There is a “long-standing common law rule” that partial payment of a debt, if made under “circumstances from which a promise to honor the obligation may be inferred,” will operate to start the statute of limitations running anew from the time the partial payment is made … . To show that the statute of limitations has been renewed by a partial payment, it must be shown that the payment was accompanied by circumstances amounting to “an absolute and unqualified acknowledgment by the debtor of more being due, from which a promise may be inferred to pay the remainder” … .
Here, the plaintiff alleged that, over a course of years, the defendants made repeated assurances that they would pay him salary and bonus money that he was owed pursuant to his employment arrangement. Further, he alleged that the defendants made a partial payment of outstanding bonus money to the plaintiff on July 17, 2015, within the statute of limitations. Under these circumstances, the plaintiff raised a question of fact as to whether the statute of limitations was tolled or revived … . Costello v Curan & Ahlers, LLP, 2024 NY Slip Op 00758, Second Dept 2-14-24
Practice Point: Partial payment of a debt made within the statute of limitations period may revive or toll the statute of limitations for an action based on the debt.