IN MOVING TO VACATE A MORE THAN $2 MILLION DEFAULT JUDGMENT IN THIS MED MAL CASE, DEFENDANT DOCTOR RAISED A QUESTION OF FACT WHETHER SHE WAS EVER SERVED WITH PROCESS; A HEARING IS REQUIRED (SECOND DEPT).

The Second Department, reversing Supreme Court, determined a hearing was required to determine whether defendant was properly served in this medical malpractice action. Defendant doctor never appeared and a default judgment of over $2 million had been entered:

In order to warrant a hearing to determine the validity of service of process, the denial of service must be substantiated by specific, detailed facts that contradict the affidavit of service … .

Here, the affidavit of service constituted prima facie evidence of proper service. In moving … to vacate the judgment, the defendant did not merely make a conclusory denial of service, but provided specific, detailed facts that contradicted the affidavit of service. The defendant denied having an employee who had the same name or matched the physical description as the individual allegedly served, “Pearl Unan.” … [T]he defendant stated that at the time of the alleged service his office was closed and there was no one at his reception desk. The defendant’s sworn, nonconclusory denial of service was sufficient to dispute the veracity or contents of the affidavit, requiring a hearing … . … [T]he affidavits of Alexis Malone and Scott Sachs, who were employed by the defendant, also provided specific and detailed facts that contradicted the affidavit of service. Harrison v Schottenstein, 2024 NY Slip Op 03418, Second Dept 6-20-24

Practice Point: Although a process server’s affidavit is prima facie evidence of proper service, a sworn, nonconclusory, fact-based denial of service by the defendant requires a hearing. If defendant is never served, the court never had jurisdiction.