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THE REFEREE’S REPORT WAS BASED UPON BUSINESS RECORDS WHICH WERE NOT PRODUCED; PROOF OF DEFENDANT’S DEFAULT WAS BASED UPON BUSINESS RECORDS FOR WHICH NO FOUNDATION WAS LAID; THE MOTION TO CONFIRM THE REFEREE’S REPORT SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN GRANTED (SECOND DEPT).

The Second Department, reversing Supreme Court, determined the referee’s report in this foreclosure action should not have been confirmed because the report was based upon business records which were not produced. In addition defendant’s default was based upon records for which no foundation was laid:

“The report of a referee should be confirmed whenever the findings are substantially supported by the record, and the record has clearly defined the issues and resolved matters of credibility” … . “However, computations based on the review of unidentified and unproduced business records . . . constitute[ ] inadmissible hearsay and lack[ ] probative value” … .

Here, the referee’s report was improperly premised upon unproduced business records.

… [P]laintiff’s submissions reflected that Chase was not the loan servicer at the time of the default, which allegedly occurred in 2008. Since Chase’s employee, Brunton, did not state that the records of any other relevant entity, such as a prior loan servicer or the plaintiff, were provided to Chase and incorporated into Chase’s own records, that Chase routinely relied upon such records in its business, or that he had personal knowledge of the business practices and procedures of any other relevant entity, Brunton failed to lay a proper foundation for the admission of any records reflecting the defendant’s alleged default in 2008 … . Citimortgage, Inc. v Hassanin, 2025 NY Slip Op 05935, Second Dept 10-29-25

Practice Point: Consult this decision for insight into the proof necessary to confirm a referee’s report in a foreclosure action, as well as the necessary foundation for business records created by a prior loan servicer.

 

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