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THE NOTICE TO ADMIT SOUGHT CONCESSIONS THAT WENT TO THE ESSENCE OF THE CONTROVERSY AND THEREFORE WAS PALPABLY IMPROPER (SECOND DEPT).

The Second Department, reversing Supreme Court, determined the notice to admit in this breach of contract action was palpably improper:

CPLR 3123(a) authorizes the service of a notice to admit upon a party, and provides that if a timely response thereto is not served, the contents of the notice are deemed admitted … . However, the purpose of a notice to admit is only to eliminate from contention those matters which are not in dispute in the litigation and which may be readily disposed of … . A notice to admit is not to be employed to obtain information in lieu of other disclosure devices, or to compel admissions of fundamental and material issues or contested ultimate fact … .

… [T]he notice to admit at issue sought concessions that go to the essence of the controversy … . Thus, the … defendants could not have reasonably believed that the admissions they sought were not in substantial dispute … , and the notice to admit was palpably improper … . Moreover, the information sought in the notice to admit may be obtained through discovery, including depositions … . American Bldrs. & Contrs. Supply Co., Inc. v Vinyl is Final, Inc., 2023 NY Slip Op 06346, Second Dept 12-13-24

Practice Point: A notice to admit which seeks concessions at the heart of the controversy is palpably improper and should be struck.

 

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IN THIS TRAFFIC ACCIDENT CASE, THE PASSENGER IN PLAINTIFF’S CAR EXECUTED A RELEASE IN FAVOR OF PLAINTIFF-DRIVER; DEFENDANT’S COUNTERCLAIM FOR CONTRIBUTION FROM PLAINTIFF FOR ANY INJURY SUFFERED BY THE PASSENGER SHOULD HAVE BEEN DISMISSED (SECOND DEPT).

The Second Department, reversing Supreme Court, determined the release executed by the passenger (Jelissa) in favor of the plaintiff-driver (Nicole) required the dismissal of the defendant’s counterclaim seeking contribution for any injuries suffered by Jelissa:

Pursuant to General Obligations Law § 15-108(b), “[a] release given in good faith by the injured person to one tortfeasor as provided in [General Obligations Law § 15-108(a)] relieves him [or her] from liability to any other person for contribution as provided in article fourteen of the civil practice law and rules.” Here, pursuant to General Obligations Law § 15-108(b), the release executed by Jelissa in favor of Nicole relieves Nicole from liability to the defendant for contribution … . Moraskin v Lati, 2023 NY Slip Op 06362, Second Dept 12-13-23

Practice Point: Here in this traffic accident case, the passenger in plaintiff’s car released plaintiff-driver from any liability. Therefore the defendant’s counterclaim against plaintiff for contribution for any injury to the passenger should have been dismissed.

 

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THE ATTORNEY FOR PLAINTIFF IN A PERSONAL INJURY ACTION WAS DISCHARGED WITHOUT CAUSE AFTER A SETTLEMENT HAD BEEN REACHED; THE ATTORNEY SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN AWARDED A JUDGMENT FOR THE CONTINGENCY FEE; RATHER THE ATTORNEY SHOULD HAVE BEEN AWARDED A CHARGING LIEN PURSUANT TO THE JUDICIARY LAW (SECOND DEPT).

The Second Department, reversing (modifying) Supreme Court, determined the attorney (Sparrow) who was discharged without cause after a settlement was reached in a personal injury action should have been awarded a charging lien, not a judgment against the former client (Messina):

“An attorney of record who is discharged without cause possesses a charging lien pursuant to Judiciary Law § 475 which constitutes an equitable ownership of the cause of action and attaches to any recovery” … . Thus, under Judiciary Law § 475, “the attorney who appears for a party has a lien upon his or her client’s cause of action, claim or counterclaim, which attaches to a verdict, report, determination, decision, award, settlement, judgment or final order in his or her client’s favor, and the proceeds thereof in whatever hands they may come; and the lien cannot be affected by any settlement between the parties before or after judgment, final order or determination.”

“Although the amount of a charging lien may be determined and fixed before the outcome of the case, the charging lien does not provide for an immediately enforceable judgment against all assets of the former clients” … . “Rather, the lien is security against a single asset of the client—a judgment or settlement reached in favor of the former client in the underlying matter” … .

Here, since Sparrow specifically sought to establish a charging lien pursuant to Judiciary Law § 475, plus a determination as to the amount of the charging lien, and since, at the time of the hearing, the action remained pending, and, therefore, Messina’s [the former client’s] cause of action had not resulted in an outcome in his favor (see id. § 475), the Supreme Court should not have entered a money judgment against Messina … . Messina v Wedderburn, 2023 NY Slip Op 06360, Second Dept 12-13-23

Practice Point: In a personal injury action where the attorney is to be paid a contingency fee, the attorney who has negotiated a settlement and was discharged without cause has the right to a charging lien, not a judgment, against the former client.

 

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THE COURTS CAN COMPEL (MANDAMUS) THE INDEPENDENT REDISTRICTING COMMISSION (IRC) TO DRAW THE LEGISLATIVE DISTRICTS; THE IRC IS ORDERED TO SUBMIT ITS REDISTRICTING PLAN BY FEBRUARY 28, 2024 (CT APP). ​

The Court of Appeals, affirming the Appellate Division, in a full-fledged opinion by Judge Wilson, over a three-judge dissenting opinion, determined the courts can compel (mandamus) the Independent Redistricting Commission (IRC) to draw the legislative districts. The opinion is far too comprehensive to fairly summarize:

In 2014, the voters of New York amended our Constitution to provide that legislative districts be drawn by an Independent Redistricting Commission (IRC). The Constitution demands that process, not districts drawn by courts. Nevertheless, the IRC failed to discharge its constitutional duty. That dereliction is undisputed. The Appellate Division concluded that the IRC can be compelled to reconvene to fulfill that duty; we agree. There is no reason the Constitution should be disregarded. Matter of Hoffmann v New York State Ind. Redistricting Commn., 2023 NY Slip Op 06344, CtApp 12-12-23

Practice Point: The courts have the power to compel the Independent Redistricting Commission (IRC) to submit a redistricting plan. The IRC was ordered to do so by February 28, 2024.

 

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THE STIPULATION OF SETTLEMENT INCORPORATED BUT NOT MERGED IN THE JUDGMENT OF DIVORCE WAS UNAMBIGUOUS AND PROVIDED EACH PARTY WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR THEIR OWN ATTORNEY’S FEES; IT WAS THEREFORE ERROR TO AWARD FATHER ATTORNEY’S FEES (THIRD DEPT).

The Third Department, reversing (modifying) Supreme Court, determined that the stipulation incorporated but not merged in to the judgment of divorce, which provided that each party was responsible for their own attorney’s fees, controlled. Therefore the award of attorney’s fees to father was error:

… [T]he parties executed a written stipulation of settlement containing the provision, “as and for a global resolution, each party shall be responsible for the payment of his and her respective attorney fees.”

“A stipulation of settlement that is incorporated but not merged into a judgment of divorce is a contract subject to principles of contract construction and interpretation” … . “Generally, where the parties have agreed to provisions in a settlement agreement which govern the award of attorney’s fees, the agreement’s provisions, rather than statutory provisions, control” … . If the contract is clear and unambiguous, it is to be interpreted so as to give effect to the parties’ intent and the intent is to be gleaned from within the four corners of the document … . Here, the fees awarded were as a result of the initial custody determination, and a review of the stipulation of settlement reveals no ambiguity as the agreement clearly provides that each party is to be responsible for his and her respective counsel fees and we must give its terms their plain meaning … . Moreover, in rendering its determination, Supreme Court did not reference the stipulation’s express provision that each parent shall be responsible for his and her counsel fees, thus, it erred in awarding the father counsel fees … . Daryl N. v Amy O., 2023 NY Slip Op 06286, Third Dept 12-7-23

Practice Point: A stipulation of settlement incorporated but not merged into a judgment of divorce is a contract which supersedes statutory provisions. The unambiguous provision in the stipulation that each party is responsible for their own attorney’s fees controls. Attorney’s fees should not have been awarded to father.

 

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ALTHOUGH VOLUNTARY PAYMENTS ON A DEFAULT JUDGMENT MAY WAIVE THE PERSONAL JURISDICTION DEFENSE TO THE FAILURE TO MOVE TO VACATE A DEFAULT JUDGMENT WITHIN A YEAR, HERE THE GARNISHMENT OF DEFENDANT’S WAGES FOR MORE THAN A YEAR DID NOT WAIVE THE DEFENSE (FIRST DEPT). ​

The First Department, reversing Supreme Court, determined defendant did not waive the personal jurisdiction defense (CPLR 5015(a)(4)) by waiting more that a year to move to vacate the default judgment, despite the garnishment of defendant’s wages during that time. Voluntary payments on a default judgment would have waived the defense, but not garnishment:

The proper approach for determining whether a defendant has waived the CPLR 5015(a)(4) personal jurisdiction defense involves the consideration of whether the defendant’s particular actions amount to “an intentional relinquishment of a known right” … , and results from the taking of some affirmative action evincing the intent to accept a judgment’s validity — such as the making of voluntary payments to satisfy a default judgment prior to moving to vacate … . The mere fact that a defendant, like defendant here, was subject to payments pursuant to a wage garnishment order for more than one year without taking some action is not, without more, a proper basis for finding waiver of the ability to seek relief under CPLR 5015(a)(4) … . Esgro Capital Mgt., LLC v Banks, 2023 NY Slip Op 06312, First Dept 12-7-23

Practice Practice: Making voluntary payments on a default judgment would waive a defendant’s personal-jurisdiction defense to the failure to move to vacate a default judgment within a year. But the garnishment of defendant’s wages for more than a year did not waive the defense.

 

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ALTHOUGH PLAINTIFFS DO NOT CONTEST THE APPEALS AND WILL NOT PURSUE THE LITIGATION, THE APPEALS ARE NOT MOOT BECAUSE THE ORDER MAY AFFECT RELATED ACTIONS AGAINST THE DEFENDANTS; THE SUMMARY JUDGMENT MOTION, BROUGHT BEFORE DEFENDANTS ANSWERED THE COMPLAINT, WAS PREMATURE (FIRST DEPT).

The First Department, reversing Supreme Court, determined (1) despite the fact that the plaintiffs indicated they do not contest the appeals and will not pursue the action which had been dismissed, the appeals are not moot because the dismissal may affect related actions against the defendants; and (2) the plaintiff’s summary judgment motion, brought before the defendants had answered the amended complaint, was premature:

While plaintiffs do not contest the appeals and have represented that they will not be pursuing the underlying litigation, this does not render defendants’ appeals moot. The mootness doctrine will deprive a court of the ability to review a case where a change in circumstances between the parties has eliminated the controversy that once existed … . However, an appeal is not moot where “the rights of the parties will be directly affected by the determination of the appeal and the interest of the parties is an immediate consequence of the judgment” … . Defendants have the right to appeal the order addressing the motion to dismiss because it may serve as unfavorable precedent in related cases that have been brought against them. Hutcher v Madison Sq. Garden Entertainment Corp., 2023 NY Slip Op 06314, First Dept 12-7-23

Practice Point: An appeal is not moot when it is not contested if the order appealed from could affect related actions against the appellants.

 

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PLAINTIFF’S MOTION TO AMEND THE NOTICE OF CLAIM TO ADD A VERIFICATION IN THIS WRONGFUL DEATH ACTION AGAINST THE CITY SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN DENIED (SECOND DEPT). ​

The Second Department, reversing Supreme Court, held that the plaintiff’s motion to amend the notice of claim in this wrongful death action against the defendant city should not have been denied:

“Where there is no showing of prejudice to a municipality, the fact that a notice of claim was not verified by a claimant may be disregarded” … . Here, the Supreme Court improvidently exercised its discretion in denying the plaintiff’s cross-motion pursuant to General Municipal Law § 50-e(6) for leave to amend the notice of claim to add a verification from the plaintiff’s attorney that the plaintiff lives in a different county than the attorney, as the City defendants failed to demonstrate that they would be prejudiced by the amendment … . Watts v Jamaica Hosp. Med. Ctr., 2023 NY Slip Op 06276, Second Dept 12-6-23

Practice Point: Where there is no prejudice to the municipality, the fact that a notice of claim was not verified can be disregarded.

 

THE DISMISSAL OF THE COMPLAINT DID NOT NULLIFY THE COUNTERCLAIMS (SECOND DEPT).

The Second Department, reversing (modifying) Supreme Court, determined that the dismissal of the complaint did not nullify the counterclaims for which discovery had been demanded:

… Supreme Court should not have denied, as academic, the [plaintiffs’] cross-motions pursuant to CPLR 3211(a)(7) to dismiss the counterclaims and to compel the defendants to comply with certain discovery demands. “A cause of action contained in a counterclaim . . . shall be treated, as far as practicable, as if it were contained in a complaint” (CPLR 3019[d] …). “Thus, dismissal of the . . . complaint did not, in itself, extinguish the [defendants’] counterclaims,” which were independent of the causes of action asserted in the complaint … . Banschick v Johnson, 2023 NY Slip Op 06231, Second Dept 12-6-23

Practice Point: Here the dismissal of the complaint should not have been deemed to render the counterclaims academic. Causes of action in counterclaims should be treated as if they were in a complaint.

 

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THE REPEAL OF THE EMERGENCY OR DISASTER TREATMENT PROTECTION ACT (EDTPA) DID NOT APPLY RETROACTIVELY; THEREFORE THE STATUTE CONFERRED IMMUNITY ON DEFENDANT NURSING HOME RE: COVID-19 PRECAUTIONS; PLAINTIFF DID NOT RAISE A QUESTION OF FACT ABOUT THE ADEQUACY OF THE COVID PRECAUTIONS TAKEN BY DEFENDANT NURSING HOME (THIRD DEPT).

The Third Department, reversing (modifying) Supreme Court, in a full-fledged opinion by Justice Ceresia, determined that the Emergency or Disaster Treatment Protection Act (EDTPA), which conferred immunity on nursing homes during the COVID-19 pandemic, precluded the COVID-related negligence action against defendant nursing home. The Third Department ruled that the repeal of the EDTPA should not be applied retroactively. Therefore the statute was in effect at the relevant time. The Third Department further held that the evidence of proper COVID-19 precautions offered by the nursing home was not refuted by the plaintiff:

… [T]he ultimate repeal of the EDTPA contained no express indicator of retroactivity — rather, the Legislature simply stated that the repeal would “take effect immediately” … . * * *

Turning to plaintiff’s argument that retroactivity is appropriate because the repeal was remedial in nature, “[c]lassifying a statute as ‘remedial’ does not automatically overcome the strong presumption of prospectivity since the term may broadly encompass any attempt to supply some defect or abridge some superfluity in the former law” … . Based upon all of the foregoing, and noting that the retroactive application of the repeal of the EDTPA would merely punish healthcare providers “for past conduct they cannot change — an objective [that has been] deemed illegitimate as a justification for retroactivity” … we hold that the repeal of the EDTPA was not retroactive … . Whitehead v Pine Haven Operating LLC, 2023 NY Slip Op 06180, Third Dept 11-30-23

Practice Point: The repeal of the Emergency or Disaster Treatment Protection Act (EDTPA) should not be applied retroactively to remove immunity related to COVID precautions conferred on a nursing home during the life of the statute.

 

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