theCPLRblog

(Restored): 202.21 and 202.27. A peculiar set of facts.

22 NYCRR 202.21 Note of issue and certificate of readiness

22 NYCRR 202.27 Defaults

Soo Ji Kim v Seney, 2012 NY Slip Op 00774 (2nd Dept., 2012)

On January 25, 2010, the Supreme Court struck the action from the trial calendar after the plaintiff appeared for the calendar call but was not ready for trial. There was no order vacating the note of issue pursuant to 22 NYCRR 202.21(e). Accordingly, contrary to the defendant's contention, in moving to restore the action to the trial calendar, the plaintiff was not required to submit a certificate of readiness or show that the case was ready for trial (see 22 NYCRR 202.21[f]; Ross v Brookdale Univ. Hosp. & Med. Ctr., 54 AD3d 370, 371). Furthermore, since the plaintiff moved to restore the action to the trial calendar within one year of the date it was stricken, restoration was automatic (see CPLR 3404; Ross v Brookdale Univ. Hosp. & Med. Ctr., 54 AD3d at 371; Kohn v Citigroup, Inc., 29 AD3d 530, 532; Basetti v Nour, 287 AD2d 126, 133-134).

Moreover, after the matter was stricken from the trial calendar, there was no order [*2]dismissing the action pursuant to 22 NYCRR 202.27 (see Mitskevitch v City of New York, 78 AD3d 1137, 1138; Casavecchia v Mizrahi, 62 AD3d 741, 742; Burdick v Marcus, 17 AD3d 388). Accordingly, the plaintiff's motion to reinstate the note of issue should have been granted, and, upon renewal and reargument, the plaintiff's motion to restore the action to the trial calendar should have been granted.

NYCRR 202.27; 22 NYCRR 202.21

22 NYCRR 202.27 Defaults

22 NYCRR 202.21 Note of issue and certificate of readiness

Donnelly v Treeline Cos., 66 AD3d 563 (App. Div., 1st, 2009)

A motion to vacate a dismissal for failure to appear at a scheduled court conference (22 NYCRR 202.27) is governed by CPLR 5015. Such a motion must be made within one year of service of a copy of the dismissal order with notice of entry, and be supported by a showing of reasonable excuse for the failure to attend the conference and a meritorious cause of action. Where the dismissal order has never been served with notice of entry, there is no time limit on making a motion to vacate the dismissal, and any alleged prejudice caused by postdismissal delay, short of laches, is not a consideration (Acevedo v Navarro, 22 AD3d 391 [2005]).

Plaintiff demonstrates both a reasonable excuse and the existence of a meritorious cause of action. The fact that none of the parties appeared for the scheduled court conference in July 2002 indicates that plaintiff's default was reasonable and likely attributable to the court's failure [*2]to notify everyone about the conference, whose date is not found in any prior conference order. Plaintiff's former attorney averred that his office was never notified of the conference or informed of the dismissal. Lack of receipt of notice can be a valid excuse for failure to appear at a conference (see Latha Rest. Corp. v Tower Ins. Co., 285 AD2d 437 [2001]).

Plaintiff has also established a meritorious cause of action. Indeed, on a prior appeal in 2004 (13 AD3d 143 [2004]), we affirmed the existence of numerous triable issues of fact concerning the liability of defendants Treeline and Commercial, and also of third-party defendant Republic.

Defendants contend that plaintiff's delay in moving to vacate the section 202.27 dismissal amounted to laches. While defendants were not apparently prejudiced in the two years immediately after the dismissal, during which they continued actively litigating, the case did thereafter remain inactive for a three-year period until plaintiff's motion to vacate the dismissal in 2007. This delay, though lengthy, was not unreasonable. In any event, defendants have not alleged prejudice from this delay, other than in conclusory fashion.

Figueroa v Sanchez, 2009 NY Slip Op 08881 (App. Div., 1st, 2009)

Due to his incarceration, plaintiff defaulted by failing to appear at a preliminary conference (22 NYCRR 202.27). The only remedy for plaintiff's default in these circumstances is not an appeal, but rather a motion in Supreme Court to vacate the default (see Campos v New York City Health & Hosps. Corp., 307 AD2d 785, 786 [2003]). In the present posture of the case, there is no appealable order for this Court to review. Finally, we note that plaintiff claims that he made numerous attempts to communicate with the court about his appearances that were not addressed.

Gaskin v Ilowitz, 2010 NY Slip Op 00097 (App. Div., 2nd, 2010)

The plaintiff's certificate of readiness incorrectly stated that the bill of particulars, physical examinations, exchange of medical reports, and any discovery proceedings known to be necessary were waived. In addition, it falsely declared that preliminary proceedings had been completed and that the case was ready for trial. Because of these misstatements of material facts, that branch of the defendant's motion which was to vacate the note of issue was properly granted (Brown v Astoria Fed. Sav., 51 AD3d 961, 962; see 22 NYCRR 202.21[e]; Gregory v Ford Motor Credit Co., 298 AD2d 496, 497; Spilky v TRW, Inc., 225 AD2d 539, 540).

Ferraro v North Babylon Union Free School Dist., 2010 NY Slip Op 00095 (App. Div., 2nd, 2010)

A motion for vacatur of the note of issue and certificate of readiness made more than 20 days after their filing will be granted only where "a material fact in the certificate of readiness is incorrect" or upon "good cause shown" (22 NYCRR 202.21[e]). To satisfy the requirement of "good cause," the party seeking vacatur must "demonstrate that unusual or unanticipated circumstances developed subsequent to the filing of the note of issue and certificate of readiness requiring additional pretrial proceedings to prevent substantial prejudice" (White v Mazella-White, 60 AD3d 1047, 1049, quoting Utica Mut. Ins. Co. v P.M.A. Corp., 34 AD3d 793, 794). Here, the plaintiffs neither proffered an excuse for their delay (id. at 794), nor "demonstrate[d] . . . unusual or unanticipated circumstances" (White v Mazella-White, 60 AD3d at 1049). Accordingly, the court properly denied that branch of the plaintiffs' cross motion which was to vacate the note of issue and certificate of readiness.

Singh v City of New York, 2009 NY Slip Op 09646 (App. Div., 2nd, 2009)

[T]hat branch of the defendants' motion which, in effect, was to compel the plaintiffs to respond to additional discovery demands regarding the immigration status of the plaintiff Harminder Singh is denied. While the Supreme Court may, in its discretion, grant permission to conduct additional discovery after the filing of a note of issue and certificate of readiness where the moving party demonstrates that "unusual or unanticipated circumstances" developed subsequent to the filing which require additional pretrial proceedings to prevent substantial prejudice (see 22 NYCRR 202.21[d]; Audiovox Corp. v Benyamini, 265 AD2d 135, 138; Futersak v Brinen, 265 AD2d 452), here, the defendants failed to establish any such unusual or unanticipated circumstances that would warrant the additional post-note-of-issue discovery they sought (see 22 NYCRR 202.21[d]; Audiovox Corp. v Benyamini, 265 AD2d 135; Futersak v Brinen, 265 AD2d 452). The defendants also failed to establish that the denial of their request would cause them actual, substantial prejudice (see Audiovox Corp. v Benyamini, 265 AD2d at 139).

The bold is mine.

22 NYCRR 202.27 requires CPLR R. 5015 analysis.

22 NYCRR 202.27 Defaults

At any scheduled call of a calendar or at any conference, if all parties do not appear and proceed or announce their readiness to proceed immediately or subject to the engagement of counsel, the judge may note the default on the record and enter an order as follows:

(b) If the defendant appears but the plaintiff does not, the judge may dismiss the action and may order a severance of counterclaims or cross-claims.

Brown v Vanchieri, 2009 NY Slip Op 05942 (App. Div., 2nd, 2009)

Where, as here, an action on the trial calendar is dismissed pursuant to 22 NYCRR 202.27(b), the dismissal of the action may be vacated, and the action restored to the trial calendar, only if the plaintiff can demonstrate both a reasonable excuse for the default and a meritorious cause of action (see CPLR 5015[a][1]; Santiago v Santana, 54 AD3d 929, 930; Cazeau v Paul, 2 AD3d 477). Under all of the circumstances, including the plaintiff's failure to provide a reasonable excuse for his lengthy delay in moving for that relief, the Supreme Court providently exercised its discretion in denying the plaintiff's motion (see Seven Acre Wood St. Assoc. v Wood, 286 AD2d 432; Piacentini v Mineola Union Free School Dist., 267 AD2d 290, 291; cf. Matter of Putnam County Natl. Bank v JP Morgan Chase Bank, N.A., 57 AD3d 677, 678; Malik v Noe, 54 AD3d 733, 734).

The bold is mine.

22 NYCRR 202.27; Adjournments

22 NYCRR 202.27 Defaults

At any scheduled call of a calendar or at any conference, if all parties do not appear and proceed or announce their readiness to proceed immediately or subject to the engagement of counsel, the judge may note the default on the record and enter an order as follows:

(a) If the plaintiff appears but the defendant does not, the judge may grant judgment by default or order an inquest.

(b) If the defendant appears but the plaintiff does not, the judge may dismiss the action and may order a severance of counterclaims or cross-claims.

(c) If no party appears, the judge may make such order as appears just.

Vorontsova v Priolo, 2009 NY Slip Op 03053 (App. Div., 1st, 2009)

Order, Supreme Court, New York County (Sheila Abdus-Salaam, J.), entered February 13, 2008, which, in an action for medical malpractice, denied plaintiff's motion to vacate the court's dismissal of the action due to plaintiff's failure to proceed to trial, unanimously reversed, on the law and the facts, without costs, the motion granted, and the action restored to the trial calendar.

The court improvidently exercised its discretion in sua sponte dismissing the action for failure to proceed to trial rather than marking it off the trial calendar. The record shows that defendants had not moved for dismissal of the action, that this was the first time plaintiff had sought an adjournment, which the parties had agreed to due to the unavailability of plaintiff's expert, and that both parties appeared at the calendar call although plaintiff's counsel had to temporarily leave to tend to another matter (see 22 NYCRR 202.27; Danne v Otis El. Corp., 31 AD3d 599 [2006]; Rodriguez v Pisa Caterers, 146 AD2d 686 [1989]). Furthermore, in seeking restoration, plaintiff sufficiently demonstrated both a reasonable excuse and a meritorious cause of action (CPLR 5015[a]).

The bold is mine