Vacating a default, and compelling defendant to accept a late answer.

Practice point: The court denied that branch of plaintiff's motion which was for leave to enter a judgment against defendant, upon its default in appearing or answering, and in granting defendant’s cross-motion to vacate  its default and to compel plaintiff to accept its late answer. While defendant had promptly sought an extension of time to answer, plaintiff ignored this request and instead moved for leave to enter a judgment against defendant. Thereafter, less than two months after its time to answer had expired, defendant served an answer. The court found that defendant acted diligently and never intended to abandon its defense or counterclaim.

Student note: In light of the lack of prejudice to plaintiff resulting from the short delay in serving an answer, the lack of willfulness on the defendant’s part, the existence of a potentially meritorious defense, and the public policy favoring the resolution of cases on the merits, that branch of plaintiff's motion which was for leave to enter judgment on the issue of liability against defendant was providently denied, pursuant to CPLR 2004. Defendant's cross motion to compel plaintiff to accept its late answer was providently granted, pursuant to CPLR 3012 [d].

Case: Arias v. First Presbyt. Church in Jamaica, NY Slip 05606 (2d Dept. 2012).

Here is the decision. 

Tomorrow’s issue: Discovery, and medical condition.

Employment discrimination based on disability.

Practice point: To state a prima facie case, a plaintiff must demonstrate that he or she suffered from a disability and that the disability caused the behavior for which he or she was terminated. Once a plaintiff establishes a prima facie case, the burden shifts to the employer, to show that the disability prevented plaintiff from performing the duties of the job in a reasonable manner, or that the employee's termination was motivated by a legitimate nondiscriminatory reason.

Student note: A reasonable accommodation is an action which permits an employee with a disability to perform in a reasonable manner the activities involved in the job or occupation sought or held,  provided, however, that such actions do not impose an undue hardship on the business, pursuant to Executive Law § 292 [21-e]. Under the City's Human Rights Law, an employer shall make reasonable accommodation to enable a person with a disability to satisfy the essential requisites of a job, pursuant to Administrative Code § 8-107 [15][a]. An employer is not required to find another job for the employee, create a new job, or create a light-duty version of the current job.

Case: Jacobsen v. New York City Health and Hosps. Corp., NY Slip Op 05478 (1st Dept. 2012).

Here is the decision.

Tomorrow’s issue: Vacating a default, and compelling defendant to accept a late answer.

Defective products.

Practice point: A manufacturer may be held liable when its product contains a manufacturing flaw, is defectively designed or is not accompanied by adequate warnings for the use of the product. A defectively designed product is one that is in a condition not reasonably contemplated by the ultimate consumer and is unreasonably dangerous for its intended use.

Student note: To recover for injuries caused by a defective product, the defect must have been a substantial factor in causing the injury, and the product must have been used for the purpose and in the manner normally intended or in a manner reasonably foreseeable.

Case: Hartnett v. Chanel, Inc., NY Slip Op 05477 (1st Dept. 2012).

Here is the decision.

Tomorrow’s issue: Employment discrimination based on disability.

Making out a defamation claim.

Practice point: Since falsity is a necessary element of the cause of action, and only facts are capable of being proven false, only statements alleging facts can properly be the subject of a defamation action.

Student note: In distinguishing between facts and opinion, the court must consider (1) whether the specific language has a precise meaning that is readily understood; (2) whether the statements are capable of being proven true or false; and (3) whether the context in which the statement appears signals to readers that the statement is likely to be opinion, not fact. The dispositive inquiry is whether a reasonable reader could have concluded that the statements were conveying facts about the plaintiff.

Case: Russell v. Davies, NY Slip Op 05507 (2d Dept. 2012).

Here is the decision.

Monday’s issue: Defective products.

Disclosing a cause of action as an asset in a bankruptcy proceeding.

Practice point: The failure to disclose a cause of action as an asset in a prior bankruptcy proceeding, when the party knew or should have known it existed at the time of that proceeding, deprives that party of the legal capacity to sue subsequently on that cause of action.

Student note: The fact that the bankruptcy petition was later dismissed does not change this result.

Case: Potruch & Daab, LLC v. Abraham, NY Slip Op 05505 (2d Dept. 2012).

Here is the decision.

Tomorrow’s issue: Making out a defamation claim.

Avoiding dismissal for failure to proceed.

Practice point: CPLR 3216 does not require, but merely authorizes, the Supreme Court to dismiss a plaintiff's action based on an unreasonable neglect to proceed. Although the statute prohibits the Supreme Court from dismissing a complaint based on failure to prosecute whenever a plaintiff has shown a justifiable excuse for the delay and the existence of a potentially meritorious cause of action, such a dual showing is not strictly necessary in order for a plaintiff to escape dismissal.

Student note: Plaintiff’s failure to meet the deadline for filing the note of issue was excused  because there was only a three-day delay in filing, and the excuse of law office failure was reasonable. In addition, the defendants did not claim any prejudice, and there was no evidence of a pattern of persistent neglect and delay in prosecuting the action or of any intent to abandon the action.

Case: Gordon v. Ratner, NY Slip Op 05497 (2d Dept. 2012).

Here is the decision.

Tomorrow’s issue: Disclosing a cause of action as an asset in a bankruptcy proceeding.

Correcting a mistake in assembling a pleading.

Practice point: The Supreme Court properly considered the defendant’s motion for summary judgment on the merits. In his initial moving papers, rather than annexing his answer as an exhibit, he inadvertently annexed the answer of one of the codefendants. This problem was rectified in the reply affirmation of his counsel, who annexed a copy of the correct pleading as an exhibit.

Student note: While CPLR 3212(b) requires that motions for summary judgment be supported by a copy of the pleadings, CPLR 2001 permits a court, at any stage of an action, to disregard a party's mistake, omission, defect, or irregularity if a substantial right of a party is not prejudiced. Here, no substantial right of the plaintiff was prejudiced by the corrective inclusion of a copy of  the defendant’s answer with his reply affirmation, and the Supreme Court properly exercised its discretion to consider the motion in its merits.

Case:  Avalon Gardens Rehabilitation & Health Care Ctr., LLC v. Morsello, NY Slip Op 05485 (2d Dept. 2012).

Here is the decision.

Tomorrow’s issue: Avoiding dismissal for failure to proceed.

Newly-discovered evidence.

Practice point: Pursuant to CPLR 4404(b), after a trial not triable as of right by a jury, upon the motion of any party or on its own initiative, the court may set aside its decision and issue a new decision based newly-discovered evidence. Pursuant to CPLR 5015(a), the court which rendered a judgment or order may relieve a party from it upon such terms as may be just, on motion of any interested person with such notice as the court may direct, upon the ground of, among other things, newly-discovered evidence which, if introduced at the trial, would probably have produced a different result and which could not have been discovered in time to move for a new trial under section 4404.

Student note: In order for such relief under CPLR 4404(b) or 5015(a)(2), the movant must show that it could not have previously discovered the evidence, and the new evidence must be in admissible form.

Case: Da Silva v. Savo, NY Slip Op 05383 (2d Dept. 2012).

Here is the decision.

Tomorrow’s issue: Correcting a mistake in assembling a pleading.

An account stated.

Practice point: There was no prima facie showing of entitlement to judgment as a matter of law because the plaintiff did not submit sufficient evidence to establish that the defendant retained the account statements without objecting to them within a reasonable period of time. While an employee who reviewed the plaintiff's records stated by affidavit that the credit card statements were mailed to the defendant on a monthly basis, she failed to aver that the defendant retained these statements for a reasonable period of time without objecting to them. The plaintiff also submitted three checks as evidence of partial payments on the account statements. Two of these checks, however, were for payment of the full amount owed on the account at the time and predated the disputed charges. The third check, in the sum of $300, only reflected a small proportion of the debt owed at the time, approximately $19,000, and, by itself, did not create an inference of assent.

Student note: An account stated is an agreement between parties to an account based upon prior transactions between them with respect to the correctness of the account items and balance due. The agreement may be implied where a defendant retains bills without objecting to them within a reasonable period of time, or makes partial payment on the account.

Case: Citibank v. Brown-Serulovic, NY Slip Op 05381 (2d Dept. 2012).

Here is the decision.

Monday’s issue: Newly-discovered evidence.

Motion for a joint trial.

Practice point: Where common questions of law or fact exist, the motion, pursuant to CPLR 602(a), should be granted absent a showing of prejudice to a substantial right of the party opposing the motion.

Student note: Mere delay is not a sufficient basis to justify the denial of the motion.

Case: Alzio v. Feldman, NY Slip Op 05378 (2d Dept. 2012).

Here is the decision.

Tomorrow’s issue: An account stated.

Defamation.

Practice point: There is no cause of action relying on statements contained in affidavits submitted in opposition to plaintiffs' preliminary injunction motion, because those statements are protected by both the judicial proceedings and fair report privileges.

Student note: It is not a fatal defect that the an allegation does not specify which of the defendants made the statements.

Case: Fletcher v. Dakota, Inc., NY Slip Op 05338 (1st Dept. 2012).

Here is the decision.

Tomorrow’s issue: Motion for a joint trial.