Broome v. Citibank, N. A.

166 Misc. 2d 283, 632 N.Y.S.2d 410, 1995 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 444
CourtCivil Court of the City of New York
DecidedAugust 22, 1995
StatusPublished

This text of 166 Misc. 2d 283 (Broome v. Citibank, N. A.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Civil Court of the City of New York primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Broome v. Citibank, N. A., 166 Misc. 2d 283, 632 N.Y.S.2d 410, 1995 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 444 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 1995).

Opinion

[284]*284OPINION OF THE COURT

Anthony V. Gazzara, J.

The parties have agreed to have this matter determined on the stipulated set of facts as set forth below.

STIPULATED SET OF FACTS

On August 23, 1990, a judgment was obtained by Bernard L. Broome (plaintiff) against Barton Fleishman (Fleishman) and Gerald Ottinger (Ottinger) in the New York City Civil Court, Queens County under index number 12930/90 in the sum of $3,022.98.

On May 1, 1991, Ottinger filed a petition in bankruptcy in the United States District Court in Boston, Massachusetts, under file number 91-13708.

The plaintiff was never listed as a creditor of Ottinger in his petition in bankruptcy. Defendant Citibank was unaware of who was, or who was not, listed as a creditor.

Ottinger was discharged in the bankruptcy proceeding on September 25, 1991.

On September 30, 1991, Ottinger made a deposit in the amount of $5,500 in account number 62076254 at defendant Citibank, N. A. This was almost five months after his petition in bankruptcy was filed.

On October 2, 1991, the defendant received a restraining notice from Broome.

Between October 3, 1991 and October 16, 1991, the following deposits were made in Ottinger’s account: $1,273.10; $1,273.10; $2,937.62; $2,546.20; and $1,273.10. Between October 18, 1991 and November 5, 1991, five deposits were made which totalled $22,910.06. From November 20, 1991 through December 13, 1991 an additional $9,035 was deposited.

On October 9, 1991, defendant submitted an affidavit which set forth that it had on its books an account for Ottinger with a credit balance in excess of $3,220.98.

On October 21, 1991, the defendant became aware of the petition in bankruptcy after receiving a telephone call from its customer, Ottinger.

A follow-up copy of the petition in bankruptcy, which had been filed on May 1, 1991, was received by the defendant.

The defendant never forwarded deposits made after September of 1991 from this account to the United States trustee in [285]*285bankruptcy. After the restraining order was received by defendant, monies in excess of $3,700 were released from the account by defendant to or on behalf of Ottinger.

The defendant never forwarded monies from this account to the United States trustee.

Defendant was never advised that the plaintiff was a creditor of Ottinger in his petition in bankruptcy.

On January 3, 1992, an execution with notice to the garnishee was prepared by the plaintiff.

On January 8, 1992, the New York City Marshall, Kenneth Brand, served the execution with notice to the garnishee upon the defendant.

Although the defendant had the income execution in its possession and there were funds in the account, defendant never released the funds to the Marshall.

The defendant, when served with the execution with notice to the garnishee, advised the Marshall that because a bankruptcy petition had been filed, the income execution was not honored.

When the restraining notice was served in October, the monies were in the account solely in the name of Gerald Ottinger. When the defendant bank was advised that there was a bankruptcy proceeding they released the restraint. Once the restraint was released, Ottinger added another party to the account and the account became a joint account. The funds which were then in the account were subsequently turned over to Ottinger and/or the other party that had been named to the account subsequent to the filing of the restraining notice.

The plaintiff never gave authorization to the defendant to release the funds held pursuant to the restraining notice.

The defendant never advised plaintiff that they had released the funds that were being held pursuant to the restraining notice.

parties’ contentions

The plaintiff contends that, since he was not listed in the petition in bankruptcy as a creditor of Gerald Ottinger, his debt was never discharged and the defendant bank should have honored the restraining notice filed by the plaintiff. The only exception to this rule would have been had these monies been sent to the United States trustee in bankruptcy. Since such monies were not forwarded to the trustee in bankruptcy, the restraining notice should have been honored and the monies [286]*286turned over to the plaintiff when the execution with notice to the garnishee was submitted by the New York City Marshall. Since the restraining notice was never vacated, the defendant bank should have honored the execution with notice to the garnishee.

The defendant contends that, once it was notified that there was a petition in bankruptcy filed by Ottinger, it properly released the restraint on the account because of the operation of section 362 of the 1978 Bankruptcy Code (11 USC).

CONCLUSIONS OF LAW

Initially, this court notes that, although requested to do so by the court, neither party has submitted a memorandum of law. Further, the information provided with respect to the bankruptcy proceeding is extremely limited.

In any event, based upon consideration of the stipulated facts, this court finds in favor of the plaintiff in the sum of $3,022.98.

As stated in Aspen Indus. v Marine Midland Bank (52 NY2d 575, 579): "Among the various enforcement devices available to a judgment creditor under CPLR article 52 is the restraining notice. A party served with such a notice 'is forbidden to make or suffer any sale, assignment, transfer or interference with any [of the judgment debtor’s] property * * * to any person other than the sheriff, except upon direction of the sheriff or pursuant to an order of the court’. (CPLR 5222, subd [b].) Thus, the restraining notice serves as a type of injunction prohibiting the transfer of the judgment debtor’s property. This notice may be served on either the judgment debtor himself or, as in the present case, upon a third-party 'garnishee’ — a person who owes a debt to the judgment debtor or who is in possession of property in which the judgment debtor has an interest. (CPLR 105, subd [i].) When served upon a garnishee, the injunctive effect of the restraining notice continues for one year or until such time as the judgment is satisfied or vacated, whichever occurs first, and extends to property both 'then in and thereafter coming into possession or custody’ of the garnishee. (CPLR 5222, subd [b]; see, generally, Siegel, New York Practice, § 508.)”

The Court of Appeals noted further therein (Aspen Indus. v Marine Midland Bank, at 580, supra) that: "However, violation of the restraining notice by the party served is punishable by contempt (CPLR 5222, subd [a]; 5251) and subjects the garnishee to personal liability in a separate plenary action or [287]*287a special proceeding under CPLR article 52 brought by the aggrieved judgment creditor. (See, e.g., Nardone v Long Is. Trust Co., 40 AD2d 697; Mazzuka v Bank of North Amer., 53 Misc 2d 1053; Matter of Sumitomo Shoji N. Y. v Chemical Bank N. Y. Trust Co., 47 Misc 2d 741, affd 25 AD2d 499.)”

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Aspen Industries, Inc. v. Marine Midland Bank
421 N.E.2d 808 (New York Court of Appeals, 1981)
In re Keogh
25 A.D.2d 499 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 1965)
Nardone v. Long Island Trust Co.
40 A.D.2d 697 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 1972)
Sumitomo Shoji New York, Inc. v. Chemical Bank New York Trust Co.
47 Misc. 2d 741 (New York Supreme Court, 1965)
Mazzuka v. Bank of North America
53 Misc. 2d 1053 (Civil Court of the City of New York, 1967)
Medi-Physics, Inc. v. Community Hospital of Rockland County
105 Misc. 2d 574 (New York County Courts, 1980)
Maguire v. Puente
120 Misc. 2d 871 (New York Supreme Court, 1983)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
166 Misc. 2d 283, 632 N.Y.S.2d 410, 1995 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 444, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/broome-v-citibank-n-a-nycivct-1995.