Cohen v. Marshall

1 Misc. 3d 867, 767 N.Y.S.2d 195, 2003 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 1380
CourtCivil Court of the City of New York
DecidedSeptember 25, 2003
StatusPublished

This text of 1 Misc. 3d 867 (Cohen v. Marshall) 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
Cohen v. Marshall, 1 Misc. 3d 867, 767 N.Y.S.2d 195, 2003 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 1380 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 2003).

Opinion

[868]*868OPINION OF THE COURT

Lucy Billings, J.

Plaintiffs move to modify the court’s decision and judgment dated March 28, 2003. The order awarded defendant Ned Marshall, Inc., the undisputed purchase price and value of an Aubusson rug, $9,450; defendant’s commission of 35% of the purchase price for procuring the rug, $3,307.50; and 'a charge of $117 for shipping the rug: a total of $12,874.50. (Decision and judgment at 30-31 [Mar. 28, 2003].) Plaintiffs now claim defendant Ned Marshall’s testimony that the rug was delivered to plaintiffs, on which the court based its conclusion that defendant corporation was entitled to payment, was perjufed, requiring vacatur of the award. (CPLR 5015 [a] [3].)

I. Prior Proceedings

In their answer, defendants counterclaimed that plaintiffs had “failed ... to make payment in full for .] . . items purchased on Plaintiffs behalf’ (verified answer and counterclaims 1i 14); “refused to pay for . . . furnishings ordered at Plaintiffs’ specific request and purchased by defendant” (id. 1Í 25); and “been unjustly enriched by accepting the ¡benefits of defendant ned marshall, inc.’s work, labor, services and goods without compensating Defendant.” (Id. 1Í 27.) These allegations encompass a claim for the balance owed on merchandise delivered by defendants to plaintiffs and retained b^ them. At trial, defendants specified that these claims included the value of a Chinese Aubusson flat woven rug from Stark Carpet Corporation.

Plaintiffs protest that defendants never articulated a claim for the value of the rug in response to disclosure requests, but fail to point to any requests that called for such disclosure. Plaintiffs’ request for production of documents dated April 26, 2000 simply sought documents related to “services, work, labor and goods allegedly provided by defendants to plaintiffs” (example 3, 1i 2); “demands for payment made by defendants to plaintiffs” (id. H 3); “services, work, labor and goods allegedly provided by any person to defendants or plaintiffs concerning the plaintiffs and their orders for goods and services’’ (id. 11 6); “communications between defendants and other persons concerning the goods and services allegedly ordered by plaintiffs” (id. 1Í 7); “communications with plaintiffs” (id. 1Í 8); and “allegations set forth in the . . . Counterclaims.” (Id. 1i 9.) If defendants’ responses were deficient, plaintiffs’ remedy was, if the deficiency was revealed before trial, to move to compel a [869]*869complete response or, if the deficiency was not apparent until trial, to move then to preclude evidence of the claim for the rug’s value. In fact, at trial, a document relating to defendants’ claim for the rug’s value was admitted in evidence. (Example 40.) If defendants failed to produce this document in response to plaintiffs’ document request, plaintiffs could have objected to it, but they did not; in fact, they introduced it. (Transcript of proceedings at 76-78 [Mar. 6, 2002].)

At trial, defendant Marshall testified that he selected the rug from Stark Carpet, which delivered the rug to plaintiffs’ home January 31, 2001, on a trial basis, for plaintiffs’ approval, as agreed by the parties. (Transcript at 17-18 [Feb. 21, 2002]; at 79 [Mar. 6, 2002]; decision and judgment at 30.) Plaintiffs neither returned the rug nor made any payment for the rug to defendants or to Stark Carpet, thus assuming control and exercising ownership rights, to the exclusion of defendants’ control of ownership, over property that defendant Ned Marshall, Inc., had procured and was obligated to pay for. (Transcript at 17-18 [Feb. 21, 2002]; at 75-76, 82-83 [Mar. 6, 2002]; decision and judgment at 30; UCC 2-606 [1] [b], [c]; Vigilant Ins. Co. of Am. v Housing Auth. of City of El Paso, Tex., 87 NY2d 36, 44 [1995]; Hunt Co. v S & R Coachworks, 215 AD2d 361, 362 [2d Dept 1995].) Therefore the court held plaintiffs liable to defendant Ned Marshall, Inc., for the price of the rug, defendant’s commission, and the shipping charge: $12,874.50 in total. (Decision and judgment at 30-31.)

Plaintiffs protest further that Marshall’s testimony concerning the rug’s delivery was hearsay, based on his conversations with a Stark Carpet representative, and uncorroborated by documentary evidence or otherwise. Yet at trial, plaintiffs had ample opportunity to object to this testimony, to seek to discredit it, and to offer their own evidence on this issue, but neglected to do so. That opportunity does not extend after the trial has concluded.

II. Plaintiffs’ Current Motion

Nevertheless, plaintiffs now present the evidence they neglected to offer at trial: that Stark Carpet never delivered the Aubusson rug to plaintiffs. Plaintiffs provide no explanation, however, why they did not present this evidence at trial. They do not establish that the evidence was unavailable at the time of the trial or within the 15 days permitted for posttrial motions under CPLR 4404 and could not have been located with due diligence before the trial. (CPLR 5015 [a] [2]; Weinstock v Handler, [870]*870251 AD2d 184 [1st Dept 1998]; Olwine, Connelly, Chase, O’Donnell & Weyher v Valsan, Inc., 226 AD2d 102, 103 [1st Dept 1996].) Since this new evidence consists of the testimony of plaintiff Robert Cohen, who was present throughout the trial, and Stark Carpet representative Michael Blechner, plaintiffs surely would have known about or had the opportunity to discover their version of the facts and been able to present this evidence as rebuttal to Marshall’s testimony. (Weinsiock v Handler, 251 AD2d 184 [1998]; see Olwine, Connelly, Chase, O’Donnell & Weyher v Valsan, Inc., 226 AD2d at 103; Gonzalez v Chalpin, 233 AD2d 367, 368 [2d Dept 1996].)

Plaintiffs urge that the testimony of Cohen and Blechner is not just newly discovered evidence that would change the result and therefore be required to have been unavailable ¡previously. (CPLR 5015 [a] [2].) Plaintiffs urge that the testimoriy of Cohen and Blechner establishes that Marshall’s testimony was perjured, thus permitting vacatur under CPLR 5015 (a) (3), for “fraud, misrepresentation, or other misconduct of kn adverse party,” without a requirement that the evidence of perjury have been unavailable previously.

Plaintiffs do not claim a fraud that deprived plainti¡ffs of a full trial. (See Matter of Burgos v Burgos, 304 AD2d 475 [1st Dept 2003].) Plaintiffs had a full opportunity to object to Marshall’s testimony, undermine his credibility through cross-examination, and squarely contradict his testimony through the testimony of plaintiff Nanette Koryn, who testified extensively, Robert Cohen, and Stark Carpet personnel.

Instead, plaintiffs claim conduct that injected fraud into the trial. To claim that any evidence which was not introduced at trial, but which casts doubt on or even squarely contradicts evidence which was introduced and produced the result sought to be vacated, establishes “fraud” under CPLR 5015 (a)! (3) would obliterate any distinction between section 5015 (a) (3) and section 5015 (a) (2) and the requirement under section 5015 (a) (2) that the evidence be newly discovered. Any evidence that is presented in support of vacatur under section 5015 (q) (2) and hence would change the result at trial will inevitably be contradictory to the evidence that supported the original result.

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Related

Vigilant Insurance of America v. Housing Authority of El Paso
660 N.E.2d 1121 (New York Court of Appeals, 1995)
Greenwich Savings Bank v. JAJ Carpet Mart, Inc.
126 A.D.2d 451 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 1987)
H & Y Realty Co. v. Baron
193 A.D.2d 429 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 1993)
Jackson v. Kessner
206 A.D.2d 123 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 1994)
Richard B. v. Sandra B. B.
209 A.D.2d 139 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 1995)
Robert Hunt Co. v. S & R Coachworks, Inc.
215 A.D.2d 361 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 1995)
Olwine, Connelly, Chase, O'Donnell & Weyher v. Valsan, Inc.
226 A.D.2d 102 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 1996)
Gonzalez v. Chalpin
233 A.D.2d 367 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 1996)
Weinstock v. Handler
251 A.D.2d 184 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 1998)
Burgos v. Burgos
304 A.D.2d 475 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 2003)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
1 Misc. 3d 867, 767 N.Y.S.2d 195, 2003 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 1380, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/cohen-v-marshall-nycivct-2003.