D'Agostino v. Wheel Inn, Inc.

65 Misc. 2d 227, 317 N.Y.S.2d 472, 1970 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 1015
CourtNew York County Courts
DecidedDecember 29, 1970
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 65 Misc. 2d 227 (D'Agostino v. Wheel Inn, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New York County Courts primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
D'Agostino v. Wheel Inn, Inc., 65 Misc. 2d 227, 317 N.Y.S.2d 472, 1970 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 1015 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 1970).

Opinion

John A. G-alltjcci, J.

On May 8, 1963, the defendant, The Wheel Inn, Inc., executed and delivered to the plaintiff its corporate note in the principal sum of $20,000, together with interest thereon at the rate of 6% per annum on the original amount of principal indebtedness. The note is payable in equal monthly installments of $266, commencing June 8, 1963, and continuing monthly thereafter until fully paid. The corporate note was executed by its president, Frank P. Sinopoli. He also personally guaranteed the payment of the corporate obligation. Simultaneously and as security for said note, the corporation executed and delivered its mortgage to plaintiff upon premises owned by it and located in Rockland County, New York, which mortgage was recorded in the Rockland County Clerk’s office in Liber 791 of Mortgages, at page 1181. As collateral security for said corporate obligations., plaintiff also obtained from the individual defendant Frank P. Sinopoli and his wife, Rose Sinopoli, their individual bond and mortgage in the principal sum of $10,000, together with interest thereon at the rate of 6% per annum on the original amount of principal indebtedness. The individual bond and mortgage also provide for monthly installment payments of $266 each, commencing June 8,1963, and continuing monthly thereafter until fully paid, and mortgages their premises at Stony Point, Rockland County, New York. The individuals’ mortgage is recorded in the Rock-land County Clerk’s office in Liber 792 of Mortgages, at page 328.

Plaintiff commenced an action against The Wheel Inn, Inc., and Frank P. Sinopoli by the service of a summons and complaint dated December 28, 1967. The complaint alleged default in the payment of the monthly installments provided for by the corporate note commencing March 8, 1967, to and including December 8,1967. The named defendants have entered a general denial to plaintiff’s complaint, an affirmative defense thereto and, also, three counterclaims on behalf of the defendant Frank P. Sinopoli and two counterclaims by the defendant The Wheel Trm; Inc. The plaintiff has replied to the counterclaims and said action is presently pending before the court.

The plaintiff has, by summons and complaint dated October 30, 1970, commenced a second action against the defendant The Wheel Inn, Inc., and others, to foreclose the hereinbefore mentioned corporate mortgage dated May 8, 1963. Plaintiff’s second action alleges default in making monthly payments as provided by said mortgage commencing March 8, 1967, and continuing until October 8, 1970. It seeks judgment of foreclosure [229]*229and sale and a deficiency judgment against the defendant The Wheel Inn, Inc.

The defendants, The Wheel Inn, Inc., and Scotland Hill Investors, Ltd., now move for an order pursuant to CPLR 3211 dismissing plaintiff’s complaint on the grounds that plaintiff’s foreclosure action is barred by the prior pending action and that plaintiff has failed to obtain the consent of the court to the commencement of its foreclosure action as required by section 1301 of the Real Property Actions and Proceedings Law.

Plaintiff opposes the motion and cross-moves for an order (1) discontinuing plaintiff’s first action; (2) severing the counterclaims set forth in the first action; (3) consolidating plaintiff’s foreclosure action with said counterclaims; and (4) granting leave to plaintiff to maintain his present foreclosure action.

The parties do not dispute that plaintiff’s first action is to recover a part of the mortgage debt secured by the mortgage now sought to be foreclosed and is still pending before this court.

Each party relies on section 1301 of the Real Property Actions and Proceedings Law in support of their respective applications. The defendants contend that plaintiff has not obtained the required leave of the court to commence its foreclosure action and the plaintiff requests that the court grant its consent to the continuance of its foreclosure action.

The court has carefully reviewed section 1301 of the Real Property Actions and Proceedings Law and finds that plaintiff’s foreclosure action is not barred by its prior pending action. The court also finds that the leave of the court is not a necessary prerequisite to plaintiff’s commencement and maintenance of its foreclosure action.

Section 1301 of the Real Property Actions and Proceedings Law which is entitled “Separate action for mortgage debt” provides as follows:

“ 1. Where final judgment for the plaintiff has been rendered in an action to recover any part of the mortgage debt, an action shall not be commenced or maintained to foreclose the mortgage, unless an execution against the property of the defendant has been issued upon the judgment to the sheriff of the county where he resides, if he resides within the state, or if he resides without the state, to the sheriff of the county where the judgment-roll is filed; and has been returned wholly or partly unsatisfied.

[230]*2302. The complaint shall state whether any other action has been brought to recover any part of the mortgage debt, and, if so, whether any part has been collected.

‘ ‘ 3. While the action is pending or after final judgment for the plaintiff therein, no other action shall be commenced or maintained to recover any part of the mortgage debt, without leave of the court in which the former action was brought.” (Added L. 1962, ch. 312, § 27, eff. Sept. 1, 1963.)

In the instant case, plaintiff has not obtained a final judgment in its pending action to recover a part of the mortgage debt. (Real Property Actions and Proceedings Law, § 1301, subd. 1.) The complaint in plaintiff’s foreclosure action alleges the pendency of plaintiff’s prior action and, therefore, is not subject to dismissal for failure to comply with subdivision 2 of section 1301 of the Real Property Actions and Proceedings Law. Plaintiff’s foreclosure action has been commenced subsequent to its pending action and does not require the leave of the court provided for in subdivision 3 of section 1301 of the Real Property Actions and Proceedings Law.

Section 1301 of the Real Property Actions and Proceedings Law does clearly bar a foreclosure action where final judgment has been obtained by a plaintiff in an action to recover any part of the mortgage debt until after execution has been returned wholly or partly unsatisfied. Said section also clearly requires the leave of the court to commence an action to recover any part of the mortgage debt while a foreclosure action is pending or after final judgment has been awarded to a plaintiff therein.

Section 1301 of the Real Property Actions and Proceedings Law does not, however, set forth the procedure to be followed where a plaintiff commences an action to recover a part of the mortgage debt, and while such action is pending and before any final judgment is obtained therein, then commences an action to foreclose the mortgage securing the debt. It also fails to make provision where, as in this case, the defendants in each action are not common defendants.

In the absence of an express statutory prohibition, 1 ‘ A prior pending action at law to recover on the bond is not a bar to a suit in equity to foreclose the mortgage which collaterally ■secures its payment. (Gillette v. Smith, 18 Hun 10; Suydam v. Bartle, 9 Paige Ch. 294; Williamson v. Champlin, 8 Paige Ch. 70.) ” (Sologub v. Sologub, 200 Misc. 829, 831.)

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Bluebook (online)
65 Misc. 2d 227, 317 N.Y.S.2d 472, 1970 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 1015, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/dagostino-v-wheel-inn-inc-nycountyct-1970.