Giordano v. Grand Prix Sales, Service, Restoration Co.

113 Misc. 2d 395, 449 N.Y.S.2d 127, 1982 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 3308
CourtNew York Supreme Court
DecidedFebruary 3, 1982
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 113 Misc. 2d 395 (Giordano v. Grand Prix Sales, Service, Restoration Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New York Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Giordano v. Grand Prix Sales, Service, Restoration Co., 113 Misc. 2d 395, 449 N.Y.S.2d 127, 1982 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 3308 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 1982).

Opinion

OPINION OF THE COURT

Arthur D. Spatt, J.

In this action to recover possession of his 1967 Ferrari automobile, the plaintiff moves for the following relief:

[396]*3961. An order of seizure of the 1967 Ferrari automobile
2. For a preliminary injunction
3. To declare null and void a “Notice of Lien and Garage-man’s affidavit”
4. To hold defendant in contempt “for its breach of a court order”
5. To amend the caption

BACKGROUND AND CONTENTIONS

Plaintiff is the owner of a 1967 275/GTB4 Ferrari automobile which he calls a “world-renowned, classic work of art”. The defendant is engaged in the business of restoring automobiles such as the plaintiff’s Ferrari. On or about November 13,1978, plaintiff turned over his automobile to the defendant for the purpose of a restoration of the automobile. At that time, according to plaintiff, he was given an estimate of approximately $18,000 for this work, with an overrun of no more than 20%. Plaintiff states that defendant represented that this work would be completed within six months from the date of delivery. To date, says plaintiff, almost three years have gone by, he has expended some $30,000 and the work on the car is still not completed. Plaintiff contends that his Ferrari automobile is a “unique chattel * * * a collector’s item and is extremely valuable and rare”.

Plaintiff asserts that in 1978, when he delivered his Ferrari to the defendant, it had a value of approximately $22,000, while the car is now worth approximately $50,000 and will continue to appreciate in value. Plaintiff now sues to recover possession of his car and for damages for its wrongful detention and for conversion.

In a temporary restraining order contained in an order to show cause dated September 17, 1981 (Becker, J.), the defendant, its agents, servants and employees were enjoined from removing the automobile from its present location, and from transferring, selling or otherwise disposing of the Ferrari until the further order of this court. This order to show cause, together with the summons and complaint, was allegedly personally served on the defendant “corporation” by service upon its manager on September 22, 1981.

[397]*397On the same day that the said order to show cause was served, a notice of lien and garageman’s affidavit was prepared, advertising a sale of the Ferrari automobile by Fred Reisner, a licensed auctioneer, to be held on October 29, 1981.

In opposition, defendant asserts that the defendant corporation is not the proper party in this proceeding. The proper party, says defendant, is James P. McAllister doing business as Grand Prix SSR Co., who performed the work and services on plaintiff’s Ferrari and has a lien with regard to services rendered which remain unpaid. Further, defendant contends that seizure is inappropriate since a valid lien exists for labor and services. In addition, defendant asserts that it never authorized the auction by Fred Reisner, Inc. Finally, defendant asserts that the plaintiff had paid the sum of $32,728.41 of a total bill of $64,711.68, so that the sum of $31,983.27 is due and payable, and that the “automobile is secure and protected”.

AS TO THE AMENDMENT OF THE CAPTION

Plaintiff seeks relief to amend the caption so as to correctly name the defendant and to now read as follows:

“John P. Giordano,

Plaintiff,

-against-

James P. McAllister, d/b/a

Grand Prix SSR Co.,

Defendant.”

Defendant states that the defendant corporation was incorporated on August 9, 1979, and it does not possess plaintiff’s automobile. Rather, the party with possession of the automobile and the proper party defendant “is an individual named James P. McAllister doing business as Grand Prix SSR Co.”.

One A1 Meyer, the general manager of “an entity owned and operated by one James P. McAllister doing business as Grand Prix SSR Co.”, acknowledges, by affidavit, that the order to show cause dated September 17,1981 (Becker, J.), “was delivered to the office of the entity known as Grand [398]*398Prix SSR Co.” on September 22, 1981. Attached to said order to show cause was the summons and complaint, among other papers. Mr. Meyer further states that, following receipt of the said papers, he “contacted counsel James M. Catterson, Jr.”, with regard to the company’s rights.

At any stage of an action, a court may permit a mistake, omission, defect or irregularity to be corrected upon such terms as may be just (CPLR 2001) so that, for example, if a corporate entity is served under an incorrect name, the court may permit this mistake to be cured if that corporate entity was fairly apprised that it was the party intended to be named. (Ryan v Nationwide Mut. Ins. Co., 20 AD2d 270; Richardson v Millard, 58 Misc 2d 502, opp dsmd 33 AD2d 820, mot for rearg granted and order affd 33 AD2d 944; Fiorella v Buffalo Park Lane Rest., 49 Misc 2d 518.)

The rule is set forth in the seminal case of Stuyvesant v Weil (167 NY 421, 425-426), as follows:

“But we cannot concur with a view that insists upon it that any error appearing in a summons in the name of a defendant prevents the court from acquiring jurisdiction of such defendant, notwithstanding he was fully apprised, when service of the summons was made upon him, that he was the party intended to be named therein and affected thereby * * *

“It may happen, as in this case, that the defendant’s name is not correctly stated in the summons, and in such case it is the duty of the court, when properly moved, to determine whether, notwithstanding the error, the defendant was fairly apprised whether he was the party the action was intended to affect, and if the answer of the court be in the affirmative, its determination must be that the court acquired jurisdiction. In our judgment the facts disclosed by this record permit only one answer to the question, Was Mary J. Stockton fairly apprised by the summons and complaint served upon her that the object of the action was to foreclose a mortgage upon the premises owned by her? viz., that she was. That being so, it follows that it was the duty of the court, when applied to, to hold that jurisdiction had been acquired and thereupon to grant such amendments in furtherance of justice as the statute authorized.”

[399]*399In this case, the defendant concedes that the general manager of James P. McAllister doing business as Grand Prix SSR Co. received the order to show cause and annexed papers, and thereafter contacted that entity’s attorney. Therefore, the correct and proper defendant McAllister was fully apprised of this action and was never misled or prejudiced by the fact that its associate corporation was, by mistake, named in the caption. (See Charlton v General Foods, 52 AD2d 829.)

Moreover, even if McAllister’s general manager was served rather than McAllister himself, such jurisdictional objection has been waived.

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

Related

Matter of Ger v. Saxony Towers Realty Corp.
178 N.Y.S.3d 146 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 2022)
John Paul Mitchell Systems v. Quality King Distributors, Inc.
106 F. Supp. 2d 462 (S.D. New York, 2000)
Jackson v. Allstate Insurance
226 A.D.2d 1139 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 1996)
Kinderhill Select Bloodstock, Inc. v. United States
835 F. Supp. 699 (N.D. New York, 1993)
McCormack v. Anchor Savings Bank, F.S.B.
181 A.D.2d 580 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 1992)
Garrison Fuel Oil of Long Island, Inc. v. Grippo
127 Misc. 2d 275 (New York County Courts, 1985)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
113 Misc. 2d 395, 449 N.Y.S.2d 127, 1982 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 3308, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/giordano-v-grand-prix-sales-service-restoration-co-nysupct-1982.