Reyes-Peralta v. Ngernak

30 Misc. 3d 168
CourtNew York Supreme Court
DecidedOctober 22, 2010
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 30 Misc. 3d 168 (Reyes-Peralta v. Ngernak) 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
Reyes-Peralta v. Ngernak, 30 Misc. 3d 168 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 2010).

Opinion

OPINION OF THE COURT

Daniel Palmieri, J.

The motion by the defendants pursuant to CPLR 3211 (a) (2), (5) and (10) to dismiss the complaint based upon plaintiffs failure to timely file a summons with notice or summons and complaint (motion sequence No. 005) is granted pursuant to CPLR 3211 (a) (2) and (5).

The motion by the defendants pursuant to CPLR 3126 or, in the alternative, Insurance Law article 51, for an order dismissing the complaint (motion sequence No. 004) is granted pursuant to CPLR 3126 for the plaintiffs failure to appear for an independent medical examination, in violation of this court’s prior order dated April 9, 2010.

The motion by the plaintiff pursuant to CPLR 5015 for an order vacating the court’s conditional order of preclusion dated April 9, 2010 (motion sequence No. 006) is denied.

This is an action based upon a motor vehicle accident that occurred on March 13, 2007, which plaintiff alleges was caused by a Village of Freeport employee, Surasitt Ngernak, acting within the scope of his employment. Although want of a “serious injury” under the Insurance Law is claimed by defendants, the court finds that the key issues on these motions concern commencement of an action and compliance with court directives on disclosure.

In the Supreme Court an action is commenced by the filing of a summons with notice, or a summons and complaint, with the County Clerk. (CPLR 304 [a]; 2102 [a].) Such filing cannot be accomplished without paying the required fee. (CPLR 304 [c].) [170]*170It is undisputed that the plaintiff purchased an index number on January 24, 2008. A summons and verified complaint were served on the Village and Ngernak in February 2008. In that complaint, at paragraph 6, plaintiff alleged that “[t]his action was commenced within one year from the date the cause of action arose.” In their answer, the defendants denied this allegation in the paragraph designated “THIRD.”

The court turns first to the motion to dismiss based upon want of subject matter jurisdiction, the expiration of the statute of limitations, and failure to join a necessary party. Defendants’ attorney, upon personal knowledge based upon a review he undertook of the County Clerk’s records and the physical file itself, and presentation of a clerk’s abstract of filings, has presented prima facie proof that no summons with notice or summons and complaint was ever filed in this case. The abstract notes the index number purchase, and also on that day an entry is seen for an RJI (request for judicial intervention), but nothing further. Additional entries are present for an affidavit of service and several orders and other papers on later dates, through April 19, 2010, but again do not note the filing of a summons with notice or summons and complaint.

In response, the plaintiffs attorney states that “simultaneous with the purchase of an Index number is the filing of the Summons and Complaint.” However, plaintiff does not present a clerk-stamped copy of these papers, nor does the attorney make a direct statement that the attorney personally filed them but did not receive, or has misplaced, the stamped copy.

Plaintiff also presents the affidavit of Bruce Smilowitz, president of R/D Travelers Process Service. He states that on or about January 24, 2008, his office was called upon to serve process on the defendants. He describes his office procedure, which, in brief, is to take the summons and complaint and a check to the Nassau County Clerk to pay for the index number and to file the papers. Service on the defendants was then effectuated, and affidavits of service, with copies of the summons and complaint, were filed with the Clerk. He states that the index number was purchased solely for the service and filing of the summons and complaint. His affidavit concludes with the following: “There was absolutely no reason not to file the Summons and Complaint in the above matter and one can only conclude that the papers were filed but misplaced by the Clerk.”

In addition, the plaintiff submits a stamp identified as that of the Nassau County Clerk, but it is dated February 20, 2008 and [171]*171is on a blank piece of paper, except for two handwritten notations that clearly are not a summons and complaint. Also presented is a copy of a section of the Clerk’s minutes book, which under “Filing Date” and “Document Description” notes a date of February 20, 2008, an “affidavit of SE” in this case, and under “Notations” the following: 2A/S S/C. Again, however, there is no indication of the filing of the summons and complaint.

The Smilowitz affidavit makes logical sense in its description of office procedure, but absent is any statement that he has personal knowledge that the summons and complaint in this particular case were tendered to the Clerk at the time the index number was purchased. Given that fact, his conclusion that the Clerk’s office misplaced these papers is little more than speculation. Further, it requires the court to find that not only did County Clerk personnel misplace the papers — based upon no more than a statement of the process server’s office procedure, not the County Clerk’s — but that no one ever made an entry of their existence at any time subsequent to the filing, even though the papers were tendered. That is too great a leap to make on the evidence presented. The court therefore is constrained to conclude that no filing of the summons and complaint occurred.

Plaintiff next argues that the alleged failure to properly file implicates personal jurisdiction but not subject matter jurisdiction, citing Matter of Fry v Village of Tarrytown (89 NY2d 714 [1997]), and that the jurisdictional objection has been waived by a failure to timely assert the objection in the pleading. (CPLR 3211 [e].) She also points to the 2007 revision to CPLR 2001, which gave courts the ability to permit correction of “a mistake, omission, defect or irregularity, including the failure to purchase or acquire an index number or other mistake in the filing process.”

However, recent case authority has made it clear that nonfiling, as opposed to defects in the filing process — the issue before the Fry Court — remains a nonwaivable jurisdictional defect. (Matter of Miller v Waters, 51 AD3d 113, 117-118 [3d Dept 2008], citing Matter of Mendon Ponds Neighborhood Assn. v Dehm, 98 NY2d 745, 747 [2002].) The Miller Court specifically noted that the amendment to CPLR 2001 “was not intended to allow courts to create subject matter jurisdiction where it does not exist.” (51 AD3d at 117.)

The petitioner in Miller had erroneously filed his papers with the office of the administrative clerk of the Supreme and County [172]*172Courts, rather than with the County Clerk, and this was held fatal under Mendon Ponds. In the instant matter, there was no filing at all. As no contrary authority from the Court of Appeals or the Appellate Division, Second Department has been advanced by the plaintiff or found by the Court, the undersigned is bound to follow the determination of the Appellate Division, Third Department in Miller. (Mountain View Coach Lines v Storms, 102 AD2d 663 [2d Dept 1984].)

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Bluebook (online)
30 Misc. 3d 168, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/reyes-peralta-v-ngernak-nysupct-2010.