Opinion
3593, 154341/15.
04-20-2017
CASH AND CARRY FILING SERVICE, LLC, Plaintiff–Respondent, v. Rehan PERVEEZ, et al., Defendants–Appellants.
Lawrence G. Nusbaum, Jr., New Rochelle, for appellants. Newman Law, P.C., Cedarhurst (Evan M. Newman of counsel), for respondent.
Lawrence G. Nusbaum, Jr., New Rochelle, for appellants.
Newman Law, P.C., Cedarhurst (Evan M. Newman of counsel), for respondent.
Order, Supreme Court, New York County (Manuel J. Mendez, J.), entered on or about November 6, 2015, which, to the extent appealed from as limited by the briefs, denied defendants' motion to vacate a judgment by confession entered May 1, 2015, or to schedule a plenary hearing to determine whether the underlying agreement leading to the judgment by confession is enforceable, unanimously affirmed, with costs.
Defendants may challenge the judgment by confession only by trial in a plenary action, and not by motion (see Scheckter v. Ryan, 161 A.D.2d 344, 345, 555 N.Y.S.2d 99 [1st Dept.1990] ). Moreover, defendants lack standing to challenge the affidavit of confession of judgment. An affidavit of confession of judgment pursuant to CPLR 3218"is intended to protect creditors of a defendant," not the defendant itself (Giryluk v. Giryluk, 30 A.D.2d 22, 25, 289 N.Y.S.2d 458 [1st Dept.1968], affd. 23 N.Y.2d 894, 298 N.Y.S.2d 91, 245 N.E.2d 818 [1969] ; County Natl. Bank v. Vogt, 28 A.D.2d 793, 794, 280 N.Y.S.2d 1016 [3d Dept.1967], affd. 21 N.Y.2d 800, 288 N.Y.S.2d 631, 235 N.E.2d 772 [1968] ; Regency Club at Wallkill, LLC v. Bienish, 95 A.D.3d 879, 879, 942 N.Y.S.2d 894 [2d Dept.2012] ). In any event, the affidavit in this case is sufficient (Giryluk, 30 A.D.2d at 25, 289 N.Y.S.2d 458 ).
Defendants' assertions of duress in executing the June 10, 2014 agreement leading to the judgment by confession are unavailing. In order to claim duress defendants had to show that plaintiff used a "wrongful threat" to force defendants to enter into the agreement, and defendants failed to make that showing (Madey v. Carman, 51 A.D.3d 985, 987, 858 N.Y.S.2d 784 [2d Dept.2008], lv. denied 11 N.Y.3d 708, 868 N.Y.S.2d 600, 897 N.E.2d 1084 [2008] ; see Foundry Capital Sarl v. International Value Advisers, LLC, 96 A.D.3d 620, 947 N.Y.S.2d 98 [1st Dept.2012] ). "Financial pressures, even in the context of unequal bargaining power, do not constitute economic duress" (Grubel v. Union Mut. Life Ins. Co., 54 A.D.2d 686, 686, 387 N.Y.S.2d 442 [2d Dept.1976], lv. denied 41 N.Y.2d 807, 396 N.Y.S.2d 1026, 364 N.E.2d 1138 [1977] ; see also Liberty Marble v. Elite Stone Setting Corp., 248 A.D.2d 302, 304, 670 N.Y.S.2d 836 [1st Dept.1998] ).
We have considered defendants' remaining arguments and find them unavailing.
ACOSTA, J.P., RICHTER, ANDRIAS, KAHN, GESMER, JJ., concur.