Opinion
11-15-2016
Maria Yolanda LOPEZ–REYES, Plaintiff–Respondent, v. Emile HERIVEAUX, et al., Defendants, HCACC–Hispanic, et al., Defendants–Appellants.
Robert W. Napoles, Astoria, for appellants. Van Leer & Greenberg, New York (Evan Van Leer Greenberg of counsel), for respondent.
Robert W. Napoles, Astoria, for appellants.
Van Leer & Greenberg, New York (Evan Van Leer Greenberg of counsel), for respondent.
RENWICK, J.P., MOSKOWITZ, KAPNICK, KAHN, GESMER, JJ.
Judgment, Supreme Court, New York County (Kathryn Freed, J.), entered April 2, 2015, in favor of plaintiff and against, inter alia, defendants HCACC–Hispanic and Chinese American Chamber of Commerce, Inc., and Natural Foods Supermarket, Inc. (together defendants), unanimously affirmed. Appeal from order, same court (Louis B. York, J.), entered July 28, 2014, which denied defendants' motion to vacate an order granting plaintiff a default judgment against them, unanimously dismissed, without costs, as subsumed in the appeal from the judgment.
Defendants failed to demonstrate a reasonable excuse for their nonappearance (see Eugene Di Lorenzo, Inc. v. A.C. Dutton
Lbr. Co., 67 N.Y.2d 138, 141, 501 N.Y.S.2d 8, 492 N.E.2d 116 [1986] ). The excuse proffered, that their principal, defendant Emile Heriveaux, acting pro se, had mistakenly believed that he could appear on their behalf, was not supported by an affidavit by a person with personal knowledge and did not address why no appearance was made on their behalf even after the additional notice required by CPLR 3215(g) was served on them (see World on Columbus v. L.C.K. Rest. Group, 260 A.D.2d 323, 324, 689 N.Y.S.2d 64 [1st Dept.1999] ; CPLR 321[a] ). Defendants also failed to demonstrate a meritorious defense (see Eugene Di Lorenzo, Inc., 67 N.Y.2d at 141, 501 N.Y.S.2d 8, 492 N.E.2d 116 ).
The record shows that defendants' counsel was served with notice of the inquest (CPLR 2103[b][2] ), and indeed appeared at the inquest on defendants' behalf. The court properly ordered the inquest with respect to defendants (CPLR 3215[d] ), and plaintiff's uncontroverted testimony established the amount of her damages. We have considered defendants' remaining contentions and find them unavailing.