Opinion
2017-08850 Index No. 51302/17
01-29-2020
QFC, LLC, etc., Appellant, v. IRON CENTURIAN, LLC, et al., Respondents.
Stein Adler Dabah & Zelkowitz, LLP, Tarrytown, N.Y. (Christopher R. Murray of counsel), for appellant. Amos Weinberg, Great Neck, NY, for respondents.
Stein Adler Dabah & Zelkowitz, LLP, Tarrytown, N.Y. (Christopher R. Murray of counsel), for appellant.
Amos Weinberg, Great Neck, NY, for respondents.
LEONARD B. AUSTIN, J.P., SHERI S. ROMAN, SYLVIA O. HINDS–RADIX, LINDA CHRISTOPHER, JJ.
DECISION & ORDER
Appeal by the plaintiff from an order of the Supreme Court, Westchester County (David F. Everett, J.), dated July 5, 2017. The order granted the defendants' motion to vacate a judgment by confession entered in the Westchester County Clerk's office on January 31, 2017.
ORDERED that the order is reversed, on the law, with costs, and the defendants' motion is denied without prejudice to the defendants commencing a plenary action to vacate the judgment by confession.
"Generally, a person seeking to vacate a judgment entered upon the filing of an affidavit of confession of judgment must commence a separate plenary action for that relief" ( Regency Club at Wallkill, LLC v. Bienish, 95 A.D.3d 879, 879, 942 N.Y.S.2d 894 ; see Morocho v. Monterroza, 170 A.D.3d 710, 711, 93 N.Y.S.3d 574 ; Posner v. Posner, 277 A.D.2d 298, 715 N.Y.S.2d 883 ). Here, the grounds for vacatur relied upon by the defendants do not fall within an exception to the general rule (see Morocho v. Monterroza, 170 A.D.3d at 711, 93 N.Y.S.3d 574 ; cf. Rubashkin v. Rubashkin, 98 A.D.3d 1018, 950 N.Y.S.2d 586 ; Cole–Hatchard v. Nicholson, 73 A.D.3d 834, 901 N.Y.S.2d 660 ). Accordingly, the Supreme Court should have denied the defendants' motion without prejudice to their right to commence a plenary action to vacate the judgment by confession.
In light of our determination, we need not address the parties' remaining contentions.
AUSTIN, J.P., ROMAN, HINDS–RADIX and CHRISTOPHER, JJ., concur.