Supreme Court, Appellate Division, Second Department, New York.
ILMS REALTY ASSOCIATION, et al., Appellants,
v.
Harold F. MADDEN, et al., Defendants,
DeMar Packing Corporation, Respondent.
June 10, 1991.
Appeal was taken from order of the Supreme Court, Nassau County, Burke, J.,
which denied motion to vacate judgment and strike answer and affirmative
defenses. The Supreme Court, Appellate Division, held that affidavits of
confession of judgment were adequate.
Affirmed.
West Headnotes
[1] Judgment 51
228k51 Most Cited Cases
Affidavit which confessed judgment in a particular amount, stated the
confessor's county of residence, and stated that the confession of judgment was
for a debt justly due to the plaintiff arising from a personal guaranty of
payment according to a creditor agreement with a particular date was
sufficiently informative to enable third-party creditors to investigate the
claim and ascertain its validity and met requirement of rule that it set forth
concisely the facts constituting the liability. McKinney's CPLR 3218(a).
[2] Judgment 51
228k51 Most Cited Cases
Fact that liability referred to in affidavit of confession might not occur did
not preclude filing of the affidavit of confession of judgment, and affidavits
were not rendered void or insufficient by the recital that "said Agreement has
been breached" despite claim that the agreement could not have been breached on
the date that it and the affidavits was executed. McKinney's CPLR 3218(a).
**310 Kirschenbaum & Kirschenbaum, P.C., Garden City (Samuel Kirschenbaum and
Burton Aronson, of counsel), for appellants.
Albert Kostrinsky, Great Neck, and Waters, McPherson, McNeill, Secaucus, N.J.
(George T. Imperial and Kenneth D. McPherson, Jr., of counsel), for respondent
(one brief filed).
Before KUNZEMAN, J.P., and KOOPER, SULLIVAN and LAWRENCE, JJ.
*603 MEMORANDUM BY THE COURT.
In an action to foreclose a mortgage on real property, the plaintiffs appeal
from an order of the Supreme Court, Nassau County (Burke, J.), dated January 4,
1990, which denied their motion, inter alia, to (1) vacate a judgment docketed
in favor of the defendant DeMar Packing Corporation and its predecessor in
interest and (2) strike the answer and affirmative defenses of the defendant
DeMar Packing Corporation on the ground that the affidavits of confession of
judgment on which judgment in favor of DeMar Packing Corporation was entered
were not in compliance with CPLR 3218.
ORDERED that the order is affirmed, without costs or disbursements.
[1] Contrary to the plaintiffs' contention, the affidavits of confession of
judgment met the specificity requirements of CPLR 3218. CPLR 3218(a) provides
that "a judgment by confession may be entered * * * upon an affidavit executed
by the defendant * * * (3) if the judgment to be confessed is for the purpose of
securing the plaintiff against a contingent liability, stating concisely the
facts constituting the liability and showing that the sum confessed does not
exceed the amount of the liability". In the case at bar, the affidavits
confess judgment in the amount of $450,000, and the county of the confessor's
residence is stated therein as "Nassau County". The affidavit further provides
that: "This confession of judgment is for a debt justly due to the plaintiff
arising from the following facts: personal guaranty of payment of indebtedness
according to Credit Agreement dated November 19, 1987, **311 which said
Agreement has been breached". We agree with the trial court that this concise
statement of the facts was sufficiently informative to enable third-party
creditors to investigate the claim and ascertain its validity (Siegel, Practice
Commentaries, McKinney's Cons.Laws of N.Y., Book 7B, CPLR C 3218:9, at 1041;
see also, County Nat. Bank v. Vogt, 28 A.D.2d 793, 280 N.Y.S.2d 1016, affd. 21
N.Y.2d 800, 288 N.Y.S.2d 631, 235 N.E.2d 772; Wood v. Mitchell, 117 N.Y. 439,
22 N.E. 1125; Princeton Bank and Trust Co. v. Berley, 57 A.D.2d 348, 354, 394
N.Y.S.2d 714).
[2] We similarly reject the plaintiffs' contention that the affidavits of
confession were rendered void or insufficient by the recital therein that "said
Agreement has been breached", on the ground that the agreement could not have
been breached *604 on the date of its execution. CPLR 3218(a) expressly
recognizes that a confession of judgment may be entered "to secure the plaintiff
against a contingent liability". The statute thus clearly contemplates that in
cases of contingent liability, the confessing party "may never be called upon to
pay out" (Siegel, Practice Commentaries, McKinney's Cons.Laws of N.Y., Book 7B,
CPLR C 3218:6, at 1039). The fact that such liability may or may not occur,
however, does not serve to preclude filing of an affidavit of confession of
judgment. The affidavits at bar provide sufficient facts to enable any prudent
third-party creditor to determine that the affidavits were executed
simultaneously with, and as security for, the credit agreement, and were for the
purpose of securing the creditors against a default by the debtors constituting
a breach of that agreement. In view of the contingent nature of the debt
confessed and the underlying facts stated in the affidavits, the language
recited therein neither serves to invalidate the affidavits nor render them
insufficient under CPLR 3218.
We have examined the plaintiffs' remaining contentions and find them to be
without merit or insufficient to establish entitlement to summary judgment as a
matter of law (see, Zuckerman v. City of New York, 49 N.Y.2d 557, 562, 427
N.Y.S.2d 595, 404 N.E.2d 718).
571 N.Y.S.2d 310, 174 A.D.2d 603
END OF DOCUMENT
Supreme Court, Appellate Division, Second Department, New York.ILMS REALTY ASSOCIATION, et al., Appellants,v.Harold F. MADDEN, et al., Defendants,DeMar Packing Corporation, Respondent.
June 10, 1991.
Appeal was taken from order of the Supreme Court, Nassau County, Burke, J., which denied motion to vacate judgment and strike answer and affirmative defenses. The Supreme Court, Appellate Division, held that affidavits of confession of judgment were adequate.
Affirmed.
West Headnotes
[1] Judgment 51228k51 Most Cited Cases
Affidavit which confessed judgment in a particular amount, stated the confessor's county of residence, and stated that the confession of judgment was for a debt justly due to the plaintiff arising from a personal guaranty of payment according to a creditor agreement with a particular date was sufficiently informative to enable third-party creditors to investigate the claim and ascertain its validity and met requirement of rule that it set forth concisely the facts constituting the liability. McKinney's CPLR 3218(a).
[2] Judgment 51228k51 Most Cited Cases
Fact that liability referred to in affidavit of confession might not occur did not preclude filing of the affidavit of confession of judgment, and affidavits were not rendered void or insufficient by the recital that "said Agreement has been breached" despite claim that the agreement could not have been breached on the date that it and the affidavits was executed. McKinney's CPLR 3218(a). **310 Kirschenbaum & Kirschenbaum, P.C., Garden City (Samuel Kirschenbaum and Burton Aronson, of counsel), for appellants.
Albert Kostrinsky, Great Neck, and Waters, McPherson, McNeill, Secaucus, N.J. (George T. Imperial and Kenneth D. McPherson, Jr., of counsel), for respondent (one brief filed).
Before KUNZEMAN, J.P., and KOOPER, SULLIVAN and LAWRENCE, JJ.
*603 MEMORANDUM BY THE COURT.
In an action to foreclose a mortgage on real property, the plaintiffs appeal from an order of the Supreme Court, Nassau County (Burke, J.), dated January 4, 1990, which denied their motion, inter alia, to (1) vacate a judgment docketed in favor of the defendant DeMar Packing Corporation and its predecessor in interest and (2) strike the answer and affirmative defenses of the defendant DeMar Packing Corporation on the ground that the affidavits of confession of judgment on which judgment in favor of DeMar Packing Corporation was entered were not in compliance with CPLR 3218.
ORDERED that the order is affirmed, without costs or disbursements.
[1] Contrary to the plaintiffs' contention, the affidavits of confession of judgment met the specificity requirements of CPLR 3218. CPLR 3218(a) provides that "a judgment by confession may be entered * * * upon an affidavit executed by the defendant * * * (3) if the judgment to be confessed is for the purpose of securing the plaintiff against a contingent liability, stating concisely the facts constituting the liability and showing that the sum confessed does not exceed the amount of the liability". In the case at bar, the affidavits confess judgment in the amount of $450,000, and the county of the confessor's residence is stated therein as "Nassau County". The affidavit further provides that: "This confession of judgment is for a debt justly due to the plaintiff arising from the following facts: personal guaranty of payment of indebtedness according to Credit Agreement dated November 19, 1987, **311 which said Agreement has been breached". We agree with the trial court that this concise statement of the facts was sufficiently informative to enable third-party creditors to investigate the claim and ascertain its validity (Siegel, Practice Commentaries, McKinney's Cons.Laws of N.Y., Book 7B, CPLR C 3218:9, at 1041; see also, County Nat. Bank v. Vogt, 28 A.D.2d 793, 280 N.Y.S.2d 1016, affd. 21 N.Y.2d 800, 288 N.Y.S.2d 631, 235 N.E.2d 772; Wood v. Mitchell, 117 N.Y. 439, 22 N.E. 1125; Princeton Bank and Trust Co. v. Berley, 57 A.D.2d 348, 354, 394 N.Y.S.2d 714).
[2] We similarly reject the plaintiffs' contention that the affidavits of confession were rendered void or insufficient by the recital therein that "said Agreement has been breached", on the ground that the agreement could not have been breached *604 on the date of its execution. CPLR 3218(a) expressly recognizes that a confession of judgment may be entered "to secure the plaintiff against a contingent liability". The statute thus clearly contemplates that in cases of contingent liability, the confessing party "may never be called upon to pay out" (Siegel, Practice Commentaries, McKinney's Cons.Laws of N.Y., Book 7B, CPLR C 3218:6, at 1039). The fact that such liability may or may not occur, however, does not serve to preclude filing of an affidavit of confession of judgment. The affidavits at bar provide sufficient facts to enable any prudent third-party creditor to determine that the affidavits were executed simultaneously with, and as security for, the credit agreement, and were for the purpose of securing the creditors against a default by the debtors constituting a breach of that agreement. In view of the contingent nature of the debt confessed and the underlying facts stated in the affidavits, the language recited therein neither serves to invalidate the affidavits nor render them insufficient under CPLR 3218.
We have examined the plaintiffs' remaining contentions and find them to be without merit or insufficient to establish entitlement to summary judgment as a matter of law (see, Zuckerman v. City of New York, 49 N.Y.2d 557, 562, 427 N.Y.S.2d 595, 404 N.E.2d 718).
571 N.Y.S.2d 310, 174 A.D.2d 603
END OF DOCUMENT