Ameropan Realty Corp. v. Rangeley Lakes Corp.

Decision Date29 December 1995
Citation222 A.D.2d 631,635 N.Y.S.2d 691
PartiesAMEROPAN REALTY CORPORATION, Respondent, v. RANGELEY LAKES CORPORATION, etc., Appellant.
CourtNew York Supreme Court — Appellate Division

Certilman Balin Adler & Hyman, LLP, East Meadow (Murray Greenberg and Lawrence S. Novak, of counsel), for appellant.

Montfort, Healy, McGuire & Salley, Garden City (Jeffrey B. Siler and E. Richard Rimmels, Jr., of counsel), for respondents.

Before SULLIVAN, J.P., and THOMPSON, KRAUSMAN and FLORIO, JJ.

MEMORANDUM BY THE COURT.

In an action, inter alia, to recover damages for breach of contract, the defendant appeals from an order of the Supreme Court, Nassau County (Becker, J.), dated May 5, 1994, which denied its motion pursuant to CPLR 3216 to dismiss the complaint for want of prosecution.

ORDERED that the order is affirmed, with costs.

On November 29, 1993, the Supreme Court issued an order directing the plaintiff to file a note of issue within 90 days. The plaintiff subsequently retained new counsel and did not file a note of issue until March 14, 1994, 15 days after the 90-day period set by the court had expired. The defendant responded by moving pursuant to CPLR 3216 to dismiss the complaint for want of prosecution, and the Supreme Court denied the motion. We affirm.

It is well settled that CPLR 3216 permits a court to dismiss an action for want of prosecution only after the court or the defendant has served the plaintiff with a written demand to resume prosecution of the action and to file a note of issue within 90 days after receipt of the demand. The notice must also advise the plaintiff that the failure to comply with the demand will serve as the basis for a motion to dismiss the action. Since CPLR 3216 is a legislative creation and not part of a court's inherent power (Airmont Homes v. Town of Ramapo, 69 N.Y.2d 901, 516 N.Y.S.2d 193, 508 N.E.2d 927; Cohn v. Borchard Affiliations, 25 N.Y.2d 237, 303 N.Y.S.2d 633, 250 N.E.2d 690), the failure to serve a written demand that conforms to the provisions of CPLR 3216 is the failure of a condition precedent to dismissal of the action (Airmont Homes v. Town of Ramapo, supra ).

Contrary to the defendant's contention, the Supreme Court's order dated November 29, 1993, cannot be deemed a notice pursuant to CPLR 3216 because it does not conform to the provisions of that statute. Since a proper notice was not served upon the plaintiff prior to the defendant's motion, the Supreme Court was not...

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7 cases
  • Forman v. Fleet Bank
    • United States
    • New York Supreme Court — Appellate Division
    • June 14, 1999
    ...657 N.Y.S.2d 337; Longacre Corp. v. Better Hosp. Equip. Corp., 228 A.D.2d 653, 646 N.Y.S.2d 15; cf., Ameropan Realty Corp. v. Rangeley Lakes Corp., 222 A.D.2d 631, 635 N.Y.S.2d 691). Thus, it was incumbent upon the plaintiff to comply with the notice by filing an appropriate note of issue o......
  • Giaimo v. Roller Derby Skate Corp.
    • United States
    • New York Supreme Court — Appellate Division
    • December 9, 1996
    ...for a notice to dismiss (see, Chase v. Scavuzzo, 87 N.Y.2d 228, 230, 638 N.Y.S.2d 587, 661 N.E.2d 1368; Ameropan Realty Corp. v. Rangeley Lakes Corp., 222 A.D.2d 631, 635 N.Y.S.2d 691; cf., Longacre Corp. v. Better Hosp. Equip. Corp., 228 A.D.2d 653, 646 N.Y.S.2d 15 ), and the Town did not ......
  • Safina v. Queens-Long Island Medical Group, P.C.
    • United States
    • New York Supreme Court — Appellate Division
    • April 14, 1997
    ...15; see generally, Chase v. Scavuzzo, 87 N.Y.2d 228, 230, 638 N.Y.S.2d 587, 661 N.E.2d 1368; cf., Ameropan Realty Corp. v. Rangeley Lakes Corp., 222 A.D.2d 631, 635 N.Y.S.2d 691), requiring the plaintiff either to comply with the notice or to request an extension of time within which to do ......
  • Pickens v. St. John's Hosp.
    • United States
    • New York Supreme Court — Appellate Division
    • March 30, 1998
    ...638 N.Y.S.2d 587, 661 N.E.2d 1368; Giaimo v. Roller Derby Skate Corp., 234 A.D.2d 340, 650 N.Y.S.2d 791; Ameropan Realty Corp. v. Rangeley Lakes Corp., 222 A.D.2d 631, 635 N.Y.S.2d 691). Furthermore, the Supreme Court providently exercised its discretion in denying the cross motion of North......
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