Gutierrez v. Good Bar, LLC

• Decision Date: 09 March 2022
• Docket Number: 2019–07475,Index No. 515600/15
• Citation: Gutierrez v. Good Bar, LLC, 203 A.D.3d 803, 165 N.Y.S.3d 79 (N.Y. App. Div. 2022)
• Parties: Romel GUTIERREZ, et al., appellants, v. GOOD BAR, LLC, et al., respondents, et al., defendants.
• Court: New York Supreme Court — Appellate Division

203 A.D.3d 803

165 N.Y.S.3d 79

Romel GUTIERREZ, et al., appellants,

v.GOOD BAR, LLC, et al., respondents, et al., defendants.

2019–07475

Index No. 515600/15

Supreme Court, Appellate Division, Second Department, New York.

Submitted—December 9, 2021

March 9, 2022

James G. Dibbini & Associates, P.C., Yonkers, NY, for appellants.

Daniel J. Niamehr, New York, NY, for respondents.

MARK C. DILLON, J.P., VALERIE BRATHWAITE NELSON, REINALDO E. RIVERA, PAUL WOOTEN, JJ.

DECISION & ORDER

In an action, inter alia, to recover damages for breach of contract, the plaintiffs appeal from an order of the Supreme Court, Kings County(Lizette Colon, J.), dated April 8, 2019.The order granted the motion of the defendantsGood Bar, LLC, and Gina O'Keefe pursuant to CPLR 3126 to preclude the plaintiffs from offering any evidence at trial, and denied the plaintiffs’ cross motion to strike those defendants’ answer and to preclude those defendants from offering any evidence at trial.

ORDERED that the order is modified, on the facts and in the exercise of discretion, by deleting the provision thereof granting the motion of the defendantsGood Bar, LLC, and Gina O'Keefe pursuant to CPLR 3126 to preclude the plaintiffs from offering any evidence at trial, and substituting therefor a provision denying that motion; as so modified, the order is affirmed, without costs or disbursements.

The plaintiffs commenced this action, inter alia, to recover damages for breach of contract and unjust enrichment.In an order dated February 21, 2019, the Supreme Court directed the plaintiffs to respond to certain discovery demands within 15 days or be precluded from offering evidence at trial.The plaintiffs served responses within 15 days, but objected to some of the demands.

The defendantsGood Bar, LLC, and Gina O'Keefe(hereinafter together the defendants) then moved pursuant to CPLR 3126 to preclude the plaintiffs from offering evidence at trial, based on the plaintiffs’ failure to provide responses to the discovery demands as required by the February 21, 2019 conditional order.The plaintiffs cross-moved to strike the defendants’ answer and to preclude the defendants from offering any evidence at trial, based on the defendants’ purported failure to appear for depositions.The Supreme Court granted the defendants’ motion and denied the plaintiffs’ cross motion.The plaintiffs appeal.

The Supreme Court improvidently exercised its discretion in granting the defendants’ motion to preclude the plaintiffs from offering evidence at trial."A conditional order of preclusion requires a party to provide certain discovery by a date certain, or face the sanctions specified in the order"( Naiman v. Fair Trade Acquisition Corp.,152 A.D.3d 779, 780, 59 N.Y.S.3d 414;seeMcIntosh v. New York City Partnership Dev. Fund Co., Inc.,165 A.D.3d 1251, 1252, 87 N.Y.S.3d 637;Hughes v. Brooklyn Skating, LLC,120 A.D.3d 758, 758–759, 991 N.Y.S.2d 326 )."If the party fails to produce the discovery by the specified date, the conditional order becomes absolute"( Naiman v. Fair Trade Acquisition Corp.,152 A.D.3d at 780, 59 N.Y.S.3d 414;seeGibbs v. St. Barnabas Hosp.,16 N.Y.3d 74, 82–83, 917 N.Y.S.2d 68, 942 N.E.2d 277;McIntosh v. New York City Partnership Dev. Fund Co., Inc.,165 A.D.3d at 1252, 87 N.Y.S.3d 637;Hughes v. Brooklyn Skating, LLC,120 A.D.3d at 759, 991 N.Y.S.2d 326 )."To be relieved of the adverse impact of the conditional order of preclusion, a party is required to demonstrate a reasonable excuse for the failure to comply with the order and the existence of a potentially meritorious [cause of action]"( Naiman v. Fair Trade Acquisition Corp.,152 A.D.3d at 780, 59 N.Y.S.3d 414;seeGibbs v. St. Barnabas Hosp.,16 N.Y.3d at 80, 917 N.Y.S.2d 68, 942 N.E.2d 277;McIntosh v. New York City Partnership Dev. Fund Co., Inc.,165 A.D.3d at 1252, 87 N.Y.S.3d 637 ).

Here, the plaintiffs set forth a reasonable excuse for their failure to respond to certain of the subject discovery demands based on, inter alia, their objections that certain tax returns and tax documents sought were privileged (seeLevine v. City Med. Assocs., PC,108 A.D.3d 746, 747, 970 N.Y.S.2d 257;Latture v. Smith,304 A.D.2d 534, 536, 758 N.Y.S.2d 135 ), their objections of lack of materiality (see generallyLeibowitz v. Babad,175 A.D.3d 639, 106 N.Y.S.3d 380;Accent Collections, Inc. v. Cappelli Enters., Inc.,84 A.D.3d 1283, 1283–1284, 924 N.Y.S.2d 545 ), and their inability to obtain certain of the sought-after information (seeTanriverdi v. United Skates of Am., Inc.,164 A.D.3d 858, 859–860, 83 N.Y.S.3d 542 ).

Further, the plaintiffs demonstrated the existence of potentially meritorious causes of action to recover damages for breach of contract (seeMenche v. CDx Diagnostics, Inc.,199 A.D.3d 678, 157 N.Y.S.3d 61;Magee–Boyle v. Reliastar Life Ins. Co. of New York,173 A.D.3d 1157, 1159, 105 N.Y.S.3d 90 ), and based on an unjust enrichment theory (seeBetz v. Blatt,160 A.D.3d 696, 701, 74 N.Y.S.3d 75;Travelsavers Enters., Inc. v. Analog Analytics, Inc.,149 A.D.3d 1003, 1006, 53 N.Y.S.3d 99 ).Therefore, the Supreme Court improvidently exercised its discretion in granting the defendants’ motion pursuant to CPLR 3126 to preclude the plaintiffs from offering evidence at trial (seeLiese v. Hennessey,164 A.D.3d 1318, 1319, 83 N.Y.S.3d 618;Tanriverdi v....