Simkin v. Blank

Citation915 N.Y.S.2d 47,80 A.D.3d 401
PartiesSteven SIMKIN, Plaintiff-Appellant, v. Laura BLANK, Defendant-Respondent.
Decision Date04 January 2011
CourtNew York Supreme Court Appellate Division

Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP, New York (Mark H. Alcott of counsel), for appellant.

Emery Celli Brinkerhoff & Abady LLP, New York (Richard D. Emery of counsel), for respondent.

GONZALEZ, P.J., TOM, ANDRIAS, CATTERSON, MOSKOWITZ, JJ.

Order, Supreme Court, New York County (Saralee Evans, J.), entered January 5, 2010, which granted defendant's motion to dismiss pursuant to CPLR 3211, reversed, on the law, without costs, the motion denied and the complaint reinstated.

Initially, we note that on a CPLR 3211 motion to dismiss, "the court must afford the pleadings a liberal construction, take the allegations of the complaint as true and provide plaintiff the benefit of every possible inference" ( EBC I, Inc. v. Goldman, Sachs & Co., 5 N.Y.3d 11, 19, 832 N.E.2d 26 [2005] ).

Plaintiff is a partner at a large New York law firm and defendant is the deputy senior university director of labor relations at a university in New York. The parties married in 1973, separated in 2001, and were divorced during the summer of 2006. On June 27, 2006, they entered into an agreement to divide their property (hereinafter referred to as the "agreement"). Due to the length of their marriage, they agreed to an approximately equal division of marital property. They also agreedthat property would be valued as of September 1, 2004 (hereinafter referred to as the "cut-off date").

Plaintiff received the parties' Scarsdale house and three of their automobiles; defendant received their Manhattan apartment (encumbered by a $370,000 mortgage) and an Audi. The parties agreed that each would keep accounts titled in his or her name. Plaintiff paid defendant $6,250,000 and transferred a further $368,000 to equalize the parties' retirement accounts.

Each party acknowledged "that the property he or she is receiving or retaining pursuant to this Article represents a fair and reasonable share of the marital property." The agreement contains mutual releases as well as a merger clause.

In the amended complaint, plaintiff alleges that at the time of their agreement the parties believed that they owned an account (hereinafter referred to as the "Madoff Account") with Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities which was their largest asset (purportedly $5.4 million as of the cut-off date). Of $6,618,000 that plaintiff paid defendant pursuant to the 2006 agreement, $2.7 million was attributable to defendant's share of what the parties believed to be their $5.4 million Madoff Account. This account was titled in plaintiff's name. Plaintiff alleges that in reality, there was no such account because Madoff was running a Ponzi scheme.

In the parties' agreement, plaintiff released, inter alia, "any and all claims to or upon the property of [defendant] ... whether now owned or hereafter acquired or received, to the end that she shall have free and unrestricted right to dispose of her property now owned or hereafter acquired or received, free from any claim or demand of [plaintiff]." The releases in the parties' agreement did not bar plaintiff's claims as a matter of law ( see e.g. Littman v. Magee, 54 A.D.3d 14, 15, 860 N.Y.S.2d 24 [2008] ).

Plaintiff pleads mutual mistake with the requisite particularity ( see CPLR 3016(b); Pludeman v. Northern Leasing Sys., Inc., 10 N.Y.3d 486, 491, 860 N.Y.S.2d 422, 890 N.E.2d 184 [2008] ), and the amended complaint states a cause of action for reformation based on mutual mistake ( see e.g. Banker v. Banker, 56 A.D.3d 1105, 870 N.Y.S.2d 481 [2008]; House v. Wechsler, 104 App.Div. 124, 93 N.Y.S. 593 [1905] ). Contrary to defendant'scontention, mutual mistake can be based on a statement by a third party ( see e.g. D'Antoni v. Goff, 52 A.D.2d 973, 383 N.Y.S.2d 117 [1976]; House, 104 App.Div. at 127, 93 N.Y.S. 593). The cases cited by defendant where claims were dismissed pursuant to CPLR 3211(a)(5) did not involve mutual mistake.

The documentary evidence proffered by defendant ( see CPLR 3211(a)(1)) does not utterly refute plaintiff's factual allegations or conclusively establish a defense as a matter of law ( seee.g. McCully v. Jersey Partners, Inc., 60 A.D.3d 562, 876 N.Y.S.2d 27 [2009] ). With respect to the branch of defendant's motion based upon CPLR 3211(a)(7), even though defendant submitted documents, "dismissal should not eventuate" unless she shows that a material fact alleged by plaintiff "is not a fact at all and unless it can be said that no significant dispute exists regarding it" ( Guggenheimer v. Ginzburg, 43 N.Y.2d 268, 275, 401 N.Y.S.2d 182, 372 N.E.2d 17 [1977] ). Such is not the case here.

The motion court and the dissent both err in relying on the claim-which was not in defendant's affidavit-that, for several years after the parties' agreement, plaintiff could have redeemed what the parties believed to be their account for cash in excess of its supposed value as of the cut-off date selected by the parties ( see e.g. Rovello v. Orofino Realty Co., 40 N.Y.2d 633, 636, 389 N.Y.S.2d 314, 357 N.E.2d 970 [1976] ). Both the motion court and the dissent also err by resolving a fact-the assumption on which the parties relied in dividing their property-in defendant's favor on a motion to dismiss ( see Viskovich v. Walsh-Fuller-Slattery, 16 A.D.2d 67, 225 N.Y.S.2d 100 [1962], aff'd 13 N.Y.2d 1100, 246 N.Y.S.2d 632, 196 N.E.2d 267 [1963] [trial was held when the plaintiff alleged that state of facts assumed to exist at time of the parties' agreement did not, in fact, exist] ).

Indeed, the dissent speculates as to plaintiff's expectations that the "Madoff account [...] continue its highly profitable performance" and asserts "[a]ccordingly, he alone took on the risk that he might not be able to recoup his investment" citing Reiss v. Financial Performance Corp., 97 N.Y.2d 195, 201, 738 N.Y.S.2d 658, 764 N.E.2d 958 [2001].

A couple of observations are in order: First, in the context of a CPLR 3211 motion, plaintiff's motivations as alleged by defendant are irrelevant because the allegations in the amended complaint must be accepted as true. Second, Reiss is a declaratory injunction action concerning a stock swap; no allegation of mutual mistake is present.

Further, even though there is an express contract between the parties, it is unclear whether it covers the current dispute; therefore, plaintiff may plead unjust enrichment ( see e.g. IIG Capital LLC v. Archipelago, L.L.C., 36 A.D.3d 401, 405, 829 N.Y.S.2d 10 [2007] ), and the amended complaint states such a cause of action ( see Simonds v. Simonds, 45 N.Y.2d 233, 242, 408 N.Y.S.2d 359, 380 N.E.2d 189 [1978] ).

Finally, defendant and the dissent ignore the allegations of mutual mistake as to the actual existence of the account itself. Both defendant and the dissent attempt to foreclose plaintiff's claims by transmogrifying the claim of mutual mistake into a claim of mistake in valuation.

The dissent states: "[a]t the time of the agreement, Steven had an account in his name with [Madoff]." Untrue. Stevennever had an account in his name with Madoff; on Madoff's own admission there were no accounts within which trades were made on behalf of investors.

The dissent then states, "Steven liquidated part of the account to fund his payments to Laura." Untrue. In Madoff's Ponzi scheme what appeared to Steven and Laura to be a partial liquidation of an account was simply a payment to Steven that came from funds deposited by a more recent "investor" in what the "investor" believed was his own account.

The dissent further observes, "[Steven] did not liquidate the rest of the Madoff account ... and he continued to invest in it." Untrue. There was no account which could be liquidated, as became apparent when Madoff received $7 billion worth of "liquidation" calls from investors in 2008. Nor was Steven "investing" in an account; his further contributions went directly to pay other "investors" in the scheme.

All concur except GONZALEZ, P.J. and MOSKOWITZ, J. who dissent in a memorandum by MOSKOWITZ, J. as follows:

MOSKOWITZ, J. dissenting:

Today the majority unravels a carefully negotiated divorce settlement in which the husband received the benefit of his bargain. Instead of enforcing the plain language of the agreement between the parties, the majority relies on the doctrine of "mutual mistake" to rewrite it. However, even if one accepts that mutual mistake is the appropriate analysis, the complaint fails. It fails first because the alleged mutual mistake does not involve a fundamental assumption of the contract. It further fails because the alleged mistake did not exist at the time the parties entered into their agreement. Moreover, the majority's approach undermines decades of established precedent favoring finality in divorce cases. Thus, the conclusion the majority reaches, not only fails to follow precedent, but is truly "divorced" from reality.

The Separation Agreement

Plaintiff Steven Simkin and defendant Laura Blank 1 married in 1973 and have two children, born in 1981 and 1984. The parties separated in 2001. On June 27, 2006, they entered into an agreement to divide their property (the agreement). The agreement involved a complex series of transactions-a fact the complaint fails to take into account. The division of property was quite specific. Steven, the monied spouse, was to pay Laura an aggregate sum of $6,250,000:

"As and for an equitable distributionof property, excluding pension and retirement funds ... and in satisfaction of the Wife's support and marital property rights, the Husband shall pay to the Wife an aggregate and all inclusive amount of $6,250,000."
In exchange, Laura waived all spousal support, and, upon payment, was to convey "all her right, title and interest" to the parties' residence in Scarsdale, New York to Steven. Laura also received the parties' Manhattan apartment
...

To continue reading

Request your trial
7 cases
  • Hackett v. Hackett, 3338/2008.
    • United States
    • New York Supreme Court
    • February 21, 2012
    ...but not the mutual mistake necessary to rewrite an agreement which is complete on its face. According to defendant, the Simkin v. Blank case, (80 A.D.3d 401 [2011] ), which was cited by plaintiff, has been superceded by the Court of Appeals' June 23, 2011 opinion entitled Commodity Futures ......
  • Marin v. AI Holdings (USA) Corp.
    • United States
    • New York Supreme Court
    • May 17, 2012
    ...take the allegations of the complaint as true and provide plaintiff the benefit of every possible inference” (Simkin v. Blank, 80 A.D.3d 401, 401, 915 N.Y.S.2d 47 [1st Dept 2011] [internal citation and quotation marks omitted] ). To prevail on a motion for dismissal pursuant to CPLR 3211(a)......
  • Simkin v. Blank
    • United States
    • New York Court of Appeals Court of Appeals
    • April 3, 2012
    ...the amended complaint. The Appellate Division, with two Justices dissenting, reversed and reinstated the action (80 A.D.3d 401, 915 N.Y.S.2d 47 [1st Dept.2011] ). The Appellate Division granted wife leave to appeal on a certified question (2011 N.Y. Slip Op. 70450[U] [2011] ), and we now re......
  • Allman v. New York State Dep't of Corr. Servs.
    • United States
    • New York Supreme Court
    • August 16, 2011
    ...under CPLR § 3211. For this purpose, the Court must accept the allegations in the complaint as true. See Simkin v. Blank, 80A.D.3d401, 403, 915 N.Y.S.2d 47, 50(1st Dept. 2011). Where, as here, movant has submitted the disciplinary records and arbitrator's award, this Court may properly cons......
  • Request a trial to view additional results

VLEX uses login cookies to provide you with a better browsing experience. If you click on 'Accept' or continue browsing this site we consider that you accept our cookie policy. ACCEPT