Court Opinion

ID: 9959909
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2024-04-12 20:11:57.760037+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T08:18:59.406363
License: Public Domain

Board of Mgrs. of the Hampton House Condominium
                     v IPark U, Inc.
               2024 NY Slip Op 31187(U)
                      April 8, 2024
           Supreme Court, New York County
        Docket Number: Index No. 158771/2021
                 Judge: Mary V. Rosado
Cases posted with a "30000" identifier, i.e., 2013 NY Slip
 Op 30001(U), are republished from various New York
 State and local government sources, including the New
  York State Unified Court System's eCourts Service.
 This opinion is uncorrected and not selected for official
                       publication.
                                                                                                            INDEX NO. 158771/2021
  NYSCEF DOC. NO. 43                                                                                  RECEIVED NYSCEF: 04/08/2024

                               SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK
                                         NEW YORK COUNTY
            PRESENT:          HON. MARY V. ROSADO                                       PART                              33M
                                                          Justice
                                              ·------------X                            INDEX NO.          158771/2021
             BOARD OF MANAGERS OF THE HAMPTON HOUSE
                                                                                        MOTION DATE         12/19/2023
             CONDOMINIUM

                                                   Plaintiff,                           MOTION SEQ. NO.         002

                                            -v-
                                                                                          DECISION + ORDER ON
             lPARK U, INC.,
                                                                                                 MOTION
                                                   Defendant.
            ----------------------------------------------------------------------X

            The following e-filed documents, listed by NYSCEF document number (Motion 002) 24, 25, 27, 30, 32,
            33, 34, 35, 36, 37
            were read on this motion to/for                                           STRIKE PLEADINGS

                    Upon the foregoing documents, there being no opposition and good cause having been

            shown, Plaintiff Board of Managers of the Hampton House Condominium's ("Plaintiff')

            December 19, 2023 motion for an Order striking Defendant !Park U, Inc's ("Defendant")

            December 13, 2021 Answer (NSYCEF Doc. 35) and granting default judgment against Defendant

            and in favor of Plaintiff for the relief sought in Plaintiff's Verified Complaint (NYSCEF Doc. 34)

            is granted.

                    I.        Background

                    Pursuant to the May 13, 2023 Preliminary Conference Order Plaintiff and Defendant were

            directed to serve any demands for discovery and inspection on or before July 15, 2023, and to

            serve responses to those demands "as per CPLR" (NYSCEF Doc. 24). Subsequently, Plaintiff filed

            a Notice of Demand for Discovery and Inspection on July 24, 2023 (NYSCEF Doc. 36). Pursuant

            to CPLR 3120(2), Defendant's response to Plaintiff's Discovery and Inspection Notice was to be

            served along with any responsive documents on or before August 14, 2023. After Defendant failed

             158771/2021 BOARD OF MANAGERS OF THE HAMPTON HOUSE CONDOMINIUM vs. !PARK U,                    Page 1 of 5
             INC.
             Motion No. 002

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  NYSCEF DOC. NO. 43                                                                        RECEIVED NYSCEF: 04/08/2024

           to respond to Plaintiffs Discovery and Inspection Notice by August 14, 2023, Defendant sent

           Plaintiff good faith emails on August 15, 2023 and August 16, 2023 seeking a response to the

           Discovery and Inspection Notice (NYSCEF Doc. 33 at 3). Plaintiff did not respond to either of

           Defendant's August emails (NSYCEF Doc. 33 at 3).

                  Subsequently, a Compliance Conference Order dated September 20, 2023 ordered

           Defendant, inter alia, to respond to Plaintiffs July 24, 2023 Discovery and Inspection Notice by

           October 20, 2023 (NYSCEF Doc. 27). Despite this Order, Defendant did not serve any response

           to the Discovery and Inspection Notice on or before October 20, 2023 (NYSCEF Doc. 33 at ,i 9).

                  On October 24, 2023 Plaintiffs counsel sent another email to Defendant's counsel seeking

           a response to Plaintiffs Discovery and Inspection Notice, and if a response was not received that

           Plaintiff would seek to schedule a pre-motion discovery conference (NYSCEF Doc. 33 at ,i 9).

                  On November 1, 2023, Plaintiff filed a request for leave to file a discovery motion in this

           action (NYSCEF Docs. 28-29). On November 3, 2023, the Court issued a Decision and Order

           conditionally granting Plaintiff leave to make a discovery motion in the event that Defendant "fails

           to file a response to Plaintiffs First Notice of Demand for Discovery and Inspection, dated July

           24, 2023 ... by December 1, 2023" (NYSCEF Doc. 30).

                  To date, Defendant has failed to provide any response to Plaintiffs Discovery and

           Inspection Notice. Accordingly, Plaintiff commenced the instant motion on December 19, 2023

           seeking an Order striking Defendant's December 13, 2021 Answer (NSYCEF Doc. 35) and

           granting default judgment against Defendant and in favor of Plaintiff for the relief sought in

           Plaintiffs Verified Complaint (NYSCEF Doc. 34). Defendant has not filed any opposition to

           Plaintiffs motion.

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            158771/2021 BOARD OF MANAGERS OF THE HAMPTON HOUSE CONDOMINIUM vs. IPARK U,           Page 2 of 5
            INC.
            Motion No. 002

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  NYSCEF DOC. NO. 43                                                                       RECEIVED NYSCEF: 04/08/2024

                   II.     Discussion

                           A. Plaintiffs Motion to Strike Defendant's Answer and Enter Default Judgment
                              against Defendant, is Granted

                   CPLR 3126(3) authorizes a court to strike pleadings where a party "refused to obey an

            order for disclosure or willfully fails to disclose information which the court finds ought to have

            been disclosed." The First Department has held that the repeated violation of discovery orders

            constitutes a pattern of noncompliance giving rise "to an inference of willful and contumacious

            conduct" warranting the imposition of sanctions pursuant to CPLR 3126 (Cooper v Metropolitan

            Transp. Auth., 186 AD3d 1150 [1st Dept 2020]).

                   Here, Defendant has failed to provide the discovery ordered by the May 13, 2023

            Preliminary Conference Order (NYSCEF Doc. 24), the September 20, 2023 Compliance

            Conference Order (NYSCEF Doc. 27) and the Decision and Order dated November 3, 2023

            (NYSCEF Doc. 30), and failed to respond to no less than three good faith letters sent by Plaintiffs

            counsel. In light of the foregoing, Defendant is held in default, and its answer is stricken.

                           B. Entry of Default Judgment against Defendant for the Relief Requested m
                              Plaintiffs Complaint is Proper

                   It is well settled that "[w]hen an answer is stricken and a default entered, the defendant

            'admits all traversable allegations in the complaint, including the basic allegation of liability, but

            does not admit the plaintiffs conclusion as to damages' ... unless the damages are for a sum which

            can be made certain by computation" (Curiale v Adra Ins. Co., 88 NY2d 268,279 [1996] quoting

            Rokina Optical Co. v Camera King, Inc., 63 NY2d 728, 730 [1984]). The Court of Appeals has

            held that the term "sum certain" "contemplates a situation in which, once liability has been

            established, there can be no dispute as to the amount due, as in actions on money judgments and

             158771/2021 BOARD OF MANAGERS OF THE HAMPTON HOUSE CONDOMINIUM vs. IPARK U,            Page 3 of 5
             INC.
             Motion No. 002

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  NYSCEF DOC. NO. 43                                                                         RECEIVED NYSCEF: 04/08/2024

            negotiable instruments" (Reynolds Secur., Inc. v Underwriters Bank & Trust Co. 44 NY2d 568,

            572 [1978]).

                    Here, the Court finds that Plaintiffs Complaint seeks a monetary judgment of $200,000.00

            with prejudgment interest (NYSCEF Doc. 34 at ,i 13). In accordance with the above outlined

            criteria, the $200,000.00 sum sought by Plaintiff constitutes a sum certain. Accordingly, an inquest

            is not needed, and Plaintiffs motion for a judgment on default in the sum of $200,000.00, with

            prejudgment interest, is granted against Defendant.

                    Accordingly, it is hereby,

                    ORDERED that Plaintiff Board of Manager of the Hampton House Condominium's

            December 19, 2023 motion for an Order striking Defendant !Park U, Inc.'s December 13, 2021

            Answer and granting a default judgment against Defendant and in favor of Plaintiff for the relief

            sought in Plaintiffs Verified Complaint, is granted; and it is further

                    ORDERED that Plaintiff Board of Manager of the Hampton House Condominium's

            motion for a money judgment on default against Defendant !Park U, Inc. is granted in the amount

            of $200,000.00, plus statutory interest from September 24, 2021 (the commencement of this

            action) through entry of judgment, as calculated by the Clerk of the Court, together with costs and

            disbursements as taxed by the Clerk of the Court upon submission of an appropriate bill of costs;

            and it is further

                    ORDERED that within ten (10) days of entry, counsel for Plaintiff Board of Manager of

            the Hampton House Condominium shall serve a copy of this Decision and Order, with notice of

            entry, upon Defendant !Park U, Inc.; and it is further

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             158771/2021 BOARD OF MANAGERS OF THE HAMPTON HOUSE CONDOMINIUM vs. IPARK U,           Page 4 of 5
             INC.
             Motion No. 002

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                                                                                                   INDEX NO. 158771/2021
  NYSCEF DOC. NO. 43                                                                         RECEIVED NYSCEF: 04/08/2024

                   ORDERED that the Clerk of the Court is directed to enter judgment accordingly.

                   This constitutes the Decision and Order of the Court.

                    4/8/2024
                     DATE                                                        HON. MARY V. ROSADO, J.S.C.

            CHECK ONE:               x   CASE DISPOSED                     NON-FINAL DISPOSITION

                                     x   GRANTED          □ DENIED         GRANTED IN PART          □ OTHER
            APPLICATION:                 SETTLE ORDER                      SUBMIT ORDER

            CHECK IF APPROPRIATE:        INCLUDES TRANSl'ER/REASSIGN       FIDUCIARY APPOINTMENT    □ REFERENCE

            158771/2021 BOARD OF MANAGERS OF THE HAMPTON HOUSE CONDOMINIUM vs. IPARK U,            Page 5 of 5
            INC.
            Motion No. 002

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