Court Opinion

ID: 9959906
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2024-04-12 20:11:53.532772+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T08:18:59.404616
License: Public Domain

Devda v Pratik News Stands Corp.
               2024 NY Slip Op 31184(U)
                      April 8, 2024
           Supreme Court, New York County
        Docket Number: Index No. 152479/2022
                   Judge: Judy H. Kim
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.
 [FILED: NEW YORK COUNTY CLERK 04/08/2024 04:26 P~                                                                       INDEX NO. 152479/2022
  NYSCEF DOC. NO. 19                                                                                               RECEIVED NYSCEF: 04/08/2024

                                   SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK
                                             NEW YORK COUNTY
            PRESENT:             HON. JUDY H. KIM                                                    PART                             04
                                                                                       Justice
            ----------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------X      INDEX NO.          152479/2022
             DHARMPALSINH G. DEVDA,
                                                                                                     MOTION DATE         07/12/2023
                                                         Plaintiff,
                                                                                                     MOTION SEQ. NO.         001
                                                 - V -

             PRATIK NEWS STANDS CORPORATION, JAYASHRI B.
             PATEL, KAMLESHBAI PATEL, BABU PATEL, YASSER                                               DECISION + ORDER ON
             KASIM,                                                                                          MOTION

                                                         Defendants.
            ------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------X

            The following e-filed documents, listed by NYSCEF document number(Motion 001) 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13,
            14, 15, 16, 17, 18
            were read on this motion to/for                                                       JUDGMENT - DEFAULT

                      Upon the foregoing documents, the motion by plaintiff for a default judgment against the

            Pratik News Stands Corporation (the "Corporate Defendant") and Jayashiri B. Patel, Kamleshbai

            Patel, Babu Patel and Tasser Kassim (collectively, the "Individual Defendants"), is denied for the

            reasons set forth below.

                      Plaintiff commenced this action seeking monetary damages for unpaid wages, unpaid

            overtime wages, spread of hours pay and unlawful wage deduction under applicable Labor Laws

            and to recover statutory damages, attorneys' fees and costs for violations of Labor Law §§ 195(1)

            and 195(3). To date, defendants have not filed Answers or appeared in this case.

                                                                      DISCUSSION

                       Plaintiffs motion for a default judgment is denied. To establish his entitlement to a default

           judgment pursuant to CPLR §3215, plaintiff is required to submit proof of: (1) proper service of

            the summons and complaint; (2) the facts constituting the claim; and (3) defendants' default in

             152479/2022 DEVDA, DHARMPALSINH G. vs. PRATIK NEWS STANDS CORPORATION ET AL                                 Page 1 of4
             Motion No. 001

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 [FILED: NEW YORK COUNTY CLERK 04/08/2024 04:26 P~                                                 INDEX NO. 152479/2022
  NYSCEF DOC. NO. 19                                                                       RECEIVED NYSCEF: 04/08/2024

            answering or appearing (See Gordon Law Firm, P.C. v Premier DNA Corp., 165 NYS3d 691 [1st

            Dept 2022]).

                   In this case, plaintiff has not established proof of defendants' defaults. As to the Corporate

            Defendant, where, as here, service of process was effected through the New York State Secretary

            of State, CPLR §3215(g)(4) mandates that plaintiff must also submit an affidavit of service

            documenting an additional service of the summons to defendant's last known address by first-class

            mail (See~' Sterk-Kirch v Uptown Communications & Elec. Inc., 124 AD3d 413,414 [1st Dept

            2015]). There being no such additional service of the summons and complaint made at the Pratik

            News Stand Corporation's last known address, a default judgment against the Corporate Defendant

            is precluded.

                   As to the Individual Defendants, each of these defendants were served pursuant to CPLR

            308(2) or (4) which require, inter alia, that "proof of such service shall be filed with the clerk of

            the court designated in the summons within twenty days of either such delivery or mailing" and

            that "service shall be complete ten days after such filing" (CPLR §§308[2], [4]) whereas plaintiff

            filed affidavits of service on July 12, 2023, approximately one year after the follow-mailings to

            each Individual Defendant on July 28, 2022. Accordingly, at the time this motion was made service

            had not been completed on these Individual Defendants and therefore they have not defaulted (See

            First Fed. Sav. & Loan Assn. of Charleston v Iezzi, 164 AD3d 758, 759-60 [2d Dept 2018]).

            However, as the "failure to file proof of service is a procedural irregularity, not a jurisdictional

            defect, that may be cured by motion or sua sponte by the court in its discretion pursuant to CPLR

            2004" (Id. [internal citations and quotations omitted]), the Court now deems the affidavit of service

             152479/2022 DEVDA, DHARMPALSINH G. vs. PRATIK NEWS STANDS CORPORATION ET AL           Page 2 of 4
             Motion No. 001

                                                          2 of 4
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 [FILED: NEW YORK COUNTY CLERK 04/08/2024 04:26 P~                                                 INDEX NO. 152479/2022
  NYSCEF DOC. NO. 19                                                                       RECEIVED NYSCEF: 04/08/2024

            timely filed, sua sponte, pursuant to CPLR §2004, and, in the interest of justice, extends the

            Individual Defendants' time to answer by an additional thirty days after service upon them of a

            copy of this decision and order (Id. [internal citations omitted]).

                    Finally, the Court notes that plaintiff's affidavit of merit submitted in connection with this

            motion appears to have been taken without the state yet fails to include a certificate of conformity

            required by CPLR §2309(c).

                    Accordingly, it is

                    ORDERED that plaintiff's motion for a default judgment is denied without prejudice to

            renewal thirty days after his service of this decision and order upon the Individual Defendants; and

            it is further

                    ORDERED that, within twenty days of the date of this decision and order, plaintiff shall

            serve a copy of this decision and order, with notice of entry, upon all defendants; and it is further

                    ORDERED that, within twenty days of the date of this decision and order, plaintiff shall

            serve a copy of this decision and order, with notice of entry, upon the Clerk of the Court ( 60 Centre

            Street, Room 141B) and the Clerk of the General Clerk's Office (60 Centre Street, Room 119);

            and it is further

                    ORDERED that such service upon the Clerk of the Court and the Clerk of the General

            Clerk's Office shall be made in accordance with the procedures set forth in the Protocol on

            Courthouse and County Clerk Procedures for Electronically Filed Cases (accessible at the

             152479/2022 DEVDA, DHARMPALSINH G. vs. PRATIK NEWS STANDS CORPORATION ET AL            Page 3 of 4
             Motion No. 001

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 !FILED: NEW YORK COUNTY CLERK 04/08/2024 04:26 PMI                                                    INDEX NO. 152479 / 2022
  NYSCEF DOC. NO. 19                                                                            RECEIVED NYSCEF: 04 / 08 / 2024

            "EFiling" page on this court's website at the address www.nycourts.gov/supctmanh).

                    This constitutes the decision and order of the Court.

                     4/8/2024
                                                                        ~:;d~
                      DATE                                                         HON. JUDY H. KIM, J.S.C.

                                      ~
             CHECK ONE:                   CASE DISPOSED                     NON-FINAL DISPOSITION

                                          GRANTED         0    DENIED   GRANTED IN PART              □ OTHER
             APPLICATION :                SETTLE ORDER                      SUBMIT ORDER

             CHECK IF APPROPRIATE :       INCLUDES TRANSFER/REASSIGN        FIDUCIARY APPOINTMENT    □ REFERENCE

             152479/2022 DEVDA, DHARMPALSINH G. vs. PRATIK NEWS STANDS CORPORATION ET AL               Page 4 of 4
             Motion No. 001

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