In Miller v. Brunner, the Appellate Division, Second Department spoke clearly (again) about how to move to dismiss on the defense of release. In a case arising out of the Commercial Division in Kings County (Hon. Sylvia G. Ash), a question on appeal was whether the defense of release is considered “documentary
CPLR 3211(a)(1)
It May Look Like Documentary Evidence, But Is It Under CPLR 3211(a)(1)?
By Farrell Fritz P.C. on
Posted in Defenses
CPLR 3211(a)(1) allows a defendant to seek dismissal of a complaint when the defense is “founded upon documentary evidence.” “Documentary evidence”, however, is not defined by the CPLR – leaving many practitioners in the dark as to what qualifies as a sufficient “document” under this paragraph. Indeed, in a recent blog, we highlighted a…
Attorney Letter Terminating Engagement May Not Constitute “Documentary Evidence” to Support Dismissal of Malpractice Case
By Farrell Fritz P.C. on
Posted in Attorney-Client Relationship
CPLR 3211(a)(1) provides for the dismissal of a claim so long as the defense is based upon “documentary evidence”. We’ve seen this used successfully in mortgage note cases, (e.g., Bronxville Knolls, Inc. v. Webster Town Center Partnership, [1st Dep’t 1995]), as well as lease litigation (e.g., 150 Broadway N.Y. Assocs., L.P. v. Bodner…