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
It May Look Like Documentary Evidence, But Is It Under CPLR 3211(a)(1)?
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
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