| Aurora Loan Servs., LLC v Sobanke |
| 2012 NY Slip Op 09017 [101 AD3d 1065] |
| December 26, 2012 |
| Appellate Division, Second Department |
| Aurora Loan Services, LLC, Appellant, v Toyin Sobanke etal., Defendants. |
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In an action to foreclose a mortgage, the plaintiff appeals from (1) an order of the SupremeCourt, Kings County (Schack, J.), dated November 3, 2010, which provided that the plaintiff's exparte motion for an order of reference and the complaint would be dismissed unless, within 60days of the issuance of that order, the plaintiff submitted an attorney affirmation attesting to theaccuracy of the plaintiff's documents, and (2) an order of the same court dated January 10, 2011,which, sua sponte, directed the dismissal of the complaint with prejudice and the cancellation ofa certain notice of pendency filed against the subject real property.
Ordered that the appeal from the order dated November 3, 2010, is dismissed, without costsor disbursements, as no appeal lies from an order issued ex parte (see CPLR 5701 [a] [2];Household Fin. Realty Corp. of N.Y. vWinn, 19 AD3d 545 [2005]); and it is further,
Ordered that on the Court's own motion, the notice of appeal from the order dated January10, 2011, is deemed to be an application for leave to appeal from that order, and leave to appealis granted (see CPLR 5701 [c]); and it is further,
Ordered that the order dated January 10, 2011, is reversed, on the law, without costs ordisbursements.
In 2009, the plaintiff commenced this action to foreclose a mortgage against the defendantToyin Sobanke and additional defendants. No defendant has answered the complaint. InSeptember 2009, the plaintiff moved, ex parte, for an order of reference. In an order datedNovember 3, 2010, the Supreme Court indicated that it would not consider the plaintiff's ex partemotion unless, within 60 days of the issuance of that order, the plaintiff submitted an attorneyaffirmation attesting to the accuracy of the plaintiff's documents. The court also indicated that theplaintiff's ex parte motion and the complaint would be dismissed unless the attorney affirmationwas filed within the 60-day deadline.
Before the 60-day deadline had passed, the plaintiff filed a notice of withdrawal, [*2]requesting that its ex parte motion for an order of reference bewithdrawn, so that it could provide the Supreme Court with the requested attorney affirmation.No determination on the plaintiff's request to withdraw its ex parte motion was made. Instead, inan order dated January 10, 2011, issued approximately one week after the 60-day deadline hadpassed, the Supreme Court, sua sponte, directed the dismissal of the complaint with prejudiceand the cancellation of the notice of pendency. This was error.
"A court's power to dismiss a complaint, sua sponte, is to be used sparingly and only whenextraordinary circumstances exist to warrant dismissal" (U.S. Bank, N.A. v Emmanuel, 83 AD3d 1047, 1048 [2011]). Here,there were no extraordinary circumstances warranting dismissal of the complaint with prejudiceand the cancellation of the notice of pendency (see Bank of Am., N.A. v Bah, 95 AD3d 1150, 1151-1152 [2012];U.S. Bank, N.A. v Guichardo, 90AD3d 1032, 1033 [2011]; U.S. Bank, N.A. v Emmanuel, 83 AD3d at 1048; HSBC Bank USA, N.A. v Valentin, 72AD3d 1027, 1029-1030 [2010]). Contrary to the Supreme Court's determination, theplaintiff's counsel did not engage in "delinquent conduct" and there is no evidence of a pattern ofwillful noncompliance with court-ordered deadlines (see Bank of Am., N.A. v Bah, 95AD3d at 1151-1152; NYCTL 2008-ATrust v Estate of Locksley Holas, 93 AD3d 650 [2012]; U.S. Bank, N.A. vGuichardo, 90 AD3d at 1033). Rather, the plaintiff requested permission to withdraw its exparte motion within the 60-day deadline, in order to provide the court with the requestedaffirmation.
Under these circumstances, the Supreme Court erred in, sua sponte, directing the dismissal ofthe complaint with prejudice and the cancellation of the notice of pendency. Skelos, J.P., Hall,Austin and Hinds-Radix, JJ., concur.