Board of Mgrs. of the No. 5 Condominium v 44th St. Partners I, LLC 216 NY Slip Op 382(U) April 28, 216 Supreme Court, Ne York County Docket Number: 153192/212 Judge: Manuel J. Mdez Cases posted ith a "3" idtifier, i.e., 213 NY Slip Op 31(U), are republished from various state and local governmt ebsites. These include the Ne York State Unified Court System's E-Courts Service, and the Bronx County Clerk's office. This opinion is uncorrected and not selected for official publication.
[* FILED: 1] NEW YORK COUNTY CLERK 5/2/216 11:16 AM INDEX NO. 153192/212 NYSCEF DOC. NO. 546 RECEIVED NYSCEF: 5/2/216 SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK NEW YORK COUNTY PRESENT: MANUEL J. MENDEZ Justice PART 13 -~=---.. - -z <( (!) z u- j:: ~...J ::>...J.., u.... c :::c... ~ u. >...J...J ::> u.... u.. <( u - z... ::!: BOARD OF MANAGERS OF THE NUMBER 5 CONDOMINIUM. INDEX NO. 153192/212 MOTION DATE 3-9-216 Plaintiff. MOTION SEQ. NO. 11 MOTION CAL. NO. 44TH STREET PARTNERS I. LLC, FIVE EAST 44TH LLC, ----- ISAMU SUZUKI, PATRICK THOMPSON. TWP CAPITAL PARTNERS 1. LLC. PHILIP JOHNSON/ALAN RITCHIE ARCHITECTS P.C. ALAN RITCHIE. MARKO T. DASIGENIS. WILLIAM Q. BROTHERS Ill ARCHITECT. P.C. WILLIAM Q. BROTHERS Ill, T.C. SIDERIS, P.E.P.C., SIDERIS KEFALAS ENGINEERS P.C., TERRY SIDERIS P.E. CHRIS SIDERIS. P.E., FILOLAOS KEFALAS P.E.. DeNARDIS ENGINEERING, LLC. JOSEPH A. De NARDIS. P.E. CORE GROUP MARKETING. LLC. ANLAR LLC. HUDSON MERIDIAN CONSTRUCTION GROUP. LLC WILFORD & PASSEGGIO'S PLUMBING & HEATING, PASSEGGIO'S PLUMBING & HEATING CORP. VIS INDUSTRIES, and VISTA ARCHITECTURAL PRODUCTS. INC.. Defdants. 44th STREET PARTNERS I, LLC. FIVE EAST 44TH LLC. ISAMU SUZUKI. PATRICK THOMPSON, and TWP CAPITAL PARTNERS I, LLC. Third-Party Plaintiffs. CASCADE WATER SERVICES, INC. Second Third-Party Defdant. 44th STREET PARTNERS I, LLC. FIVE EAST 44TH LLC, ISAMU SUZUKI, PATRICK THOMPSON. and TWP CAPITAL PARTNERS I, LLC. Third Third-Party Plaintiffs. TAUBE PROPERTY MANAGEMENT, QUEST ELECTRICAL, TRI-TECH ELECTRICAL. LYONS ROOFING. MARSAL ROOFING. and APEX ARCHITECTURAL. Third-Party Defdants. VIS PLUMBING. HEATING. AND MECHANICAL CORP. d/b/a VIS INDUSTRIES. Second Third-Party Plaintiff, HUDSON MERIDIAN CONSTRUCTION GROUP LLC, WILFORD & PASSEGGIO'S PLUMBING & HEATING. CORP.. PASSEGGIO'S PLUMBING & HEATING CORP., DENARDIS ENGINEERING. LLC. JOSEPH A. DENARDIS. P.E., ANLAR LLC. VIS INDUSTRIES and VISTA ARCHITECTURAL PRODUCTS. INC. Third Third-Party Defdants. 1 of 4
[* 2] The follo':"'ing papers, numbered 1 to_ _ ere read on this motion to strike the Anser, preclude and compel discovery. PAPERS NUMBERED Notice of Motion/ Order to Sho Cause - Affidavits - Exhibits... Ansering Affidavits - Exhibits ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Replying Affidavits ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Cross-Motion: D Yes X No 1-4 5-6 Upon a reading of the foregoing cited papers, it is Ordered that Defdant Hudson Meridian Construction Group, LLC's (herein "Hudson") motion to strike the Anser of Defdant Anlar LLC (herein "Anlar"), or to preclude Anlar, or to compel Anlar to provide the remaining outstanding discovery demands of Hudson, is granted to the extt stated herein. Plaintiff commced the instant action on January 15, 213, seeking recovery for property damages against defdants. Hudson served an Anser ith Cross Claims on April 15, 213. (Mot. Exh. C). Hudson has since served Anlar ith a Notice for Discovery and Inspection (Mot. Exh. D), a Demand for Bill of Particulars as to Anlar's Cross-Claims (Mot. Exh. E}, and Combined Demands on all Defdants (Mot. Exh. F). This Court's Conferce Orders dated January 15, 214, December 17, 214, April 15, 215, and September 3, 215, directed all outstanding discovery be produced and responded to by certain dates. (Mot. Exhs. G, I, J, and K). Hudson no moves for an Order pursuant to CPLR 3126 to strike Anlar's Anser, or pursuant to CPLR 3124 to compel Anlar to respond to the outstanding discovery because Anlar has failed to produce the documt discovery requested and Ordered by this Court. Anlar's Opposition argues that Hudson's motion is moot and must be died in its tirety because Anlar has responded to Hudson's discovery demands. (Aft. In Opp. Exh. 1 ). Anlar's responses are dated January 12, 216. On January 27, 216, a Status Conferce Order directed the parties to respond to all outstanding discovery by February 29, 216. On March 9, 216, Hudson argued that Anlar did not provide all the documts requested and that it as requesting either the documts, or a search affidavit confirming the documts cannot be located and preclusion from testimony as to the missing documts at trial. Anlar states that it filed for bankruptcy in 211 and all files ere retained by the Bankruptcy Trustee. Further, Anlar had only located 1 O documts, hich ere produced to Hudson, and it as still looking for the remaining documts requested. Anlar does not object to providing a search affidavit but argues against preclusion because its conduct as not illful or contumacious. CPLR 311 (a) allos for the "full disclosure of all evidce material and necessary in the prosecution or defse of an action regardless of the burd of proof." CPLR 3124 grants the court the poer to compel a party to provide discovery demanded. CPLR 3126 grants the court the poer to sanction a party that 2 of 4
[* 3] fails to comply ith a court's discovery order. The nature and degree of the palty to be imposed for a party's failure to comply ith an order is a matter ithin the sound discretion of the court (see CPLR 3126; Silberstein v. Maimonides Medical Cter, 19 A.D.3d 812, 971 N.Y.S.2d 167 [2"d Dept., 213]). The striking of a pleading is a drastic remedy and is only arranted here a clear shoing has be made that the noncompliance ith an order as illful, contumacious or due to bad faith (Mateo v. City of Ne York, 274 A.O. 2d 337, 711N.Y.S.2d 396 [1 51 Dept. 2)). Wh certain discovery is unavailable, the party ordered to produce the discovery may submit "[a]n affidavit regarding the unavailability of documts that are the subject of a discovery order," and that affidavit "must documt a thorough search conducted in good faith." (Hderson-Jones v. City of Ne York, 87 A.D.3d 498, 55, 928 N.Y.S.2d 536, 542[1st Dept. 211]). A court may also preclude a party from testifying at the time of trial or otherise submitting evidce in support of, or in opposition to, the discovery sought. (Id.; see also Yong Soon Oh v. Hua Jin, 124 A.D.3d 639, 1 N.Y.S.3d 37 [2"d Dept., 215]). Anlar has not complied fully ith Hudson's discovery demands or this Court's Conferce Orders. To the extt Anlar completes a thorough search for the remaining documts, and these documts cannot be located and/or retrieved from the Bankruptcy Trustee, the proper remedy is for Anlar to provide Hudson ith a detailed search affidavit hich provides that a thorough search and/or request from the Bankruptcy Trustee for a return of these documts has be made. The affidavit is to detail the time, places, and manner in hich the search as conducted, and/or request of the Bankruptcy Trustee as made. In the evt, these documts cannot be located or retrieved, Anlar ill be precluded from testifying at the time of trial as to these unretrievable documts. Accordingly, it is ORDERED that Hudson Meridian Construction Group, LLC's motion to strike the Anser, to compel Anlar, LLC to comply ith discovery demands, to preclude Anlar LLC from using documts not produced, or to compel Anlar LLC to provide a search affidavit that all documts have be searched for and produced after a thorough search, is granted, and it is further, ORDERED, that Anlar, LLC provide a search affidavit detailing the time, places and manner that a search as conducted and/or a request to the Bankruptcy Trustee as made for the documts requested and that the documts cannot be located and/or retrieved ithin thirty (3) days of the service of this Order ith Notice of Entry, and it is further, ORDERED, that failure of Anlar LLC to produce any of the documts sought by Hudson Meridian Construction Group LLC, ill result in preclusion from testifying as to those documts at the time of trial, and it is further, 3 of 4
[* 4] ORDERED, that the parties appear for a Status Conferce in IAS Part 13 located at 71 Thomas St., Room 21, N.Y., N.Y. on June 22, 216 at 9:3AM. ENTER: Dated: April 28, 216 MANUEL J. MENDEZ J.S.C. MANUEL J. MENDEZ J.S.C. Check one: FINAL DISPOSITION X NON-FINAL DISPOSITION Check if appropriate: DO NOT POST -REFERENCE 4 of 4