| Cieri v Halton |
| 2022 NY Slip Op 05656 [209 AD3d 461] |
| October 11, 2022 |
| Appellate Division, First Department |
| Published by New York State Law Reporting Bureau pursuant to Judiciary Law § 431. |
| Jeannine M. Cieri et al., Appellants, v Yonah Halton et al., Respondents. |
Jeannine M. Cieri and another, appellants pro se.
Todd Rothenberg, New Rochelle, for Yonah Halton, respondent.
Hertz, Cherson & Rosenthal, P.C., Forest Hills (Jeffrey M. Steinitz of counsel), for Yaaron LLC, respondent.
Order, Supreme Court, New York County (Paul A. Goetz, J.), entered May 5, 2021, which denied plaintiffs' motion for a default judgment against defendants for failure to answer the complaint and granted defendants' cross motions to dismiss the complaint for lack of personal jurisdiction, unanimously affirmed, without costs.
The court correctly concluded that it lacked personal jurisdiction over defendant Yonah Halton, as service of process upon him was effectuated in violation of General Business Law § 13 (see JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. v Lilker, 153 AD3d 1243, 1244 [2d Dept 2017]). Service was effected during the Jewish Sabbath, after sundown on a Friday (see Hirsch v Ben Zvi, 184 Misc 2d 946, 947 [Civ Ct, Kings County 2000]), and Halton met his burden of demonstrating malicious intent (see JPMorgan Chase Bank, 153 AD3d at 1245; Matter of Kushner, 200 AD2d 1, 2 [1st Dept 1994], appeal dismissed 85 NY2d 856 [1995]). Plaintiffs failed to rebut Halton's showing of malice.
Personal jurisdiction was also lacking as to defendant Yaaron LLC. Even assuming Halton was authorized to accept service on its behalf (see CPLR 311-a [a]), service was in violation of General Business Law § 13.
In view of the foregoing, we need not consider the parties' remaining arguments. Concur—Gische, J.P., Kern, Gesmer, Rodriguez, Pitt, JJ.