Opinion
2013-05-1
BANK OF AMERICA, N.A., etc., respondent, v. Samuel L. GOWRIE, et al, appellants, et al., defendants.
Regina Felton, Brooklyn, N.Y., for appellants. Hogan Lovells U.S. LLP, New York, N.Y. (David Dunn and Chava Brandriss of counsel), for respondent.
Regina Felton, Brooklyn, N.Y., for appellants. Hogan Lovells U.S. LLP, New York, N.Y. (David Dunn and Chava Brandriss of counsel), for respondent.
In an action to foreclose a mortgage, the defendants Samuel L. Gowrie, Heather Gowrie, Natasha Devine, Sharon Devine, Sherwin Gowrie, and Simone Gowrie appeal from an order of the Supreme Court, Queens County (Agate, J.), dated February 25, 2011, which denied their motion to vacate a judgment of foreclosure and sale of the same court dated November 4, 2009, entered upon their default in answering the complaint.
*879ORDERED that the order is affirmed, with costs.
A defendant seeking to vacate a default in answering the complaint must demonstrate a reasonable excuse for the default and a potentially meritorious defense to the action ( see Tuthill Fin., L.P. v. Ujueta, 102 A.D.3d 765, 957 N.Y.S.2d 873;Deutsche Bank Natl. Trust Co. v. Luden, 91 A.D.3d 701, 936 N.Y.S.2d 561). Here, the Supreme Court properly denied the appellants' motion to vacate the judgment of foreclosure and sale entered upon their default in answering upon correctly determining that they were duly served with process and failed to establish a reasonable excuse for their default. Accordingly, we need not determine whether the appellants demonstrated a potentially meritorious defense ( see Deutsche Bank Natl. Trust Co. v. Pietranico, 102 A.D.3d 724, 957 N.Y.S.2d 868;U.S. Bank, N.A. v. Stewart, 97 A.D.3d 740, 948 N.Y.S.2d 411).
The appellants' remaining contentions are without merit.