Opinion
April 8, 1988
Appeal from the Supreme Court, Niagara County, Koshian, J.
Present — Doerr, J.P., Green, Pine, Balio and Lawton, JJ.
Order unanimously modified on the law and as modified affirmed without costs, in accordance with the following memorandum: Special Term erred in dismissing plaintiff's entire complaint, which included a fifth cause of action for a declaratory judgment, on the ground that a CPLR article 78 proceeding seeking the same relief as the declaratory judgment cause of action was pending. Defendants failed to submit the petition in the article 78 proceeding or any other proof that the claims were identical (see, Weiss v. Salamone, 116 A.D.2d 1009, 1010). However, defendants' motion to dismiss plaintiff's first four causes of action, all sounding in torts, should have been granted based on plaintiff's conceded failure to serve a notice of claim as required by General Municipal Law § 50-e and Town Law § 67. Although the failure to serve a notice of claim has been excused in cases in which the primary relief sought was equitable in nature, and monetary damages were incidental, those cases also involved requests for injunctive relief from continuing acts by municipalities, a factor not present here (Sammons v. City of Gloversville, 175 N.Y. 346; Dutcher v. Town of Shandaken, 97 A.D.2d 922; Malcuria v. Town of Seneca, 84 A.D.2d 931, mot to dismiss appeal granted 55 N.Y.2d 1037; Fontana v. Town of Hempstead, 18 A.D.2d 1084, affd 13 N.Y.2d 1134). We further find that defendants waived any Statute of Limitations defense with respect to plaintiff's fifth cause of action, seeking a declaratory judgment, by failing to raise it in a preanswer motion or in their answer (CPLR 3211 [e]). Thus, the fifth cause of action remains intact.