Opinion
2000-10553
Argued November 8, 2001.
December 3, 2001.
In an action, inter alia, to recover damages for fraud and unjust enrichment, the defendants appeal from an order of the Supreme Court, Nassau County (Joseph, J.), entered September 22, 2000, which granted the plaintiffs' motion for class certification pursuant to CPLR article 9.
Meyer, Suozzi, English Klein, P.C., Mineola, N Y (Jeffrey G. Stark and Michael A. Ciaffa of counsel), and Ballard Spahr Andrews Ingersoll, LLP, Philadelphia, Pa., for appellants (one brief filed).
Jacob, Medinger Finnegan, LLP, New York, N Y (Peter A. Cross, Bryan A. McKenna, Wendy C. Michael, and David Jaroslaw of counsel), for respondents.
Before: WILLIAM D. FRIEDMANN, J.P., NANCY E. SMITH, THOMAS A. ADAMS, BARRY A. COZIER, JJ.
DECISION ORDER
ORDERED that the order is affirmed, with costs.
CPLR article 9, which authorizes class action suits in New York, and sets forth the criteria to be considered in granting class action certification, is to be liberally construed (see, Liechtung v. Tower Air, 269 A.D.2d 363; Lauer v. New York Tel. Co., 231 A.D.2d 126, 130; Friar v. Vanguard Holding Corp., 78 A.D.2d 83, 91). The determination to grant class action certification rests in the sound discretion of the Supreme Court, "and any error should be resolved in favor of allowing the class action" (Liechtung v. Tower Air, supra, at 364; Lauer v. New York Tel. Co., supra; Friar v. Vanguard Holding Corp., supra, at 100). Contrary to the defendants' contention, the Supreme Court providently exercised its discretion in determining that the statutory criteria set forth in CPLR 901 was satisfied, and that class certification was warranted (see, Liechtung v. Tower Air, supra; Lauer v. New York Tel. Co., supra; Branch v. Crabtree, 197 A.D.2d 557; Super Glue Corp. v. Avis Rent A Car Sys., 132 A.D.2d 604; Friar v. Vanguard Holding Corp., supra).
FRIEDMANN, J.P., SMITH, ADAMS and COZIER, JJ., concur.