Opinion
March 15, 1999
Appeal from the Supreme Court, Nassau County (Ain, J.).
Ordered that the order is affirmed, with costs.
Stipulations of settlement are favored by the courts and are not lightly set aside. A stipulation of settlement, particularly one made in open court, is to be strictly enforced, and a party will not be relieved from the consequences of a stipulation unless it establishes cause sufficient to invalidate a contract, such as fraud, collusion, mistake, or accident ( see, Wilutis v. Wilutis, 184 A.D.2d 639; HCE Assocs. v. 3000 Watermill Lane Realty Corp., 131 A.D.2d 543). Since the appellant failed to establish such sufficient cause, the Supreme Court did not err in denying his motion to be relieved of the strict terms of the settlement.
S. Miller, J. P., Sullivan, Friedmann and Luciano, JJ., concur.