S T A T E O F N E W Y O R K ________________________________________________________________________ 5326 1997-1998 Regular Sessions I N S E N A T E May 14, 1997 ___________ Introduced by Sen. VOLKER -- (at request of the Judiciary) -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Rules AN ACT to amend the civil practice law and rules, in relation to neglect to proceed and to repeal rules 3216 and 3404 of such law and rules relating thereto The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- ______________________________________________________________________ bly, do enact as follows: _________________________ 1 Section 1. Rule 3216 of the civil practice law and rules is REPEALED 2 and a new rule 3216 is added to read as follows: 3 Rule 3216. Neglect to proceed prior to note of issue. (a) Where a ______________________________________________________________________ 4 party unreasonably neglects to proceed generally in an action in which ________________________________________________________________________ 5 no note of issue has been filed, the court, on its own initiative or ________________________________________________________________________ 6 upon motion, may, as provided herein, strike that party's pleading in ________________________________________________________________________ 7 whole or in part, dismiss the action or any part thereof or render a ________________________________________________________________________ 8 judgment by default or direct an inquest. Unless the order specifies ________________________________________________________________________ 9 otherwise, a dismissal pursuant to this subdivision is not on the ________________________________________________________________________ 10 merits. _______ 11 (b) The court may issue an order pursuant to subdivision (a) of this ______________________________________________________________________ 12 rule only if the following conditions precedent have been complied with: ________________________________________________________________________ 13 (1) One year must have elapsed since the joinder of issue or, in any ______________________________________________________________________ 14 case in which the court serves a demand in compliance with subdivision ________________________________________________________________________ 15 (c) of this rule, one year must have elapsed since the filing of the ________________________________________________________________________ 16 request for judicial intervention; __________________________________ 17 (2) The court or party seeking such relief shall have served upon the ______________________________________________________________________ 18 party who has neglected to proceed a written demand in compliance with ________________________________________________________________________ 19 subdivision (c) of this rule that prosecution of the action be resumed; ________________________________________________________________________ 20 and ___ 21 (3) The period set forth in the demand shall have passed without ______________________________________________________________________ 22 compliance. ___________ 23 (c) The demand shall be served by regular mail and shall require, at ______________________________________________________________________ 24 the election of the court or the party who sends it, that, within ninety ________________________________________________________________________ EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets _______ [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD10718-01-7 S. 5326 2 1 days after service, the party who has neglected to proceed shall serve ________________________________________________________________________ 2 and file with the court either a written request for a conference with ________________________________________________________________________ 3 the court or a note of issue. The demand shall further state that fail- ________________________________________________________________________ 4 ure to comply within said ninety-day period will serve as a basis for, ________________________________________________________________________ 5 in the case of a demand sent by a party, a motion pursuant to subdivi- ________________________________________________________________________ 6 sion (a) of this rule, or, in the case of a demand sent by the court, ________________________________________________________________________ 7 dismissal by the court on its own initiative. _____________________________________________ 8 (d) In the event that the party upon whom is served the demand speci- ______________________________________________________________________ 9 fied in subdivision (b) of this rule serves and files a request for a ________________________________________________________________________ 10 conference or a note of issue within such ninety-day period, the same ________________________________________________________________________ 11 shall be deemed sufficient compliance with such demand and diligent ________________________________________________________________________ 12 prosecution of the action; and in such event, the court shall not take ________________________________________________________________________ 13 action pursuant to subdivision (a) of this rule, either upon motion or ________________________________________________________________________ 14 on its own initiative. ______________________ 15 (e) After a party has served and filed a note of issue, within the ______________________________________________________________________ 16 ninety-day period if a demand therefor was made or otherwise, the action ________________________________________________________________________ 17 may not be dismissed, in whole or in part, by reason of that party's ________________________________________________________________________ 18 neglect to prosecute prior to the service and filing of the note of ________________________________________________________________________ 19 issue. ______ 20 (f) In the event that the party upon whom is served the demand speci- ______________________________________________________________________ 21 fied in subdivision (b) of this rule fails to comply therewith, the ________________________________________________________________________ 22 court may issue an order pursuant to subdivision (a) of this rule unless ________________________________________________________________________ 23 the said party shows justifiable excuse for the delay and a good and ________________________________________________________________________ 24 meritorious cause of action. ____________________________ 25 (g) The provisions of this rule shall not apply to proceedings within ______________________________________________________________________ 26 section thirty-one hundred twenty-six. ______________________________________ 27  2. Rule 3404 of the civil practice law and rules is REPEALED and a 28 new rule 3404 is added to read as follows: 29 Rule 3404. Neglect to proceed after note of issue. (a) If a party, in ______________________________________________________________________ 30 an action in which a note of issue has been filed, neglects to proceed ________________________________________________________________________ 31 to trial or fails to answer the call of a calendar, the court may: __________________________________________________________________ 32 (1) If the neglect to proceed or failure to answer was unreasonable, ______________________________________________________________________ 33 strike pleadings or parts thereof, dismiss the action or any part there- ________________________________________________________________________ 34 of, or render a judgment by default or direct an inquest; or ____________________________________________________________ 35 (2) Where disclosure has not been completed and extraordinary need ______________________________________________________________________ 36 therefor is shown, issue an order for the completion of disclosure, but ________________________________________________________________________ 37 in any such case the court shall not strike the note of issue and the ________________________________________________________________________ 38 disclosure shall be completed within ninety days from the date of the ________________________________________________________________________ 39 order; or _________ 40 (3) Treat the case as inactive and mark it off the trial calendar; or _____________________________________________________________________ 41 (4) Impose costs or sanctions; or _________________________________ 42 (5) Issue such other order as is just. ______________________________________ 43 (b) Any case marked off the trial calendar pursuant to paragraph three ______________________________________________________________________ 44 of subdivision (a) of this rule and not restored to that calendar within ________________________________________________________________________ 45 ninety days thereafter shall be deemed abandoned and shall be dismissed ________________________________________________________________________ 46 without costs for neglect to prosecute. The clerk shall make an appro- ________________________________________________________________________ 47 priate entry without the necessity of an order. _______________________________________________ 48  3. This act shall take effect on the first day of January next 49 succeeding the date on which it shall have become a law.