Opinion

Matter of Waldbaum's 122, Inc. v. Bd. of Assessors of the City of Mount Vernon

  • 58 N.Y.2d 818
  • 459 N.Y.S.2d 263
  • 445 N.E.2d 646
  • 1983 N.Y. LEXIS 2816
Court
New York Court of Appeals
Filed
Jan 18, 1983
Status
Published
On the bench
Cooke and Judges Jasen, Jones, Wachtler, Fuchsberg and Meyer Concur Judge Simons Taking No Part
Cited by
22 cases
Authority
More cited than 95.1%

finding that an order dismissing a tax certiora-ri petition for failure to file a note of issue within two years, constitutes a final adjudication of all issues raised in the proceeding as provided under § 718 of N.Y. Real Property Tax Law

How later courts described this case

  • finding that an order dismissing a tax certiora-ri petition for failure to file a note of issue within two years, constitutes a final adjudication of all issues raised in the proceeding as provided under § 718 of N.Y. Real Property Tax Law
  • " Petitioner's failure to file a note of issue within four years from service of the 1997 petition or to obtain a stipulation or court order within the four-year period extending its time for filing required dismissal of that petition. Not only is section 718 of the Real Property Tax Law phrased in mandatory terms...[but] both its wording and its legislative history demonstrate the intention...' to have the rule rigidly applied irrespective of any and all circumstances ' "
  • " Not only is section 718 of the Real Property Tax Law phrased in mandatory terms...[but] both its wording and its legislative history demonstrate the intention...' to have the rule rigidly applied irrespective of any and all circumstances ' "

Written by the judges who cited it.

The opinion

OPINION OF THE COURT

Memorandum.

The order of the Appellate Division should be affirmed, with costs.

Petitioner’s failure to file a note of issue within four years from service of the 1977 petition or to obtain a stipulation or court order within the four-year period extending its time for filing required dismissal of that petition. Not only is section 718 of the Real Property Tax Law phrased in mandatory terms (“Unless a note of issue is filed * * * an order dismissing the petition

shall

be entered without notice and

such order shall constitute a final adjudication of all issues raised in the proceeding”

[emphasis supplied]) (see

Matter of King v Carey,

57 NY2d 505 ;

Gonkjur Assoc. v Abrams,

57 NY2d 853 ;

Matter of Albano v

*820

Kirby,

36 NY2d 526), but also the statute was a re-enactment of a previously repealed provision and was enacted “to restore the four year limitation for judicial proceedings to review tax assessments,” and to require that “some action must be taken during the four-year period to indicate that the issues are still alive” (Memorandum of Assemblyman Milton Jonas, sponsor of the bill, NY Legis Ann, 1976, p 346), in order to relieve court congestion and to reduce the fiscal problems occasioned by the pyramiding of review proceedings on the same parcel that otherwise occurred

(id.).

Section 718 of the Real Property Tax Law is, therefore, distinguishable from former rule 302 of the Rules of Civil Practice (now CPLR 3404) considered in

Marco v Sachs

( 10 NY2d 542 ) in that both its wording and its legislative history demonstrate the intention, not found in

Marco ,

“to have the rule rigidly applied irrespective of any and all circumstances” ( 10 NY2d, at p 550 ). Nor could settlement discussions conducted after the four-year period had elapsed without either filing or an extension revive petitioner’s right to proceed on the abandoned petition.

Chief Judge Cooke and Judges Jasen, Jones, Wachtler, Fuchsberg and Meyer concur; Judge Simons taking no part.

On review of submissions pursuant, to rule 500.2 (b) of the Rules of the Court of Appeals (22 NYCRR 500.2 [g]), order affirmed, with costs, in a memorandum.

This is a copy of a public record, reproduced as it was published. It is not legal advice, and it may not be the version a court would rely on. Check the official source before you cite it.

A word about cookies

We need a few to keep you signed in and the library working. The rest help us see which pages people use and where they get stuck. They stay off unless you say yes.