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  • James Moran v. Grand Slam Ventures, Llc, Jon Steinberg, Glenn A. Reiner, Jg Real Estate Ventures, Llc, 'John Does' 1-10 Inclusive, The Last Ten Names Being Fictitious And Unknown To PlaintiffOther Matters - Contract - Other document preview
  • James Moran v. Grand Slam Ventures, Llc, Jon Steinberg, Glenn A. Reiner, Jg Real Estate Ventures, Llc, 'John Does' 1-10 Inclusive, The Last Ten Names Being Fictitious And Unknown To PlaintiffOther Matters - Contract - Other document preview
  • James Moran v. Grand Slam Ventures, Llc, Jon Steinberg, Glenn A. Reiner, Jg Real Estate Ventures, Llc, 'John Does' 1-10 Inclusive, The Last Ten Names Being Fictitious And Unknown To PlaintiffOther Matters - Contract - Other document preview
  • James Moran v. Grand Slam Ventures, Llc, Jon Steinberg, Glenn A. Reiner, Jg Real Estate Ventures, Llc, 'John Does' 1-10 Inclusive, The Last Ten Names Being Fictitious And Unknown To PlaintiffOther Matters - Contract - Other document preview
  • James Moran v. Grand Slam Ventures, Llc, Jon Steinberg, Glenn A. Reiner, Jg Real Estate Ventures, Llc, 'John Does' 1-10 Inclusive, The Last Ten Names Being Fictitious And Unknown To PlaintiffOther Matters - Contract - Other document preview
  • James Moran v. Grand Slam Ventures, Llc, Jon Steinberg, Glenn A. Reiner, Jg Real Estate Ventures, Llc, 'John Does' 1-10 Inclusive, The Last Ten Names Being Fictitious And Unknown To PlaintiffOther Matters - Contract - Other document preview
  • James Moran v. Grand Slam Ventures, Llc, Jon Steinberg, Glenn A. Reiner, Jg Real Estate Ventures, Llc, 'John Does' 1-10 Inclusive, The Last Ten Names Being Fictitious And Unknown To PlaintiffOther Matters - Contract - Other document preview
  • James Moran v. Grand Slam Ventures, Llc, Jon Steinberg, Glenn A. Reiner, Jg Real Estate Ventures, Llc, 'John Does' 1-10 Inclusive, The Last Ten Names Being Fictitious And Unknown To PlaintiffOther Matters - Contract - Other document preview
						
                                

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FILED: NASSAU COUNTY CLERK 09/19/2022 04:01 PM INDEX NO. 001052/2019 NYSCEF DOC. NO. 84 RECEIVED NYSCEF: 09/19/2022 SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK Return Date: 9/27/2022 COUNTY OF NASSAU Hon. Erica L. Prager -------------------------------------------------------------------------x Index No. 001052/2019 JAMES MORAN, Plaintiff, (Motion Sequence No. 3) -against- GRAND SLAM VENTURES, LLC, JON STEINBERG, GLENN A. REINER, JG REAL ESTATE VENTURES, LLC, and "JOHN DOES" # 1-10 inclusive, the last ten names being fictitious and unknown to plaintiff, Defendants. -------------------------------------------------------------------------x PLAINTIFF'S REPLY MEMORANDUM OF LAW IN SUPPORT OF MOTION FOR LEAVE TO REAR GUE AND RENEW James Moran Plaintiff pro se 28 Carrie Avenue Bethpage, New York 11714 Tel; (516) 302-6581 Email: iim.catlawl(a)gmail.com 1 of 16 FILED: NASSAU COUNTY CLERK 09/19/2022 04:01 PM INDEX NO. 001052/2019 NYSCEF DOC. NO. 84 RECEIVED NYSCEF: 09/19/2022 TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF AUTHORITIES .......................................................................................................... ii PLAINTIFF'S INSTANT MOTION ............................................................................................... 1 DEFENDANTS' OPPOSITION ...................................................................................................... 1 PRELIMINARY REPLY ARGUMENT ......................................................................................... 1 REPLY POINT I: PLAINTIFF'S MOTION FOR LEA VE TO REARGUE AND RENEW ......................................................................... 4 A. LEAVE TO REARGUE ................................................................................................ 4 1) PROCEDURAL GROUNDS ................................................................................... 4 a) DEFENDANTS FAILURE TO SUBMIT AN AFFIRMATION OF GOOD FAITH ......................................................... .4 b) DEFENDANTS' CROSS-MOTION FOR A PROTECTIVE ORDER WAS UNTIMELY ................................................. 5 2) PLAINTIFF'S DISCOVERY DEMANDS ............................................................. 6 B. LEAVE TO RENEW ..................................................................................................... 9 CONCLUSION .............................................................................................................................. 11 1 2 of 16 FILED: NASSAU COUNTY CLERK 09/19/2022 04:01 PM INDEX NO. 001052/2019 NYSCEF DOC. NO. 84 RECEIVED NYSCEF: 09/19/2022 TABLE OF AUTHORITIES Page(s) Cases: Allen v. Crowell-Collier Publ'g Co., 21 N.Y.2d 403,406,288 N.Y.S.2d 449,452,235 N.E.2d 430,432 (N.Y., 1968) ....................... 7 Borgia v. Rothberg, 148 A.D.3d 1109, 1110, 50 N.Y.S.3d 452,454 (2d Dept., 2017) ................................................ 7 Borst v. Lower Manhattan Dev. Corp., 2016 NY Slip Op 51233(U), 116, 52 Misc. 3d 1220(A), 43 N.Y.S.3d 766 (Sup. Ct.) .............. 10 Cheek v. Brooks, 188 A.D.3d 785, 786, 135 N.Y.S.3d 478,480 (2d Dept., 2020) ................................................. .2 Cornell Fed. Credit Union v. Thorpe, 199 A.D.2d 936, 937, 606 N.Y.S.2d 90, 91 (3d Dept., 1993) .......................... : ......................... 10 Cty. of Dutchess v. Dutchess Sanitation Servs., Inc., 86 A.D.2d 884,885,447 N.Y.S.2d 531, 533 (2d Dept., 1982) .................................................... f,,• 2 , . DiMichel v. S. Buffalo Ry. Co., 80 N.Y.2d 184, 193, 590 N.Y.S.2d 1, 4, 604 N.E.2d 63, 66 (N.Y., 1992) ... :.. ,..... :...................... 7 Hunt v. Odd Job Trading, 44 A.D.3d 714, 715-16, 843 N.Y.S.2d 423,425 (2d Dept., 2007) ....................... :....................... 6 Itzkowitz v. King Kullen Grocery Co., Inc., 22 A.D.3d 636,638,804 N.Y.S.2d 350,351 (2d Dept. 2005) ..................................................... 1 Millennium Constr., LLC v. Loupolover, 44 A.D.3d 1016, 1016-17, 845 N.Y.S.2d 110, 111 (2d Dept., 2007) ............................................. 3 Montalvo v. CVS Pharmacy, Inc., 81 A.D.3d 611,612,915 N.Y.S.2d 865,866 (2d Dept., 2011) .................................................... 7 Munoz v. 147 Corp., 309 A.D.2d 647, 648, 767 N.Y.S.2d 1, 2 (1 st Dept., 2003) ........................................................... 6 NPR, LLC v. Met Fin Mgmt., 63 A.D.3d 1128, 1129-30, 882 N.Y.S.2d 253,254 (2d Dept., 2009) ........................................... 3 Ocean to Ocean Seafood Sales, Inc. v. Trans-O-Fish & Seafood Co., 138 A.D.2d 265,266,525 N.Y.S.2d 611,612 (1 st Dept., 1988) .................................................. 6 11 3 of 16 FILED: NASSAU COUNTY CLERK 09/19/2022 04:01 PM INDEX NO. 001052/2019 NYSCEF DOC. NO. 84 RECEIVED NYSCEF: 09/19/2022 Palmerone v. Staples, 195 A.D.3d 736, 739, 150 N.Y.S.3d 723, 727 (2d Dept., 2021) .................................................. 3 Perez v. Stonehill, 121 A.D.3d 960, 961, 993 N.Y.S.2d 920, 920 (2d Dept., 2014) ................................................. .4 Recine v. City ofN.Y., 156 A.D.3d 836, 836, 65 N.Y.S.3d 788, 788 (2d Dept., 2017) .................................................... 6 Spa Realty Assocs. v. Springs Assocs., 155 A.D.2d 839,841,548 N.Y.S.2d 100, 102 (3d Dept., 1989) .................................................. 6 Vargas v. Lee, 170 A.D.3d 1073, 1075, 96 N.Y.S.3d 587, 590 (2d Dept., 2019) ................................................ 7 Wilensky v. JRB Mktg. & Op. Research, Inc., 161 A.D.2d 761,763,556 N.Y.S.2d 356,358 (2d Dept., 1990) .................................................. 9 Statutes & Other Authorities: CPLR §2221(£) ........................................................................................................................ 1, 11 CPLR §3101 .................................................................................................................................. 6 CPLR §3101(a) ............................................................................................................................. 7 CPLR §3122(a)(l) ........................................................................................................................ 5 CPLR 3133(a) ............................................................................................................................... 5 DCL §270 ···········································································································:·························2 DCL §271(1) ................................................................................................................................. 8 DCL §273 ..................................................................................................................................... 2 22 NYCRR 202.7 ...................................................................................................................... 4, 5 iii 4 of 16 FILED: NASSAU COUNTY CLERK 09/19/2022 04:01 PM INDEX NO. 001052/2019 NYSCEF DOC. NO. 84 RECEIVED NYSCEF: 09/19/2022 PLAINTIFF'S INSTANT MOTION Plaintiff's instant motion (Mot. Seq. No. 3) seeks an Order, pursuant to CPLR §2221(f), granting Plaintiff leave to reargue and renew the Order of this Court [Sullivan, J.] dated August 30, 2021 (NYSCEF Doc. #5); and/or for such other, further and different relief as this Honorable Court may deem just, proper and equitable. DEFENDANTS' OPPOSITION Defendants have submitted the affirmation of their counsel, with exhibits A-D, partially opposing Plaintiff's instant motion contending, inter alia, that the Court properly granted Defendants a protective order. (NYSCEF Doc. #'s 79-83) PRELIMINARY REPLY ARGUMENT Defendants do not dispute this Court's consideration of the instant motion is an appropriate exercise of discretion. See, Itzkowitz v. King Kullen Grocery Co., Inc., 22 A.D.3d 636, 638, 804 N.Y.S.2d 350, 351 (2d Dept. 2005) ["The Supreme Court had jurisdiction to reconsider its prior order 'regardless of statutory time limits concerning motions to reargue"'] Defendants' Counsel's contention that the parties in this action are somehow limited in the scope of discovery by the oral ruling of the court attorney for Hon. Diccia Pineda-Kirwan made in the Prior Action is without merit. 1 (NYSCEF Doc. #79 at ,r,r15-17) Defendant Reiner was being deposed as a non-party in the Prior Action whereas in this action Defendant Reiner is a named defendant and Plaintiff certainly did not agree to be bound by that ruling in this action. Defendants' Counsel further avers that " ... Plaintiff's theory of the case is that the Defendants allegedly knew, in September of 2013, that Mr. Moran would commence the Prior Action in August of2014." (NYSCEF Doc. #79 at i[25) 1 Notably, Defendants have taken the exact opposite position in response to Plaintiff's motion seeking summary judgment and in support of their own cross-motion seeking summary judgment and have asserted that the "supplementary proceedings" are irrelevant to the action at bar. (NYSCEF Doc. #64 at i]21) 1 5 of 16 FILED: NASSAU COUNTY CLERK 09/19/2022 04:01 PM INDEX NO. 001052/2019 NYSCEF DOC. NO. 84 RECEIVED NYSCEF: 09/19/2022 Intent is not a necessary element of Plaintiffs First Cause of Action. See, DCL §273; Cty. of Dutchess v. Dutchess Sanitation Servs., Inc., 86 A.D.2d 884, 885, 447 N.Y.S.2d 531, 533 (2d Dept., 1982) [Under §273, actual intent to defraud need not be proven] Further, contrary to Defendants' assertions, Defendant Grand Slam appeared at the inquest in the Prior Action and the Court found in part as follows: "Grand Slam's only witness was its managing member, John Steinberg. He could not recall when he entered the Building, but stated that upon entering, he saw 'a pile of stuff.' He testified that about a week after the sale, Grand Slam hired non-party Dreygo Development (Dreygo) to enter the premises and remove plaintiffs property, for which Mr. Steinberg was not present." "In contrast, defendant failed to present any evidence or provide any reasoning for why the amount of damages claimed should be reduced (see Kalfus v Margolies, 88 AD2d 528, 528-29 [ 1982]). Mr. Steinberg admittedly could not recall a single item in the Building or provide any insight into their condition, and did not produce a witness from Dreygo, the company that actually removed plaintifrs property. Thus, plaintiff demonstrated damages in the amount of $92,540." (See, Exhibit "2" sub Exhibit "12", NYSCEF Doc. #6, emphasis added) Accordingly, Defendant Steinberg knew that Defendant Grand Slam took possession of Plaintiffs personal property valued at $92,540.00 and was thereby indebted to Plaintiff as of August 27, 2013 (See, Exhibit "2" sub Exhibit "12", NYSCEF Doc. #6) and the entry of the final judgment in the Prior Action (See, Exhibit "2" sub Exhibit "13", Doc. #6) establishes as a matter of law that Plaintiff was a creditor of the conveyor Defendant Grand Slam prior to the conveyance of the subject Property. See, DCL §270; Cheek v. Brooks, 188 A.D.3d 785, 786, 135 N.Y.S.3d 478,480 (2d Dept., 2020) ["Where an individual has a tort claim against the conveyor, she or he becomes a creditor at the moment the claim accrues, viz., at the moment of injury"] 2 6 of 16 FILED: NASSAU COUNTY CLERK 09/19/2022 04:01 PM INDEX NO. 001052/2019 NYSCEF DOC. NO. 84 RECEIVED NYSCEF: 09/19/2022 Defendants' opposition is further premised on the fundamentally flawed argument that before Plaintiff is entitled to discovery Plaintiff must first demonstrate that the transfer of the subject Property from Defendant Grand Slam to Defendant JG Real Estate was without fair consideration and that Defendant Grand Slam was left insolvent as a result. " ... Plaintiffs demands are, if not improper and/or a fishing expedition, mostly premature in that he has not, and cannot, demonstrate a failure of consideration and demonstrate that Grand Slam was left insolvent as a result of the conveyance of the Property to JG." (NYSCEF Doc. #79 at ,-i39) Defendants' argument seems to suggest that discovery in this case was someho~ bifurcated without any support for such a contention. Nonetheless, Plaintiffs discovery demands sought documents and information relevant to, inter alia, the consideration purportedly given for the conveyance of the subject Property and Defendant Grand Slam's solvency. (See, Exhibit "2" sub Exhibits "6" & "7", NYSCEF Doc. #6) Defendants' argument also overlooks the fact that a successful fraudulent conveyance claim establishes wrongdoing sufficient to justify veil-piercing separate and apart from other reasons such as a failure to adhere to corporate formalities, inadequate capitalization, commingling of assets and use of corporate funds for personal use. See, Millennium Constr., LLC v. Loupolover, 44 A.D.3d 1016, 1016-17, 845 N.Y.S.2d 110, 111 (2d Dept., 2007); Palmerone v. Staples, 195 A.D.3d 736, 739, 150 N.Y.S.3d 723, 727 (2d Dept., 2021) [fraudulent conveyance under former §§273 and 274 sufficient basis for veil piercing]; NPR, LLC v. Met Fin Mgmt., 63 A.D.3d 1128, 1129-30, 882 N.Y.S.2d 253, 254 (2d Dept., 2009) [affirming holding that deemed actually fraudulent conveyances under DCL §276 a sufficient basis for veil piercing] It is respectfully submitted; the Court [Sullivan, J.], for some reason mistakenly arrived at its earlier decision. (NYSCEF Doc. #5) 3 7 of 16 FILED: NASSAU COUNTY CLERK 09/19/2022 04:01 PM INDEX NO. 001052/2019 NYSCEF DOC. NO. 84 RECEIVED NYSCEF: 09/19/2022 REPLY POINT I PLAINTIFF'S MOTION FOR LEAVE TO REARGUE AND RENEW A. LEAVE TO REARGUE 1) PROCEDURAL GROUNDS a) DEFENDANTS FAILURE TO SUBMIT AN AFFIRMATION OF GOOD FAITH Defendants' opposition contends that their failure to set forth an affirmation demonstrating that a good faith effort was made to resolve the issues, 22 NYCRR 202.7, is excusable. Defendants' fail to distinguish Perez v. Stonehill, 121 A.D.3d 960, 961, 993 N.Y.S.2d 920, 920 (2d Dept., 2014) ["The defendants' failure to submit an affirmation of the parties' good faith effort to resolve the disclosure dispute pursuant to 22 NYCRR 202.7 (a) (2) in connection with their motion required the denial of the motion"] Defendants' Counsel avers that it was highly unlikely that the parties could have resolved their disclosure dispute without judicial intervention based upon an excerpt of then non-party Defendant Reiner's deposition taken in the Prior Action. (NYSCEF Doc. #79 at ,r,r28-32) Defendants' Counsel's argument here is without merit. Defendant Reiner was being deposed as a non-party in the Prior Action whereas in this action Defendant Reiner and Defendant JG Real Estate are named defendants. Further, the ruling of the court attorney in the Prior Action was not reduced to writing or otherwise put on the record and the parties have vigorously disputed the content and extent of that ruling which has no bearing in this action. Notably, on September 3, 2019 the Court in the Prior Action [Pineda-Kirwan, J.] denied Defendants' second ex-parte application seeking to quash the subpoena served upon Defendant Reiner. (NYSCEF Doc. #36) 4 8 of 16 FILED: NASSAU COUNTY CLERK 09/19/2022 04:01 PM INDEX NO. 001052/2019 NYSCEF DOC. NO. 84 RECEIVED NYSCEF: 09/19/2022 Moreover, if every party could simply state that it was highly unlikely that the parties could have resolved their disclosure dispute without judicial intervention the requirements of 22 NYCRR 202.7(a)(2) would be rendered meaningless. Defendants have not disputed that Plaintiff contacted Defendants' Counsel in good faith prior to bringing his motion and Defendants' Counsel stated that he had " ... no idea when and if responses would be served and that his clients are 'big boys' and refused to fix a time or to indicate that responses would be forthcoming" and did not raise any objection to Plaintiff's discovery demands. (See, Exhibit "2" Moran Affidavit at ,15, NYSCEF Doc. #6) Further, Defendants' Counsel voiced no objection to any of Plaintiff's discovery demands when appearing before the Court [Libert, J] on January 24, 2020. (See, Exhibit "6" sub Exhibit "20", NYSCEF Doc. #10) when any issues could have been addressed by the Court and instead Defendants' Counsel remained silent, entered into a stipulation which was so-ordered by the Court (See, Exhibit "2" sub Exhibit "9", NYSCEF Doc. #6) and then simply ignored the Court's Order. b) DEFENDANTS' CROSS-MOTION FOR A PROTECTIVE ORDER WAS UNTIMELY Defendants do not dispute that they failed to timely respond to Plaintiff's discovery demands, (See, Exhibit "2" sub Exhibits "6" and "7", NYSCEF Doc. #6) failed to comply with the PC Order (See, Exhibit "2" sub Exhibit "8", NYSCEF Doc. #6) and failed to comply with the Order of this Court [Libert, J] dated January 24, 2020 requiring Defendants to respond to Plaintiff's discovery demands by February 3, 2020. (See, Exhibit "2" sub Exhibit "9", NYSCEF Doc. #6) Defendants do not dispute that their failure to make a timely challenge to Plaintiff's document demands and interrogatories pursuant to CPLR §3122(a)(l) and CPLR §3133(a) 5 9 of 16 FILED: NASSAU COUNTY CLERK 09/19/2022 04:01 PM INDEX NO. 001052/2019 NYSCEF DOC. NO. 84 RECEIVED NYSCEF: 09/19/2022 forecloses inquiry into the propriety of the information sought except with regard to material that is privileged pursuant to CPLR §3101 or requests that are palpably improper. Defendants attempt to distinguish Hunt v. Odd Job Trading, 44 A.D.3d 714, 715-16, 843 N.Y.S.2d 423, 425 (2d Dept., 2007) is unavailing and seemingly confirms that their admitted failure to make a timely challenge to Plaintiffs discovery demands constituted a waiver of any objection based on any ground other than privilege or that the demands are palpably improper. See, Recine v. City ofN.Y., 156 A.D.3d 836, 65 N.Y.S.3d 788 (2d Dept., 2017) Defendants' have made no claims of privilege and argue that "a majority", not all, of Plaintiffs discovery demands are overly broad, unduly burdensome and/or irrelevant and are thus "palpably improper". (NYSCEF Doc. #79 at i-[38) 2) PLAINTIFF DISCOVERY DEMANDS Defendants have failed to specifically identify any document demand or interrogatory and how that demand is overly broad, unduly burdensome and/or irrelevant and thus "palpably improper." Defendants must offer more than conclusory assertions that the requested disclosure is overly broad, unduly burdensome and/or irrelevant. See, Spa Realty Assocs. v. Springs Assocs., 155 A.D.2d 839, 841, 548 N.Y.S.2d 100, 102 (3d Dept., 1989) ["Defendants also have failed to specify with particularity how the various discovery demands were unduly burdensome and improper so that it is hard to take their objections seriously"]; Ocean to Ocean Seafood Sales, Inc. v. Trans-O-Fish & Seafood Co., 138 A.D.2d 265, 266, 525 N.Y.S.2d 611, 612 (1 st Dept., 1988) [" ... defendants failed to substantiate their conclusory claims that the interrogatories are burdensome and irrelevant..."]; Munoz v. 147 Corp., 309 A.D.2d 647, 648, 767 N.Y.S.2d 1, 2 (1 st Dept., 2003) [" ... the City has not shown that the requests are overly broad or unduly burdensome."] 6 10 of 16 FILED: NASSAU COUNTY CLERK 09/19/2022 04:01 PM INDEX NO. 001052/2019 NYSCEF DOC. NO. 84 RECEIVED NYSCEF: 09/19/2022 Defendants' contention appears to be based upon the fundamentally flawed argument that Plaintiffs discovery demands are " ... mostly premature in that he has not, and cannot, demonstrate a failure of consideration and demonstrate that Grand Slam was left insolvent as a result of the conveyance of the Property to JG." (NYSCEF Doc. #79 at i-f39) The very purpose of discovery is to determine if material relevant to a claim or defense exists Vargas v. Lee, 170 A.D.3d 1073, 1075, 96 N.Y.S.3d 587, 590 (2d Dept., 2019) and in this context it bears repeating that §31 0l(a) provides for disclosure of "all matter material and necessary in the prosecution or defense of an action, regardless of the burden of proof' and the words, "material and necessary", are to be interpreted liberally to require disclosure, upon request, of any facts bearing on the controversy which will assist preparation for trial by sharpening the issues and reducing delay and prolixity. See, Allen v. Crowell-Collier Publ'g Co., 21 N.Y.2d 403, 406, 288 N.Y.S.2d 449, 452, 235 N.E.2d 430, 432 (N.Y., 1968) ["If there is any possibility that the information is sought in good faith for possible use as evidence-in-chief or in rebuttal or for cross-examination, it should be considered evidence material in the prosecution or defense"] "New York has long favored open and far-reaching pretrial discovery" Quoting, DiMichel v. S. Buffalo Ry. Co., 80 N.Y.2d 184, 193, 590 N.Y.S.2d 1, 4, 604 N.E.2d 63, 66 (N.Y., 1992) and pretrial disclosure extends not only to proof that is admissible, but also to matters that may lead to the disclosure of admissible proof See, Montalvo v. CVS Pharmacy, Inc., 81 A.D.3d 611, 612, 915 N.Y.S.2d 865, 866 (2d Dept., 2011) and the party seeking to preclude discovery has the burden of proving that the material sought is not discoverable. See generally, Borgia v. Rothberg, 148 A.D.3d 1109, 1110, 50 N.Y.S.3d 452, 454 (2d Dept., 2017) ["the defendant had the burden of proving that the Alcon documents were not discoverable"] 7 11 of 16 FILED: NASSAU COUNTY CLERK 09/19/2022 04:01 PM INDEX NO. 001052/2019 NYSCEF DOC. NO. 84 RECEIVED NYSCEF: 09/19/2022 As demonstrated in detail through Plaintiff's initial Memorandum of Law (NYSCEF Doc. #15), Plaintiff's document demands and interrogatories seek documents and information "material and necessary" in an action brought under former Debtor and Creditor Law and seeking to pierce the corporate veil and Defendants have woefully fail to prove that the material sought is not discoverable. For example, Plaintiff's document demands numbered 9 & 10 sought "documents relating to, summarizing, memorializing and/or evidencing accounting books and records for GRAND SLAM VENTURES, LLC" and "documents relating to, summarizing, memorializing and/or evidencing defendant GRAND SLAM VENTURES, LLC's assets for the years 2012 to date." Former Debtor and Creditor Law §271(1) provides that a person is insolvent "when the present fair salable value of his assets is less than the amount that will be required to pay his probable liability on his existing debts as they become absolute and matured." Certainly, Defendant Grand Siam's accounting books and records and their assets are "material and necessary" in making a determination of whether Defendant was insolvent and/or render insolvent by the conveyance of the subject Property. Also, Plaintiff's document demand numbered 45 sought the production of documents related to the conveyance of the subject Property (See, Exhibit "2" sub Exhibit "6", NYSCEF Doc. #6) which in an action brought under DCL article 10 can hardly be considered palpably improper. It is respectfully submitted; the Court's Order dated August 30, 2021 improperly struck Plaintiff's document demands 2-4, 7, 9-17, 19-21, 24, 26-42, 44-46 and 48-50. (See, Exhibit "1", NYSCEF Doc. #5 and Exhibit "2" sub Exhibit "6", NYSCEF Doc. #6) and Plaintiff's interrogatories numbered 3, 4, 7-12, 15, 18-22 and 25-31. (See, Exhibit "1", NYSCEF Doc. #5 and Exhibit "2" sub Exhibit "7", NYSCEF Doc. #6) 8 12 of 16 FILED: NASSAU COUNTY CLERK 09/19/2022 04:01 PM INDEX NO. 001052/2019 NYSCEF DOC. NO. 84 RECEIVED NYSCEF: 09/19/2022 B. LEAVE TO RENEW The Court's Order dated August 30, 2021 (See, Exhibit "l", NYSCEF Doc. #5) required Defendants to produce, inter alia, Defendant Grand Slam's and Defendant JG Real Estate's " ... banking records including, but not limited to, monthly account statements, cancelled checks, deposit slips and copies of checks deposited ... " for the years 2012 through 2014. (See, Exhibit "2" sub Exhibit "6" at i!i18 & 25, NYSCEF Doc. #6) Defendants failed to produce any banking records for the years 2012 through 2014 claiming: "Defendants are not in possession of the requested documents" (See, Exhibit "7" at ,i,is & 25, NYSCEF Doc. # 11) When moving for a protective order, Defendants made no claim whatsoever that Defendants' banking records were no longer available. (See, Exhibits "3" & "5", NYSCEF Doc. #'s 7 & 9; Wilensky v. JRB Mktg. & Op. Research, Inc., 161 A.D.2d 761, 763, 556 N.Y.S.2d 356, 358 (2d Dept., 1990) [" ... the purported unavailability or nonexistence of documents should have, to the extent possible, been raised when this disclosure dispute first arose"] The issue with regards to this branch of Plaintiffs instant motion is had Defendants informed the Court of Defendants' intentional and willful spoliation of key evidence, i.e., banking records, it is Plaintiffs position that the Court would have denied Defendants a protective order with regards to other document demands and interrogatories seeking documents and information including, but not limited to, accounting books, records and tax returns. Defendants' Counsel's affirmation in opposition does not address this branch of Plaintiffs motion :seeking kuvc to renew- und insteud urgues thut Defendants should not be sanctioned for their intentional and willful spoliation of evidence. (Defendants' Counsel's Affirm. at i!i162-70 NYSCEF Doc. #79) 9 13 of 16 FILED: NASSAU COUNTY CLERK 09/19/2022 04:01 PM INDEX NO. 001052/2019 NYSCEF DOC. NO. 84 RECEIVED NYSCEF: 09/19/2022 It is respectfully submitted, Defendants' failure to oppose that branch of Plaintiff's instant motion seeking renewal is a concession that the relief sought should be granted. See e.g., Cornell Fed. Credit Union v. Thorpe, 199 A.D.2d 936, 937, 606 N.Y.S.2d 90, 91 (3d Dept., 1993) ["defendant's failure to oppose plaintiff's appeal may be considered tantamount to a concession that the relief sought on appeal should be granted"]; Borst v. Lower Manhattan Dev. Corp., 2016 NY Slip Op 51233(U), ~ 16, 52 Misc. 3d 1220(A), 43 N.Y.S.3d 766 (Sup. Ct.) ["the court deems plaintiffs' failure to oppose same as a concession on that point and those claims are dismissed."] It must be noted, in opposition to Plaintiff's motion seeking summary judgment (Mot. Seq. #5) and in support of their own motion seeking summary judgment (Mot. Seq. #6), Defendants claim that Defendant Grand Slam and Defendant JG Real Estate maintained corporate formalities by " ... appropriate filing of tax returns and segregated bank accounts" without any documentary evidence to support their claims. (NYSCEF Doc. #72 at page 9) Here, Defendants claim that Plaintiff's demands seeking tax returns are premature. (Defendants' Counsel's Affirm. at ~53, NYSCEF Doc. #79) Without Defendants' tax returns and banking records how can it be determined that Defendant Grand Slam and Defendant JG Real Estate maintained corporate formalities by " ... appropriate filing of tax returns and segregated bank accounts" and how can Plaintiff effectively cross-examine Defendants with regards to such claims. It is respectfully submitted based upon the intentional and willful spoliation of Defendant Grand Slam's and Defendant JG Real Estate's banking records the Court must grant that branch of Plaintiff's motion seeking leave to renew and upon renewal issuance of an order denying Defendants a protective order and, at a minimum, compelling Defendants to fully respond to Plaintiff's discovery demands. 14 of 16 FILED: NASSAU COUNTY CLERK 09/19/2022 04:01 PM INDEX NO. 001052/2019 NYSCEF DOC. NO. 84 RECEIVED NYSCEF: 09/19/2022 CONCLUSION For all of the foregoing, Plaintiff must be granted an Order, pursuant to CPLR §2221(±), granting Plaintiff leave to reargue and renew, this Court's Order dated August 30, 2021; and/or for such other, further and different relief as this Honorable Court may deem just, proper and equitable. Dated: September 19, 2022 Bethpage, New York James Moran Plaintiff pro se 28 Carrie Avenue Bethpage, New York 11714 Tel: (516) 302-6581 Email: iim.catlawl ra)gmail.com To: Siegel & Reiner, LLP Attorneys for Defendants 130 East 59th Street, 12th Floor New York, New York 10022 Tel: (212) 447-5599 Email: rdelvalle@siegelreiner.com 11 15 of 16 FILED: NASSAU COUNTY CLERK 09/19/2022 04:01 PM INDEX NO. 001052/2019 NYSCEF DOC. NO. 84 RECEIVED NYSCEF: 09/19/2022 MOTION PRINTING SPECIFICATIONS STATEMENT Pursuant to Uniform Rules §202.8-b, I hereby certify that this Memorandum of Law complies with the word count limit of 4,200 words set forth therein. The total number of words in the Memorandum of Law, exclusive of any captions, tables of contents, tables of authorities and signature blocks, is 3,043 pursuant to the word count in Microsoft Word, the word processing system used to prepare the document. Dated: September 19, 2022 Bethpage, New York Plaintiff pro se 28 Carrie Avenue Bethpage, New York 11714 Tel: (516) 302-6581 Email: jim.catlawl@gmail.com 16 of 16