Third Department Holds That Failure to Effectuate Proper Service of a Motion Deprives the Court of Jurisdiction to Entertain the Motion

In Matter of Gariel v Morse, --- N.Y.S.3d ----, 2016 WL 7469484 (Mem), 2016 N.Y. Slip Op. 08921 (3d Dept., 2016) the Appellate Division held that the father’s letter to the court  had to be treated as a motion for voluntary discontinuance pursuant to CPLR 3217(b) (see Family Ct Act § 165[a]) and, as such, it had to  comply with the applicable service requirements. Inasmuch as the father’s failure to effectuate proper service  “deprive[d] the court of jurisdiction to entertain the motion”(Lee v. I–Sheng Li, 129 AD3d 923, 923 [2015]; see Matter of Lydia DD., 94 AD3d at 1386; Bianco v. LiGreci, 298 A.D.2d 482, 482 [2002]; Adames v. New York City Tr. Auth., 126 A.D.2d 462, 462 [1987]; Burstin v. Public Serv. Mut. Ins. Co., 98 A.D.2d 928, 929 [1983] ), it found that  Family Court erred in dismissing the petition.