S T A T E O F N E W Y O R K
________________________________________________________________________
412--A
2017-2018 Regular Sessions
I N S E N A T E
(PREFILED)
January 4, 2017
___________
Introduced by Sen. DeFRANCISCO -- read twice and ordered printed, and
when printed to be committed to the Committee on Judiciary -- recom-
mitted to the Committee on Judiciary in accordance with Senate Rule 6,
sec. 8 -- committee discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as
amended and recommitted to said committee
AN ACT to amend the civil practice law and rules, in relation to permit-
ting a plaintiff to recover against a third party defendant in certain
cases
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
Section 1. The civil practice law and rules is amended by adding a new
section 1405 to read as follows:
§ 1405. PERMITTING PLAINTIFF, AS JUDGMENT CREDITOR AGAINST DEFENDANT,
TO RECOVER AND COLLECT UNSATISFIED JUDGMENT OR PORTION OF JUDGMENT
AGAINST THIRD-PARTY DEFENDANT OR CO-DEFENDANT LIABLE FOR CONTRIBUTION OR
INDEMNIFICATION. (A) WHERE A PLAINTIFF HAS ENTERED A JUDGMENT AGAINST A
DEFENDANT AND THE JUDGMENT REMAINS UNSATISFIED THIRTY DAYS AFTER IT HAS
BEEN SERVED ON THE DEFENDANT-JUDGMENT DEBTOR, AND WHERE JUDGMENT HAS
BEEN ENTERED IN FAVOR OF THE DEFENDANT-JUDGMENT DEBTOR AGAINST A CO-DE-
FENDANT OR THIRD-PARTY DEFENDANT ON A CAUSE OF ACTION FOR CONTRIBUTION
OR FOR CONTRACTUAL OR COMMON LAW INDEMNIFICATION, THE PLAINTIFF-JUDGMENT
CREDITOR MAY COLLECT ANY UNSATISFIED AMOUNT OF THE PLAINTIFF'S JUDGMENT
AGAINST THE DEFENDANT FROM THE CO-DEFENDANT OR THIRD-PARTY DEFENDANT UP
TO THE AMOUNT AWARDED ON THE CAUSE OF ACTION FOR CONTRIBUTION OR INDEM-
NIFICATION.
(B) WHERE THE PLAINTIFF'S JUDGMENT REMAINS UNSATISFIED THIRTY DAYS
AFTER IT HAS BEEN SERVED ON THE DEFENDANT-JUDGMENT DEBTOR, AND WHERE THE
DEFENDANT-JUDGMENT DEBTOR HAS A CAUSE OF ACTION FOR CONTRIBUTION OR FOR
CONTRACTUAL OR COMMON LAW INDEMNIFICATION WHICH HAS NOT BEEN REDUCED TO
JUDGMENT, THE PLAINTIFF-JUDGMENT CREDITOR MAY ATTACH, OR TAKE AN ASSIGN-
EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD02845-02-8
S. 412--A 2
MENT FROM THE DEFENDANT-JUDGMENT DEBTOR OF, THE CAUSE OF ACTION FOR
CONTRIBUTION OR INDEMNIFICATION, AND PROSECUTE THE CAUSE OF ACTION IN
THE PLAINTIFF'S OWN NAME OR IN THE NAME OF THE DEFENDANT-JUDGMENT
DEBTOR, AND RECOVER A JUDGMENT THEREIN FOR THE SAME AMOUNT OF CONTRIB-
UTION OR INDEMNIFICATION AS WOULD BE AWARDED TO THE DEFENDANT-JUDGMENT
DEBTOR IF THE DEFENDANT-JUDGMENT DEBTOR HAD SATISFIED PLAINTIFF'S
ORIGINAL JUDGMENT IN FULL. SUCH REMEDY IS IN ADDITION TO ANY OTHER MEANS
AVAILABLE TO THE PLAINTIFF-JUDGMENT DEBTOR FOR ENFORCEMENT OF THE JUDG-
MENT. THIS SECTION SHALL NOT AUTHORIZE DIRECT RECOVERY AGAINST A THIRD-
PARTY DEFENDANT IN THOSE CIRCUMSTANCES IN WHICH THE THIRD-PARTY CLAIM
AGAINST THAT THIRD-PARTY DEFENDANT WOULD HAVE BEEN BARRED BY THE
PROVISIONS OF SECTION ELEVEN OF THE WORKERS' COMPENSATION LAW, AND DOES
NOT OTHERWISE PERMIT A PLAINTIFF TO BRING A CAUSE OF ACTION AGAINST A
THIRD PARTY IF SUCH THIRD PARTY WAS THE PLAINTIFF'S EMPLOYER AT THE TIME
OF THE INCIDENT OR INJURY.
(C) THE PLAINTIFF-JUDGMENT CREDITOR MAY ENFORCE THE RIGHTS PROVIDED IN
SUBDIVISIONS (A) AND (B) OF THIS SECTION NOTWITHSTANDING THAT THE PLAIN-
TIFF-JUDGMENT CREDITOR'S JUDGMENT AGAINST DEFENDANT-JUDGMENT DEBTOR HAS
BEEN OR MAY BE DISCHARGED IN BANKRUPTCY AND/OR THE DEFENDANT-JUDGMENT
DEBTOR'S CAUSE OF ACTION FOR INDEMNITY OR CONTRIBUTION AGAINST THE
THIRD-PARTY DEFENDANT OR CO-DEFENDANT HAS BEEN OR MAY BE EXTINGUISHED BY
A DISCHARGE IN BANKRUPTCY GRANTED TO THE DEFENDANT-JUDGMENT DEBTOR;
PROVIDED, HOWEVER, THAT IF A PLAINTIFF-JUDGMENT CREDITOR IS ENFORCING
THE RIGHTS PROVIDED IN SUBDIVISIONS (A) AND (B) OF THIS SECTION PURSUANT
TO THIS SUBDIVISION, HE OR SHE DOES NOT NEED ATTACHMENT OR ASSIGNMENT
FROM THE DEFENDANT-JUDGMENT DEBTOR OF THE CAUSE OF ACTION FOR CONTRIB-
UTION OR INDEMNIFICATION.
(D) WHERE THE PLAINTIFF'S JUDGMENT REMAINS UNSATISFIED THIRTY DAYS
AFTER IT HAS BEEN SERVED ON THE DEFENDANT-JUDGMENT DEBTOR, AND WHERE THE
DEFENDANT-JUDGMENT DEBTOR'S CAUSE OF ACTION FOR CONTRIBUTION OR FOR
CONTRACTUAL OR COMMON LAW INDEMNIFICATION CAN NO LONGER BE PROSECUTED OR
REDUCED TO JUDGMENT, THE PLAINTIFF-JUDGMENT CREDITOR MAY ENFORCE ITS
JUDGMENT AGAINST THE DEFENDANT-JUDGMENT DEBTOR IN A DIRECT ACTION
AGAINST THE THIRD-PARTY DEFENDANT OR CO-DEFENDANT LIABLE FOR CONTRIB-
UTION OR INDEMNIFICATION, AND RECOVER A JUDGMENT THEREIN FOR THE SAME
AMOUNT OF CONTRIBUTION OR INDEMNIFICATION AS WOULD BE AWARDED TO THE
DEFENDANT-JUDGMENT DEBTOR IF THE DEFENDANT-JUDGMENT DEBTOR HAD SATISFIED
PLAINTIFF'S ORIGINAL JUDGMENT IN FULL.
§ 2. This act shall take effect immediately, and shall apply to all
unexpired judgments that have not been fully satisfied as of such effec-
tive date.