Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 1990

VDR Realty Corp. v. Mintz

VDR Realty Corp. v. Mintz
Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York · Decided November 16, 1990
167 A.D.2d 986
VDR Realty Corp. v. Mintz

Opinion of the Court

Order unanimously modified on the law and as modified affirmed without costs, in accordance with the following memorandum: Factual allegations of the *987complaint to the effect that defendant attorney unreasonably delayed the prosecution of a landlord-tenant holdover proceeding and engaged in dilatory tactics, thereby increasing the attorney’s fee and causing other consequential damages, state a cause of action for legal malpractice (see, Wolstencroft v Sassower, 124 AD2d 582; 2 Hallen and Smith, Legal Malpractice § 24.15 [3d ed]; Note, Liability of an Attorney in the Conduct of Litigation, 12 Syracuse L Rev 494, 497 [1961]). Plaintiff VDR Realty Corp. may recover damages even though it was successful in the underlying action (see, Wolstencroft v Sassower, supra; Skinner v Stone, Raskin & Israel, 724 F2d 264; 76 NY Jur 2d, Malpractice, § 44). Accordingly, we modify the order by denying defendants’ motion to dismiss the complaint for failure to state a cause of action.

No issue was raised in the brief or reply brief regarding the court’s imposition of a sanction for a frivolous cross motion for leave to enter a default judgment. That issue was, therefore, waived and is not properly before the court (see, Velte v Jainew Enters., 122 AD2d 544). (Appeal from order of Supreme Court, Kings County, Held, J.—dismiss complaint.) Present—Doerr, J. P., Denman, Balio, Lawton and Davis, JJ.

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