Appellate Division, First Department · September 29, 2026 · 2026 NY Slip Op 05504
Stepton-Howard v Metropolitan N.Y. Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Am.
Read the official decision: 2026 NY Slip Op 05504
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Holding The Appellate Division reversed the lower court’s denial of the defendant’s motion to dismiss, finding that the plaintiffs failed to specifically plead a successor-in-interest claim. Consequently, the court held that discovery was not warranted because the plaintiffs had only pleaded direct liability theories of recovery.
The court’s words
Supreme Court should have granted Synod's CPLR 3211(a)(7) motions to dismiss the complaints against it because plaintiffs failed to specifically plead the successor-in-interest claim.
2026 NY Slip Op 05504, at the official text
| Court | Appellate Division, First Department |
|---|---|
| Decided | September 29, 2026 |
| Citation | 2026 NY Slip Op 05504 |
| Area of law | Civil Procedure |
| Week | Week ending October 3, 2026 |
| Official text | Official decision: 2026 NY Slip Op 05504 |
| Publication status | Slip opinions are uncorrected and subject to revision before publication in the Official Reports. |
| Source feed | New York slip opinion page |
| Law Watch record id | 679 |
Recommended citation
ESQ HQ, New York Law Watch, Stepton-Howard v Metropolitan N.Y. Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Am., 2026 NY Slip Op 05504 (Appellate Division, First Department, September 29, 2026), https://esqhq.com/decisions/2026-ny-slip-op-05504/
How this record was made
Holding drafted by Law Watch’s in-house model, graded by three reviewers; every quotation verified word for word against the official text.
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