Bank of Am., N.A. v Paulsen, 2015 NY Slip Op 01597 (2d Dept. 2015)
“Here, contrary to the conclusion reached by the Supreme Court, the appellant did not waive the issue of standing. Although the appellant’s answer did not raise standing as a separate defense, a fair reading of his answer reveals that it contained language which denied that the plaintiff was the owner and holder of the note and mortgage being foreclosed. Under such circumstances, the appellant was not required to expressly plead lack of standing as a defense”
This is interesting. The Court held, in essence, that the denial of certain averments in the complaint was sufficient to raise the affirmative defense of lack of standing. So, the more artfully a complaint is pleaded, the better the chance of a de-facto standing defense being proffered.
