Portfolio Recovery Associates, LLC v. Calderia
The case involves a special proceeding initiated by Portfolio Recovery Associates, LLC to obtain a turnover order for funds held in a joint bank account of judgment debtor Lizette M. Calderia and Genoveva Castillo at JPMorgan Chase Bank. A key legal question was the applicability of CPLR article 52 amendments, effective January 1, 2009, which introduce new protections for judgment debtors, to proceedings commenced prior to but heard after this effective date. The court ruled that CPLR 5232 (e), concerning execution exemptions, applies retroactively due to its remedial nature, while provisions for restraining notices (CPLR 5222-a, 5222 [i]) do not. Given the judgment debtors' default, the court determined that a hearing is necessary to assess whether the statutorily exempt amount is genuinely required for the judgment debtor's reasonable needs and those of her dependents. The decision directs that if the judgment debtors default at the hearing, all funds in the account will be made available to the judgment creditor.