Ordered that the order is affirmed, with costs.
To avoid dismissal for failure to timely serve a complaint after a demand therefor has been served pursuant to CPLR 3012 (b), a plaintiff must demonstrate a reasonable excuse for the delay in serving the complaint and a meritorious cause of action ( see Maldonado v Suffolk County, 23 AD3d 353, 353-354; Gagnon v J.S. Intl. Shipping Corp., 8 AD3d 336, 337). The Supreme Court providently exercised its discretion in granting the defendant's motion to dismiss the action because the plaintiff's unspecified law office failure excuse did not constitute a reasonable excuse ( see Quinn v Wenco Food Sys., Co., 269 AD2d 437; Bravo v New York City Hous. Auth., 253 AD2d 510).