NIKAC v. RUKAJ

ORDERED that the order is affirmed, with costs.

To successfully oppose a motion for leave to enter a judgment based on the defendants' failure to appear or answer, the defendants must demonstrate a reasonable excuse for the delay and provide a meritorious defense (see, Gurreri v. Village of Briarcliff Manor, 249 A.D.2d 508; Siu Lung Cheng v. Leader Jewelry Corp., 246 A.D.2d 526; Miles v. Blue Label Trucking, 232 A.D.2d 382). The defendants met both requirements, and therefore, the plaintiffs' motion for leave to enter a judgment against them was properly denied (see, Kaiser v. Delaney, 255 A.D.2d 362; Van Man Adhesives Corp. v. City of New York, 236 A.D.2d 465; Bedard v. Najim, 222 A.D.2d 979).