JOANNA SEYBERT, District Judge.
Plaintiff David Wenger ("Plaintiff") commenced this action on July 17, 2014 against defendant the United States Postal Service ("Defendant"), seeking an order directing Defendant to turnover rent and related monies payable to Woodglen Realty LLC ("Woodglen Realty") and L.A. Wenger Contracting Co., Inc. ("L.A. Wenger") pursuant to an outstanding judgment issued by the New York State Supreme Court, Suffolk County. (Compl., Docket Entry 1.) Defendant moves to dismiss the Complaint for lack of subject matter jurisdiction and for failure to state a claim pursuant to Federal Rules of Civil Procedure 12(b)(1) and 12(b)(6). (Def.'s Mot., Docket Entry 8.) For the following reasons, Defendant's motion is GRANTED.
This case amounts to an effort to enforce a state-court judgment entered in Plaintiff's favor. On or about August 18, 2008, Plaintiff commenced an action in the New York State Supreme Court, Suffolk County, against L.A. Wenger and Louis Wenger. (Compl. ¶ 5.) Thereafter, on or about January 9, 2009, Plaintiff commenced a second action in the same court against, among others, Woodglen Realty LLC. (Compl. ¶ 6.) Those cases were consolidated and tried before Justice Emily Pines. (Compl. ¶ 7.) Following trial, a judgment dated October 24, 2011 was entered in favor of Plaintiff on virtually all issues. (Compl. ¶ 8.). On March 4, 2014, the Appellate Division, Second Department entered an amended judgment in favor of Plaintiff in the amount of $343,490.88 (the "State Court Judgment"). (Compl. Ex. A.)
Woodglen Realty and L.A. Wenger are two of the entities against which the State Court Judgment was entered, (Compl. Ex. A), and both lease real estate to Defendant, (Compl. ¶ 11). Woodglen leases a building located at 217 Woodbury Road, Woodbury, NY to Defendant. (Compl. ¶ 11.) Defendant pays monthly rent of $11,916.67 for the Woodbury property and $4,833.33 in monthly rent for the Arcade Property. (Compl. ¶¶ 12-13.) Defendant pays the real estate taxes associated with those properties. (Compl. ¶ 14.)
On April 2, 2014, Plaintiff served Defendant with a "Restraining Notice and Information Subpoena," purportedly pursuant to N.Y. C.P.L.R § 5222. (Compl. ¶ 16.) On April 25, 2014, Defendant responded to the questions posed by Plaintiff's subpoena, (Compl. Ex. D), but apparently refused to comply with the restraining notice, (
"A case is properly dismissed for lack of subject matter jurisdiction under Rule 12(b)(1) when the district court lacks the statutory or constitutional power to adjudicate it."
28 U.S.C. § 1963 provides a mechanism by which a district court an enforce the judgments of another court. It provides:
28 U.S.C. § 1963. Where the judgment is not registered, the district court lacks subject matter jurisdiction over an enforcement proceeding.
Plaintiff does not allege that he satisfied the registration requirements of 28 U.S.C. § 1963. Nor could he. Section 1963 does not allow for the registration of state court judgments, and nothing in section 1963 provides a United States district court with the jurisdiction to enforce a state court judgment.
Accordingly, because Plaintiff requests that this Court issue an order enforcing an unregistered, state-court judgment, this Court lacks subject matter jurisdiction over Plaintiff's action.
For the foregoing reasons, Defendant's motion to dismiss (Docket Entry 8) is GRANTED, and Plaintiff's claim is DISMISSED. The Clerk of this Court is directed to enter Judgment in accordance with this Memorandum and Order and to mark this matter CLOSED.
SO ORDERED.