Appeal from an order of the Supreme Court (Castellino, J.), entered November 19, 2001 in Chemung County, which, inter alia, partially granted plaintiffs cross motion for summary judgment and dismissed defendants’ counterclaim.
In May 1989, plaintiff purchased a mobile home park from defendant Elmakiss Realty Trust for $700,000. Defendant Yakov Elmakiss was the trustee of the trust. To finance the sale, plaintiff executed a mortgage in favor of Chase Lincoln Bank in the amount of $325,000 and another mortgage in favor of the trust for the remaining $375,000. In March 1991, plaintiff defaulted on the mortgage to the trust and, by letter dated April 25, 1991, the trust sent a written notice of default to plaintiff advising, inter alia, that it was accelerating the underlying debt. Plaintiff subsequently defaulted on the mortgage to Chase, prompting Chase to commence a foreclosure action. The mobile home park was sold for $435,000 in March 1994. In the interim, both the trust and Elmakiss filed for bankruptcy and, after satisfying Chase’s senior mortgage, the surplus proceeds of approximately $58,000 was paid to the trust’s bankruptcy trustee.
After apparently emerging from bankruptcy as the owner of the mortgage note from plaintiff, Elmakiss commenced an action thereon against plaintiff in New Hampshire. After successfully obtaining dismissal of that action based upon lack of personal jurisdiction, plaintiff commenced this action in October 1997 alleging, inter alia, fraud and misrepresentation and seeking a declaration that the note had been released, discharged or satisfied through bankruptcy or otherwise rendered unenforceable. Thereafter, in March 1998, defendants answered and asserted a counterclaim for the balance allegedly due and owing on the underlying note. Defendants thereafter moved for, inter alia, summary judgment dismissing the complaint and plaintiff cross-moved for partial summary judgment seeking, inter alia, a declaration that the note was
We affirm. The six-year statute of limitations in a mortgage foreclosure action begins to run from the due date for each unpaid installment unless the debt has been accelerated; once the debt has been accelerated by a demand or commencement of an action, the entire sum becomes due and the statute of limitations begins to run on the entire mortgage (see Loiacono v Goldberg,
Moreover, as Supreme Court aptly noted, once the debt was accelerated on April 25, 1991, defendants’ election in this regard could be revoked only through an affirmative act occurring within the statute of limitations period (see EMC Mtge. Corp. v Patella,
Cardona, P.J., Peters, Carpinello and Rose, JJ., concur. Ordered that the order is affirmed, with costs.
