If you received (were served) a copy of the judgment, you have up to one year from the date of the judgment to ask the court to vacate a judgment based on excusable default. If you never received (were served) a copy of the judgment, this one-year time limit does not apply to you.
To vacate a default judgment you should fill out an Order to Show Cause. An Order to Show Cause is a legal paper, signed by the judge, that orders the other side to appear in court and "show cause," that is, give a good reason, why the judgment should not be vacated.
After a summons with notice is served, the defendant will demand that the plaintiff serve a complaint. The plaintiff must then have the complaint served within 20 days after being served with the demand, or the case may be dismissed.
How Long Are Judgments Valid in New York? Judgments are valid for 20 years and may be extended once for an additional period of 10 years. To extend a judgment for an extra ten (10) years, the Judgment Creditor must make written application to the court that issued the original judgment.
New York courts usually only vacate default judgments in two situations: Excusable default: The defendant has a good excuse for not appearing and has a valid defense to the lawsuit. Lack of personal jurisdiction (bad service): The defendant wasn't properly served with the required notice of the lawsuit.