On August 7, 2024, the Second Department issued a decision in Bank of N.Y. Mellon v. Taylor, 2024 NY Slip Op. 04119, holding that entering an appearance without challenging jurisdiction waives the defense of lack of personal jurisdiction, explaining:
An appearance by a defendant in an action is deemed to be the equivalent of personal service of a summons upon that defendant, and, in the absence of an objection to jurisdiction by way of a motion or answer, the appearance confers personal jurisdiction over that defendant. In addition to the formal appearances listed in CPLR 320(a), a defendant may appear informally by actively litigating the action before the court. Here, the defendant waived the defense of lack of personal jurisdiction by filing a notice of appearance and opposing the plaintiff’s motion, inter alia, for leave to enter a default judgment against the defendant and for an order of reference without simultaneously asserting an affirmative objection to jurisdiction.
(Internal quotations and citations omitted).