A recent New York court decision has cleared the way for lenders to seek recovery against non-recourse carve-out, or “bad boy,” guarantors during a pending mortgage foreclosure action if a borrower files for bankruptcy. In so doing, the court answered a question that, surprisingly, was thus far apparently unanswered in a reported decision in New York: whether New York’s “one action rule” under RPAPL § 1301 bars a lender from obtaining a money judgment against a “bad boy” guarantor for the debt if a mortgage borrower files for bankruptcy while a foreclosure action is underway.

Yesterday, Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. (LBHI) and the Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors of LBHI (the Committee) filed a complaint against JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. (JPMorgan) in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York.