N.Y. Laws » CHAPTER Lien / ARTICLE Mechanics' Liens
New York Consolidated Laws

N.Y. Lien Law § 39 (2026)

Lien wilfully exaggerated is void

✓ text as retrieved May 2026 (this copy records no edition or section history)
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§ 39. Lien wilfully exaggerated is void. In any action or proceeding
to enforce a mechanic's lien upon a private or public improvement or in
which the validity of the lien is an issue, if the court shall find that
a lienor has wilfully exaggerated the amount for which he claims a lien
as stated in his notice of lien, his lien shall be declared to be void
and no recovery shall be had thereon. No such lienor shall have a right
to file any other or further lien for the same claim. A second or
subsequent lien filed in contravention of this section may be vacated
upon application to the court on two days' notice.
Notes of Decisions
Cited in 82 cases (23 in the last 5 years), 1986–2025 · leading case: Strongback Corp. v. N.E.D. Cambridge Avenue Dev. Corp., 25 A.D.3d 392 (N.Y. App. Div. 1st Dep't 2006).
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Strongback Corp. v. N.E.D. Cambridge Avenue Dev. Corp., 25 A.D.3d 392 (N.Y. App. Div. 1st Dep't 2006). · cites it 2× “NED served its answer asserting a counterclaim to declare the lien void for wilful exaggeration (Lien Law § 39) and to recover damages for the amount exaggerated, together with costs and attorneys’ fees (Lien Law § 39-a).”
Pyramid Champlain Co. v. R.P. Brosseau & Co., 267 A.D.2d 539 (N.Y. App. Div. 3d Dep't 1999). · cites it 2× “Lien Law § 39 provides that “[i]n any action or proceeding to enforce a mechanic’s lien * * * or in which the validity of the lien is an issue”, the court may declare the lien void and deny recovery thereon upon a finding that the lienor willfully exaggerated the amount claimed…”
Lapenna Contr., Ltd. v. Mullen, 187 A.D.3d 1451 (N.Y. App. Div. 3d Dep't 2020). “Given these estimations and the court's findings of plaintiff's and LaPenna's inability to be trustworthy, the court's determination that plaintiff willfully exaggerated the lien beyond inaccuracy "in an attempt to coerce . . . [d]efendants to acquiesce to plaintiff's…”
Perma Pave Contracting Corp. v. Paerdegat Boat & Racquet Club, Inc., 156 A.D.2d 550 (N.Y. App. Div. 2d Dep't 1989). “Additionally, the denial of the appellant’s application for partial summary judgment with respect to its counterclaim based on willful exaggeration of the lien was appropriate (see generally, Lien Law §§ 39, 39-a). Even if, as the appellant contends, payment in full was made to…”
Blair v. Ferris, 150 A.D.3d 1365 (N.Y. App. Div. 3d Dep't 2017). · cites it 2× “Insofar as is relevant here, Lien Law § 39 provides that, “[i]n any action or proceeding to enforce a mechanic’s lien upon a private .”
Casella Constr. Corp. v. 322 E. 93rd St. LLC, 211 A.D.3d 458 (N.Y. App. Div. 1st Dep't 2022). · cites it 2× “), entered January 24, 2022, which granted defendant 322 East 93rd Street LLC's motion for summary judgment to the extent of declaring that plaintiff's mechanic's lien is void and discharged as willfully exaggerated pursuant to Lien Law § 39, and referred the matter to a special…”
Off. Comm. of Unsecured Creditors of 360Networks (USA) Inc. v. AAF-McQuay, Inc. (In Re 360Networks (USA) Inc.), 327 B.R. 187 (Bankr. S.D.N.Y. 2005). “N.Y. Lien Law § 39 . As the Court said in Ricotta , holders of inchoate statutory liens would be faced with an unreasonable Hobson’s choice between accepting payment or taking the commercially unreasonable step of declining payment in order to perfect an inchoate statutory lien.”
Greenway Plaza Off. Park-1 v. Metro Constr. Servs., Inc., 4 A.D.3d 328 (N.Y. App. Div. 2d Dep't 2004). “*329 In an action, inter alia, for a judgment declaring a notice of mechanic’s lien void pursuant to Lien Law § 39, the plaintiff appeals from an order of the Supreme Court, Suffolk County (Oliver, J.”
Exec. Towers at Lido, LLC v. Metro Constr. Servs., Inc., 303 A.D.2d 545 (N.Y. App. Div. 2d Dep't 2003). · cites it 4× “—In an action, inter alia, for a judgment declaring certain notices of mechanic’s liens void pursuant to Lien Law § 39, the plaintiff appeals from stated portions of an order of the Supreme Court, Nassau County (Cozzens, J.”
Pavarini McGovern, LLC v. Waterscape Resort LLC (In re Waterscape Resort LLC), 520 B.R. 424 (Bankr. S.D.N.Y. 2014). · cites it 2× “8 (See Waterscape Resort LLC’s: (I) Opposition to the Motion of Pavarini McGovern, LLC to Amend its Complaint to Assert Punitive Damages; and (II) Cross-Motion in Support of Motion to Amend Answer to Assert Counterclaim Against Pavarini McGovern, LLC for Willful Overstatement of…”
Pavarini McGovern, LLC v. Waterscape Resort LLC (In re Waterscape Resort LLC), 544 B.R. 507 (Bankr. S.D.N.Y. 2016). · cites it 2× “(See Notice of Joinder of Defendant Salim Assa a/k/a Solly Assa to Waterscape’s: (I) Opposition to the Motion of Pavarini to Amend its Complaint to Assert Punitive Damages; and (II) Cross-Motion in Support of Motion to Amend Answer to Assert Counterclaim Against Pavarini for…”
Guzman v. Est. of Fluker, 226 A.D.2d 676 (N.Y. App. Div. 2d Dep't 1996). “Lien Law § 39-a is penal in nature, and therefore it must be strictly construed in favor of the person upon whom the penalty is sought to be imposed (see, Goodman v Del-Sa-Co Foods, 15 NY2d 191, 195 ).”
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