New York foreclosure summons and complaint named my deceased uncle. Is this permitted?

In NY, the law does not permit a lawsuit to pursue against an individual who is deceased (you can't sue the dead), but the lawsuit can be permitted if the plaintiff has named the decedent's estate representative(s) and or heirs.  For instance, if your uncle owned the real property and died without a will (died intestate), the plaintiff, in order to proceed, can name your uncle's natural heirs at law. In New York, real property passes by operation of law to the decedent owner's heirs at law which is based on the laws of succession pursuant to the intestacy statute. If your uncle had a will (died testate) then the plaintiff must name the representative in the probate proceeding and no need to name the natural heirs since they are bound by the probate proceeding. If, however, the plaintiff is seeking a deficiency judgment against your uncle's estate (let's assume he signed a promissory note in favor of the foreclosing plaintiff) then regardless of whether your uncle had a will or not, the plaintiff must serve your uncle's personal representative. If there is no personal representative, the plaintiff will need to file a petition in surrogate's court to have a representative appointed. Once the representative is appointed, the plaintiff can serve the representative and the representative will be bound by any court order or judgment in the foreclosure action. If the foreclosing plaintiff is seeking a deficiency judgment against the decedent's estate then it must name and serve the decedent's personal representative.