1. For the purposes of this section, “consumer goods” shall mean goods, wares, paid merchandise or services purchased or paid for by a consumer, the intended use or benefit of which is intended for the personal, family or household purposes of such consumer. 2. In any contract involving the sale, lease or otherwise providing of consumer goods, any portion of the contract or any clause which purports to designate, restrict, or limit the venue in which a claim shall be adjudicated or arbitrated shall be deemed void as against public policy. Nothing in this section shall be deemed to affect the validity of any other aspect of a contract.
§ 514.Actions relating to consumer goods.
Article 5. Venue · Last amended 2021 · Last verified July 21, 2026
In one sentenceCPLR 514 voids, as against public policy, any clause in a consumer-goods contract that tries to fix or limit where a dispute over that contract can be sued on or arbitrated, while leaving the rest of the contract intact.
Full Text of CPLR 514
Plain-English Summary
CPLR 514 targets a different kind of venue manipulation: instead of a plaintiff picking a convenient county after the fact, the seller writes the county into the contract before any dispute exists. The section takes that option off the table for consumer transactions.
The definition of consumer goods reaches goods, wares, merchandise, and services bought or paid for a consumer's personal, family, or household use. When a contract for the sale, lease, or provision of consumer goods contains a clause that tries to designate, restrict, or limit which venue can hear a dispute over that contract, or where it can be arbitrated, the section declares that clause void as against public policy.
The rest of the contract survives. CPLR 514 only reaches the venue-restricting clause itself; it doesn't give a consumer grounds to void the whole agreement over that one provision.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a company force me to sue in a specific county under my purchase contract?
No. CPLR 514 voids, as against public policy, any clause in a consumer goods contract that tries to designate, restrict, or limit the venue for a dispute over that contract.
What counts as consumer goods under this section?
The section defines consumer goods as goods, wares, merchandise, or services bought or paid for by a consumer for personal, family, or household use.
Does voiding the venue clause void the whole contract?
No. CPLR 514 says nothing else in the contract is affected; only the clause restricting venue is void.
Does CPLR 514 reach clauses that require arbitration in a particular location?
Yes. The section reaches clauses that restrict or limit where a claim can be resolved, whether the dispute is heading to court or to arbitration.
Why did New York enact this consumer-goods venue rule?
It responds to sellers using standard-form contracts to lock consumer disputes into a venue far from where the consumer lives or bought the goods, shifting leverage in future litigation before any dispute even exists.
Does this section apply to business-to-business contracts?
No. It's limited to contracts involving consumer goods bought or used for personal, family, or household purposes, not commercial transactions between businesses.
Amendment History
L 2021, ch 556, § 2, effective December 3, 2021.
Source & verification. Provision text, History, and Advisory
Committee Notes are reproduced verbatim from the Consolidated Laws of New York.
Last verified July 21, 2026.
· Official source
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