This issue is addressed in the following Housing Court Case:
http://www.nycourts.gov/reporter/3dseri ... _50797.htm
Civil Court of the City of New York, New York County
ALTA APARTMENTS LLC, Petitioner-Landlord,
against
STUYVESANT WAINWRIGHT, III, and MARCELLA WAINWRIGHT, Respondents-Tenants, "JOHN DOE" and "JANE DOE," Respondents-Undertenants.
105382/03
Judge: Gerald Lebovits, J.
Dated: July 19, 2004J.H.C.
In moving to compel Ms. Wainwright to disclose her social security and bank account numbers, petitioner seeks information it may not obtain lightly. In Cambridge Development, LLC v McCarthy (2003 NY Slip Op [U], *26 [Hous Part, Civ Ct, NY County]), for example, this court, in response to a timely discovery motion in a nonprimary-residence proceeding, allowed the tenant to redact his social security and bank account numbers.
Social security numbers are almost never discoverable. (E.g. Weingrad v City of New York, NYLJ, Jan. 7, 2004, at 18, col 1 [Sup Ct, NY County].) Noteworthy is Bibeau v Cantigue Figure Skating Club, Inc. (294 AD2d 525, 525 [2d Dept 2002, mem]), in which the Second Department cited a series of cases in reversing Supreme Court's directive that the plaintiff produce unredacted copies of income tax returns containing her social security number ...
... In declining to compel Ms. Wainwright to turn over her social security and bank account numbers, this court relied in part on West 16th Realty Co. v Ali (176 Misc 2d 978, 979 [Civ Ct, NY County 1998]).