Case Name: Yessenia Damas, Respondent, v. William J. Biggs, Appellant, and Netherland Gardens Corp., Respondent, et al., Defendant
Court: New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division
Jurisdiction: New York
Decision Date: 2018-01-04
Citations: 157 A.D.3d 454
Docket Number: 
Parties: Yessenia Damas, Respondent, v William J. Biggs, Appellant, and Netherland Gardens Corp., Respondent, et al., Defendant.
Judges: Concur—Renwick, J.P., Manzanet-Daniels, Gische, Kahn and Singh, JJ.
Reporter: Appellate Division Reports
Volume: 157
Pages: 454–455

Head Matter:
Yessenia Damas, Respondent, v William J. Biggs, Appellant, and Netherland Gardens Corp., Respondent, et al., Defendant.
[66 NYS3d 130]

Opinion:
Order and interlocutory judgment (one paper), Supreme Court, Bronx County (Larry S. Schachner, J.), entered on or about August 2, 2016, among other things, appointing a referee to conduct a sale of property and distribute the proceeds, unanimously affirmed, without costs.
Given that the parties could not reach a settlement agreement, and physical partition would cause great prejudice to both owners, the motion court correctly directed that the cooperative unit be sold and the proceeds divided (RPAPL 915; see Estate of Steingart v Hoffman, 33 AD3d 465, 466 [1st Dept 2006]). Shares to a cooperative unit may be partitioned under RPAPL article 9 (Chiang v Chang, 137 AD2d 371 [1st Dept 1988]). Further, it is undisputed that plaintiff signed the proprietary lease and was a co-owner of shares to the unit; thus, she had a right to seek partition of the unit (see id.; see also RPAPL 901 [1]).
To the extent defendant co-owner of the unit raises any arguments concerning the proper division of the sales proceeds, such arguments are premature.
Concur—Renwick, J.P., Manzanet-Daniels, Gische, Kahn and Singh, JJ.