Opinion ID: 552779
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: facts

Text: 4 Associated is a Virginia corporation with its principal place of business in St. Louis, Missouri. Since 1980 Associated has leased office space in a building located at 417 Fifth Avenue, New York, New York. The lessor of this building, 417 Fifth, is a New York resident, having its principal place of business in New York. 5 In June 1987, Towers, a Nevada corporation with its principal place of business in New York, began leasing the ninth floor of the building at 417 Fifth from Associated. Subsequently, on January 19, 1988, Towers and Associated entered into an additional sublease agreement allocating to Towers space on the seventh and eighth floors of the building. On the same date, 417 Fifth signed a consent to sublease agreement with Associated and Towers, in which it agreed not to unreasonably withhold or delay its consent to any alterations proposed by Towers, the subtenant. 6 Shortly after taking possession of the seventh and eighth floors, Towers determined that the existing electrical service on these floors was inadequate to serve its needs. Consequently, Towers approached Associated and the parties agreed to allow Towers to use 150 amps of power from the building's sixth floor. The parties submitted this agreement to 417 Fifth for its approval. Before 417 Fifth would approve this arrangement, however, it requested that the parties submit a schematic plan detailing the structural changes that would have to be made in order to divert the electrical power. To prepare this plan, Towers' engineer needed access to the building's basement. However, 417 Fifth denied Towers permission to survey the basement in which the electrical apparatus was located. 7 On July 5, 1988, Towers initiated an action against 417 Fifth in New York State Supreme Court seeking an order to show cause requiring 417 Fifth to consent to the proposed alterations and to grant Towers access to the basement. On the same day, Towers requested that Associated allocate an additional 200 amps of electrical power to the seventh and eighth floors. 8 Two months later, in September 1988, Towers agreed to discontinue its state court action in exchange for Associated's written promise that it would support Towers in the pursuit of its rights under the sublease documents. By letter dated September 6, 1988, Associated agreed that 9 [i]f [the] Overlandlord [417 Fifth] has not responded reasonably to said plans and specifications submission within 45 days of the date of submission ... then Associated will support Towers in the pursuit of Towers' rights under the Sublease documents so long as and provided that Towers has not caused a material default with regard to its obligations under the Sublease documents. 10