Court Opinion

ID: 9954317
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2024-03-25 21:11:15.297121+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T08:12:04.678272
License: Public Domain

Comfort Living Furniture Inc. v McDonald Design
                     Furniture Inc.
               2024 NY Slip Op 30905(U)
                     March 19, 2024
             Supreme Court, Kings County
        Docket Number: Index No. 504641/2018
                Judge: Leon Ruchelsman
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 This opinion is uncorrected and not selected for official
                       publication.
  FILED: KINGS COUNTY CLERK 03/19/2024 04:24 PM                                                            INDEX NO. 504641/2018
  NYSCEF DOC. NO. 167                                                                                RECEIVED NYSCEF: 03/19/2024

            SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK
            COUNTY OF KINGS               : CIVIL       TERM: COMMERCIAL 8
            ----.- . --- .. -------- :- . --. -. ----------- .- . .-x
            COMFORT LIVING FURNITURE INC.,
                                                                     Plaintiff,                  Decision and order

                                 - against -                                                   Index No. 504641/2018

            MCDONALD DESIGN FTJRNTTURE INC. and 1571
            HOLDING LLC,
                                                                   Defendant,                         March
                                                                                                      .     19, 2024
                                                                                                                  .

            ·--- - - -·- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ------.-.- - - -   ·X
            1571 HOLDING LLC,
                                                                   Third-Party Plaintiff,
                                  -against-

            RYBAK DEVELOPMENT AND CONSTRUCTION CORP,,
                                          Third-Party Defendant,
            -------------- ------ ----- --                             - -- --- -x
            PRESENT: HON. LEON RUCHELSMAN                                                            Motion Seq; #8

                     The defendant/third party plaintiff 1571 Holdings LLC has

            moved pursuant to CPLR §3212 seeking summary judgement dismissing

            the first cause of action of the amended complaint and to strike

            the jury demand.                 The plaintiff has opposed the motion.                             Papers

            were subrni tted by the parties and arguments held.                                      A.ft er

            reviewing all the arguments this ·court now makes the following

            determination.

                                                               Background

                        As recorded in prior orders in July 2001, Matthew Ferrigno

            and Victo:i:-ia Fer:rigno leased their propert.y located at 1571

            McDonald Avenue~ Brooklyn, NY to the defendant McDona:id Design

            Furniture fbr a duration: of 100 years.                                   Located on this property

            was a building ("the S.tore") and .an adjacent. large open area

             ("lot").         In September 2011, defendant subleased the first floor

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  FILED: KINGS COUNTY CLERK 03/19/2024 04:24 PM                               INDEX NO. 504641/2018
  NYSCEF DOC. NO. 167                                                  RECEIVED NYSCEF: 03/19/2024

            of the store to Comfort Living Furniture for a duration of 10

            years.      Subsequently, in October 2012, defendant subleased the

            basement of the store to the plaintiff for a duration o·f 9

            ye.3.rs.    .Prior to the defen.dant commencing excavating t.he lot, the

            def'endant created a holding company called 1571 Holding LLC:.           In

            January 2018, a permit to excavate property was issued to 1571

            Holding LLC. After :excavation work commenced, plaintiff claims

            that due to negligence on behalf of the construction crew, the

            store experienced severe flooding which destroyed a significant

            portion of plaintiff's inventory, forced the plaintiff to close

            the store for a period of time, and forced the .plaintiff to

            experid a significant amount of time andmori:ey in order to clean

            up the flooded area and to replace the destroyed merchandise.             A

            lawsuit was commenced seeking damages for those losses sustained.

            The plaintiff has alleged two causes of action, namely breach of

            contract and negligence.       The defendant 1571 H9ldihg LLC has now

            moved seeking surhrhary judgement regardin9 the breach of contract

            cause of action.      The defendant argues that the breach of

            contract cause of action is based upon language in the lease that

            covenants peaceful and quiet enjoyment of the property upon the

            proper payment of rent.       The. defendant further .argues that cause

            of action requites the. tenant to demonstrate an eviction .of the

            premises which. never occurred.      Furtherrno:r::.e, the defenp.ant

            asserts the plaintiff did not: pay rent arid theref.ore the

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  FILED: KINGS COUNTY CLERK 03/19/2024 04:24 PM                                 INDEX NO. 504641/2018
  NYSCEF DOC. NO. 167                                                   RECEIVED NYSCEF: 03/19/2024

            conciition precedent triggering the covenant of quiet enjoyment

            never occurred.        As noted the motion is opposed.

                                         Conclusions .of Law

                    Where the material facts at issue in a case a.te in dispute

            summary judgment cannot be granted (Zuckerman v. City of New

            York, 49 NYS2d 557, 427 NYS2d 595 [1980]).           Generally, it is for

            the jury, the trier of fact to determine the legal cause of any

            injury (Aronson v. Horace Mann-Barnard School, 224 AD2d 249, 637

            NYS2d 410 [ Fi:. Dept., 1996]) .    However, where only onE) conclusion

            may be drawn from the facts then the question of legal cause may

            be decided by the trial court as a matter b'f law (Derdiarian

            v. Felix Contracting Inc.,      51 NY2d 308,    434 NYS2d 166 [ 1980]) .

                  The covenant of quiet enjoyment only applies if all

            conditions precedent have been satisfied and there has been no

            waiver qf tho.se conditions (TDS Leasing LLC v. Tradito, 148 AD3d

            1079, 51 NYS3d 96 [2d Dept., 2017]).           In Dance Magic Inc .• v.

            Pike Realty Inc .. ,    85 AD3d 1083;   926 .AD2d 5.88 [2d Dept.,   2011])   a

            tenant sought a claim for a breach of the covenant of quiet

            enjoyment following flooding in the premises.           The court

            explained that "by the express terms of the lease, the plaintiffs

            were required to pay rent wl:1.ile remaining in possessi.on of the

            subject pr.emises as a condition precedent to receiving the

            benefit of quiet enjoyment of· the premises ...The plaintiffs paid

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  FILED: KINGS COUNTY CLERK 03/19/2024 04:24 PM                             INDEX NO. 504641/2018
  NYSCEF DOC. NO. 167                                                 RECEIVED NYSCEF: 03/19/2024

            r1;;,nt for the subject premises through November 2007, but they

            failed to pay rent while retaining possession of the subject

            premises for a portion of December 2007. Since they remained in

            possession of the sµl:J,ject premises while not paying, rent, the

            plaintiffs failed to satisfy the conditi.on precedent in their

            lease, and are thereby precluded from claiming a breach of the

            covenant of quiet enjoyment 11 (id}.        Indeed, the failure to pay

            rent can only be deemed an election of remedies and consequently

            has no claim for a breach of the covenant of quiet enjoyment

            (Schwartz v. Hotel Carlyle Owner's Corp., 132 AD3d 541, 20 NYS3d

            341 [1 st Dept. i 2015] ) .   The plaintiff argues that they only

            Stopped paying rent when the flooding occurred and they were

            partially evicted the.i::eby.    However, that excuse does not permit

            the tenant to not pay rent and still pursue claims of the breach

            o:E quiet enjoyment (see, 1590 Lexington LLC v. 1590 Corp., 53

            Misc3d 155(A)i 50 NYS3d 27       [Supreme Court, Appellate Term 2016]),

            Therefore, sin.ce the tenant chose not to pay rent the tenant

            cannot pursue a. claim for quiet enjoyment,

                   Therefore, the motion seeking to dismis-s this claim is

            granted.

                   So ordered.

                                          ENT.ER:

            DAT.ED: March 19, 2024
                    Brooklyn N.Y.               Hein. Leon Ru
                                                JSC

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