Court Opinion

ID: 9959897
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2024-04-12 20:11:26.010542+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T08:18:58.827886
License: Public Domain

Gilbert v Winston
               2024 NY Slip Op 31221(U)
                      April 9, 2024
           Supreme Court, New York County
        Docket Number: Index No. 650374/2023
                  Judge: Andrew Borrok
Cases posted with a "30000" identifier, i.e., 2013 NY Slip
 Op 30001(U), are republished from various New York
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                       publication.
                                                                                                                        INDEX NO. 650374/2023
  NYSCEF DOC. NO. 155                                                                                             RECEIVED NYSCEF: 04/09/2024

            SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK
            COUNTY OF NEW YORK: COMMERCIAL DIVISION PART 53
            ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- X

             STEPHEN GILBERT, DINO MARCANTONIO, LIANA                                               INDEX NO.         650374/2023
             MOUNT, NEIL RIFKIND,

                                                          Plaintiff,                                MOTION DATE        01/12/2024

                                                - V -                                               MOTION SEQ. NO.        007
             BRADFORD WINSTON, KARYN BECK, CURT
             GOLDMAN, ROBERT I. GOLDY, BARBARA HAYES,                                                DECISION+ ORDER ON
             RICHARD HUNNINGS, RICHARD LEIBNER, ANITA                                                      MOTION
             MCDONAGH, SIGRID STROPNIK, PARC VENDOME
             CONDOMINIUM,

                                                          Defendant.
            ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- X

            HON. ANDREW BORROK:

            The following e-filed documents, listed by NYSCEF document number (Motion 007) 137, 138, 139, 140,
            141,142,143,144,145,146,147,148,151,152,153,154
            were read on this motion to/for                                               APPOINT - FIDUCIARY

            Upon the foregoing documents, the Plaintiffs' motion to have an order issued pursuant to CPLR

            1015 and 1021 substituting Sandra Powers, Bradford Winston's surviving spouse, as substitute

            for Bradford Winston, deceased, is granted. Ms. Powers has had notice and an opportunity to be

            heard (NYSCEF Doc. Nos. 146, 148), has not filed an affidavit in opposition to the motion and

            the Plaintiffs would suffer further delay and prejudice if substitution is not made at this time so

            that their motion for summary judgment can be properly heard by this Court and so that the

            Defendants do not attempt to pass along damages they allegedly caused in the Underlying

            Lawsuit (hereinafter defined) to the unit owners Plaintiffs. The Defendants on the other hand

            would suffer no prejudice.

             650374/2023 GILBERT, STEPHEN ET AL vs. WINSTON, BRADFORD ET AL                                             Page 1 of 7
             Motion No. 007

                                                                            1 of 7
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                                                                                                INDEX NO. 650374/2023
  NYSCEF DOC. NO. 155                                                                   RECEIVED NYSCEF: 04/09/2024

            Reference is made to an underlying lawsuit (the Underlying Lawsuit) captioned Pare 56 LLC v.

            Board ofManagers ofPark Vendome Condominium, 217 AD3d 416,419 [1st Dept 2023]) where

            the Board (i.e., the Defendants in this action) violated the condominium bylaws and declaration

            and were found to have acted in bad faith and to have perpetrated a fraud on the Court in

            asserting that certain condominium "governing documents" required the plaintiff in the

            Underlying Lawsuit to agree to certain terms and conditions when the Board knew that the

            condominium governing documents did no such thing because a Proposed Eighth Amendment to

            the governing documents imposing such requirements was proposed to the unit owners and not

            adopted by them when it was presented to them (Pare 56, LLC v Bd. ofManagers ofPare

            Vendome Condominium, 217 AD3d 416,419 [1st Dept 2023]).

            The unit owner Plaintiffs in this case brought this lawsuit seeking to hold the Board members

            responsible for their alleged breach of fiduciary duties based on the conduct reviewed by the

            Appellate Division and this Court in the Underlying Lawsuit and to avoid imposition by the

            Board members of the damages in the Underlying Lawsuit from being imposed upon them which

            damages are occasioned by actions of the Board.

            On November 10, 2023, the Plaintiffs in this lawsuit brought a motion for summary judgment.

            This Court twice granted extensions to the briefing schedule on the Plaintiffs' summary

           judgment motion (NYSCEF Doc. Nos. 115, 117). Pursuant to the second extension, Defendant's

            opposition was due on December 22, 2023 (NYSCEF Doc. No. 117). The Plaintiffs reply was

            due on January 16, 2024 (id.).   In the interim, on December 6, 2023 (NYSCEF Doc. Nos. 149,

             650374/2023 GILBERT, STEPHEN ET AL vs. WINSTON, BRADFORD ET AL                     Page 2 of 7
             Motion No. 007

                                                          2 of 7
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                                                                                                                   INDEX NO. 650374/2023
  NYSCEF DOC. NO. 155                                                                                    RECEIVED NYSCEF: 04/09/2024

            150) Mr. Winston passed away and this case was stayed by operation oflaw until a proper

            substitution is made (Schnapp v Miller's Launch, Inc., 135 AD3d 655, 656 [1st Dept 2016]).

            Thus, six months have now elapsed since the Plaintiffs first filed their motion for summary

           judgment and approximately five months have now elapsed since Mr. Winston's passing. The

            record before the Court is bereft of any attempt for a proper substitution by the Estate of Mr.

            Winston in this case. 1 Thus, the Plaintiffs have now moved pursuant to CPLR 1015(a) and 1021

            for an Order appointing Mr. Winston's widow, Ms. Powers, as a proper substitution for Mr.

            Winston, and to lift the stay. As discussed above, Ms. Powers (who was served) does not submit

            any papers opposing her substitution and counsel to the Defendants informed the Court that Ms.

            Powers was appointed in December of last year (approximately five months ago) as Mr.

            Winston's representative in Florida.

            1
             The Court notes for completeness that the Court was informed by email dated January 25, 2024 by counsel
            (NYSCEF Doc. No. 153) to the Defendants (and not Mr. Winston's estate or Ms. Powers) that Ms. Powers, Mr.
            Winston's widow, had been appointed in Florida as the personal representative of Mr. Winston:

                      We represent Defendants Karyn Beck, Robert Goldy, Barbara Hayes, Richard Hunnings, Richard
                      Leibner, Anita McDonagh, Sigrid Stropnik and Pare Vendome Condominium in the above-
                      referenced matter. Counsel for Plaintiffs, and counsel for Defendant Curt Goldman, are copied
                      here.

                      We write with reference to the Court's Order dated January 17, 2024 (Dkt. No. 149), and further
                      to our letter dated January 19, 2024 (Dkt. No. 150), wherein we informed the Court that a
                      domiciliary probate proceeding was being commenced in Florida, the state where Mr. Winston
                      was domiciled at the time of his death.

                      We have been informed that Mr. Winston's wife has been issued Letters of Administration under
                      the laws of the state of Florida and has been appointed to act as the personal representative of Mr.
                      Winston's estate and its property in Florida. We have also been informed that an ancillary probate
                      proceeding is currently being commenced in the state of New York, as required, wherein Mr.
                      Winston's wife will seek Letters of Administration appointing her under the laws of the state of
                      New York as the personal representative of the estate and its property in New York

            (NYSCEF Doc. No. 153). To date, neither Ms. Powers nor any attorney purporting to represent Ms. Powers has
            provided this Court with a copy of any such Court papers.

                650374/2023 GILBERT, STEPHEN ET AL vs. WINSTON, BRADFORD ET AL                                     Page 3 of 7
                Motion No. 007

                                                                   3 of 7
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                                                                                                    INDEX NO. 650374/2023
  NYSCEF DOC. NO. 155                                                                       RECEIVED NYSCEF: 04/09/2024

            If a party dies and the claim against that party "is not thereby extinguished the court shall order

            substitution of the proper parties" (CPLR 1015[a]). A motion seeking substitution "may be

            made by the successors or representatives of a party or by any party" (CPLR 1021 [emphasis

            added]). The Supreme Court is a court of general jurisdiction with the power to appoint a

            temporary administrator to avoid delay or prejudice (Dieye v Royal Blue Services, Inc., 104

            AD3d 724, 726 [2d Dept 2013]). "The determination of whether to exercise its authority to

            appoint a temporary administrator is committed to the sound discretion of the Supreme Court"

            (Lambert v Estren, 126 AD3d 942, 943 [2d Dept 2015], citing Rosenfeld v Hotel Corp. ofAm.,

            20 NY2d 25, 28 [1967]).

            In support of their motion, the Plaintiffs argue that the Court should exercise its discretion to

            appoint Ms. Powers as substitute for Mr. Winston because they would be substantially

            prejudiced by further delay in having the Court consider their summary judgment motion

            because, among other things, the Defendants have indicated that they intend to pass along the

            costs from the damages that their conduct caused in the Underlying Action. As discussed above,

            neither Ms. Powers (who was served) nor anyone purporting to represent Ms. Powers filed

            papers opposing the motion. Only the Defendants did. As such, the Plaintiffs assert that the

            Court should grant the motion as unopposed.

            Review of the Defendants' opposition papers makes clear three things. First, the Defendants do

            not credibly contend that Ms. Powers is an inappropriate substitute for Mr. Winston. Second,

             650374/2023 GILBERT, STEPHEN ET AL vs. WINSTON, BRADFORD ET AL                         Page 4 of 7
             Motion No. 007

                                                           4 of 7
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                                                                                                INDEX NO. 650374/2023
  NYSCEF DOC. NO. 155                                                                    RECEIVED NYSCEF: 04/09/2024

            there simply is no good reason why the Court should not exercise its discretion in granting the

            motion. Third, the Defendants are not prejudiced by the appointment.

            As such, the motion is granted and Ms. Powers is hereby appointed to serve as Mr. Winston's

            personal representative for the purpose of defending and disposing of this action on behalf of

            Bradford Winston, and the stay previously imposed by operation of law is lifted.

            Inasmuch as the parties had agreed by stipulation (NYSCEF Doc. No. 135) that the Defendants

            would have 30 days to file opposition papers to the pending motion for summary judgment (Mtn.

            Seq. No. 003) following the appointment of a substitute for Mr. Winston, the Defendants shall

            file any opposition papers no later than May 9, 2024. Reply papers of the Plaintiffs shall be

            filed no later than May 23, 2024.

            Accordingly, it is hereby

            ORDERED that the Plaintiffs' motion is granted and Ms. Sandra Powers is appointed to serve as

            the temporary administrator of the estate of Bradford Winston, deceased, for the limited and sole

            purpose of defending and disposing of this action on behalf of Bradford Winston; and it is further

            ORDERED that the stay is lifted; and it is further

            ORDERED that the caption is amended to read as:

             STEPHEN GILBERT, DINO MARCANTONIO, LIANA
             MOUNT, NEIL RIFKIND,
             650374/2023 GILBERT, STEPHEN ET AL vs. WINSTON, BRADFORD ET AL                     Page 5 of 7
             Motion No. 007

                                                          5 of 7
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                                                                                                      INDEX NO. 650374 / 2023
  NYSCEF DOC. NO. 155                                                                          RECEIVED NYSCEF: 04 / 09 / 2024

                                             Plaintiff,

                                                          - V -

             SANDRA POWERS, as the Temporary Administrator of the
             Estate of BRADFORD WINSTON, KARYN BECK, CURT
             GOLDMAN, ROBERT I. GOLDY, BARBARA HAYES,
             RICHARD HUNNINGS, RICHARD LEISNER, ANITA
             MCDONAGH, SIGRID STROPNIK, PARC VENDOME
             CONDOMINIUM ,

                                             Defendant.

            ; and it is further

            ORDERED that the Defendants shall file opposition papers to the Plaintiffs' summary judgment

            motion by May 9, 2024; and it is further

            ORDERED that the Plaintiffs shall file reply papers in further support of their summary

           judgment motion by May 23 , 2024; and it is further

            ORDERED that the conference scheduled for April 11 at 2:30 pm is adjourned until May 30,

            2024, at 2:00pm.

            ORDERED that the parties shall email Part 53 (sfc-part53@nycourts.gov) when the summary

           judgment motion is fully submitted.

                     4/9/2024
                      DATE                                                        ANDREW BORROK, J.S.C.
             CHECK ONE:             □ CASE DISPOSED                    0   NON-FINAL DISPOSITION

             650374/2023 GILBERT, STEPHEN ET AL vs. WINSTON, BRADFORD ET AL                           Page 6 of 7
             Motion No. 007

                                                              6 of 7
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