Court Opinion

ID: 9950816
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2024-03-14 20:10:11.141549+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T14:36:50.693163
License: Public Domain

Madison Sixty, LLC v 27 Madison Ave. Corp.
               2024 NY Slip Op 30769(U)
                     March 11, 2024
           Supreme Court, New York County
        Docket Number: Index No. 156411/2020
                  Judge: Debra A. James
Cases posted with a "30000" identifier, i.e., 2013 NY Slip
 Op 30001(U), are republished from various New York
 State and local government sources, including the New
  York State Unified Court System's eCourts Service.
 This opinion is uncorrected and not selected for official
                       publication.
 [FILED: NEW YORK COUNTY CLERK 03/11/2024 04:52 P~                                                                       INDEX NO. 156411/2020
  NYSCEF DOC. NO. 71                                                                                               RECEIVED NYSCEF: 03/11/2024

                                   SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK
                                             NEW YORK COUNTY
            PRESENT:             HON. DEBRA A. JAMES                                                 PART    59
                                                                                       Justice
            ----------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------X      INDEX NO.          156411/2020
             MADISON SIXTY, LLC,
                                                                                                     MOTION DATE         05/28/2021
                                                         Plaintiff,
                                                                                                     MOTION SEQ. NO.         001
                                                 - V -
                                                                                                            ORDER-
             27 MADISON AVENUE CORP. and WILLIAM BYUN
                                                                                                       RESETTLED/AMENDED
                                                         Defendants.                                    (MOTION RELATED)

            ------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------X

            The following e-filed documents, listed by NYSCEF document number (Motion 001) 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11,
            12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19,20,21,22,23,24,25,26,27,28,29, 30, 31, 32,33,34, 35, 36,37,38, 39,
            40,41,42,43,44,45,46,47,48,49,50,51,52,53,54, 70
            were read on this motion to/for                                                       JUDGMENT-SUMMARY

                      Upon the foregoing documents, it is

                      ORDERED that the Order of March 8,                                             2024,       resolving motion

            sequence 001 in this action is VACATED, RESETTLED, AND CORRECTED

            pursuant to CPLR § 5019 (a)                               [see Kiker v Nassau County, 85 NY2d 879

            (1995)] as follows:

                                                                            ORDER

                      Upon the foregoing documents, it is

                      ORDERED that to the extent of dismissing the first through

            and including eighth affirmative defenses interposed by defendant

            27 Madison Avenue Corp in the answer,                                                 and as to liability on the

            complaint as against defendant 27 Madison Avenue Corp only,                                                               the

            motion of plaintiff for summary judgment is granted;                                                        and it is

            further

             156411/2020 MADISON SIXTY, LLC vs. 27 MADISON AVENUE CORP.                                                  Page 1 of4
             Motion No. 001

                                                                            1 of 4
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 [FILED: NEW YORK COUNTY CLERK 03/11/2024 04:52 P~                                           INDEX NO. 156411/2020
  NYSCEF DOC. NO. 71                                                                 RECEIVED NYSCEF: 03/11/2024

                    ORDERED the issue of damages to be assessed against defendant

            27 Madison Avenue Corp shall be determined at the trial of this

            action; and it is further

                    ORDERED that plaintiff's motion is otherwise denied, without

            prejudice to applying for relief pursuant to CPLR 3025(c); and it

            is further

                    ORDERED that to the extent of compelling discovery, the cross

            motion of defendants 27 Madison Avenue Corp and William Byun is

            granted; and it is further

                    ORDERED that the foregoing cross motion is otherwise denied,

            without prejudice to seeking an amendment of the answer pursuant

            to CPLR 3025(b),           with proposed amended pleading clearly showing

            the changes or additions to be made to such pleading;                            and it is

            further

                    ORDERED that counsel are directed to post on NYSCEF a proposed

            preliminary         discovery        conference         order   or   competing    proposed

            preliminary discovery conference order(s) at least two days before

            April    2,    2024,     12:10 PM,        on which date and time counsel                shall

            appear via Microsoft Teams,                  unless such appearance be waived by

            the court.

                                                            DECISION

                    With respect to the seventh and eighth affirmative

            defenses, this court agrees with plaintiff that controlling case

            law holds that such affirmative defenses of impossibility of

             156411/2020 MADISON SIXTY, LLC vs. 27 MADISON AVENUE CORP.                      Page 2 of 4
             Motion No. 001

                                                           2 of 4
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 [FILED: NEW YORK COUNTY CLERK 03/11/2024 04:52 P~                                          INDEX NO. 156411/2020
  NYSCEF DOC. NO. 71                                                                RECEIVED NYSCEF: 03/11/2024

            performance and frustration of purpose, founded upon the COVID-

            19 pandemic and related governmental shutdown,                       under the terms

            of the Lease agreement at bar, lack merit.                       See The Gap,     Inc. v

            170 Broadway Retail Owner, LLC, 195 AD3d 575, 577-578                       (1 st Dept

            2021), and cases cited therein ("finding that the performance of

            the lease was not rendered impossible by reduced revenues").

                    The first       (failure to state a cause of action); second

            (breach of lease); third (estoppel, waiver and avoidable

            consequences)         ( see Excel Graphics Tech,              Inc v CFG/AGSCCB Ninth

            Ave, LLC, 1 AD3d 65,             69 [1 st Dept 2003]); fourth         (reletting of

            premises); fifth           (failure to mitigate damages)             (see Syndicate

            Building Corp v Lorber, 128 AD2d 381, 382 [1 st Dept 1987]); and

            sixth (unclean hands)              (see Manshion Joho Center Co, Ltd v

            Manshion Joh Center, Inc, 24 AD3d 189, 190 [1 st Dept 2005])

            affirmative defenses likewise lack merit, based on the Lease

            terms, and/or evidence before this court on the instant motion,

            and shall be dismissed.

                    However, plaintiff has neither alleged nor prima facie

            established an account stated, as,                      for example, invoices,

            beginning with statement for March 2021 rent state on their

            faces "DO NOT MAIL"             (NYSCEF Document Number 20).            Thus, there

            are issues of fact with respect to the amount of outstanding

            rent.      Finally, to the extent that plaintiff moves to amend its

            complaint to seek ongoing rent, the court shall deny such

             156411/2020 MADISON SIXTY, LLC vs. 27 MADISON AVENUE CORP.                     Page 3 of 4
             Motion No. 001

                                                           3 of 4
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 !FILED: NEW YORK COUNTY CLERK 03/11/2024 04: 52 PM!                                                             INDEX NO. 156411/2020
  NYSCEF DOC. NO. 71                                                                                 RECEIVED NYSCEF: 03/11/2024

            relief, without prejudice to plaintiff moving to conform its

            pleadings to the proof pursuant to CPLR 3025(c), before it rests

            its case at any trial.

                                                                            P- ~ fl - } ~
                                                                          20240311112904DJ AMESA42A85DSA55843EAA834FCF 13F AAA 17 4

                    3/11/2024
                      DATE                                                          DEBRA A. JAMES, J.S.C.

                                     ~
             CHECK ONE:                  CASE DISPOSED                    NON-FINAL DISPOSITION

                                         GRANTED         □ DENIED         GRANTED IN PART                      □ OTHER
             APPLICATION:                SETTLE ORDER                     SUBMIT ORDER

             CHECK IF APPROPRIATE:       INCLUDES TRANSFER/REASSIGN       FIDUCIARY APPOINTMENT                □ REFERENCE

             156411/2020 MADISON SIXTY, LLC vs. 27 MADISON AVENUE CORP.                                          Page4 of 4
             Motion No. 001

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