36th HY LLC v. Yan Rong Zhen

2026 NY Slip Op 30702(U)
CourtNew York Supreme Court, New York County
DecidedFebruary 26, 2026
DocketIndex No. 159766/2021
StatusUnpublished
AuthorEmily Morales-Minerva

This text of 2026 NY Slip Op 30702(U) (36th HY LLC v. Yan Rong Zhen) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New York Supreme Court, New York County primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
36th HY LLC v. Yan Rong Zhen, 2026 NY Slip Op 30702(U) (N.Y. Super. Ct. 2026).

Opinion

36th HY LLC v Yan Rong Zhen 2026 NY Slip Op 30702(U) February 26, 2026 Supreme Court, New York County Docket Number: Index No. 159766/2021 Judge: Emily Morales-Minerva 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.

file:///LRB-ALB-FS1/Vol1/ecourts/Process/covers/NYSUP.1597662021.NEW_YORK.001.LBLX036_TO.html[03/10/2026 3:45:51 PM] FILED: NEW YORK COUNTY CLERK 02/27/2026 04:41 PM INDEX NO. 159766/2021 NYSCEF DOC. NO. 25 RECEIVED NYSCEF: 02/27/2026

SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK COUNTY OF NEW YORK: PART 42M X 36TH HY LLC INDEX NO. 159766/2021

Plaintiff, MOTION DATE 04/03/2025 - V - MOTION SEQ. NO. 001 YAN RONG ZHEN,

Defendant. DECISION+ ORDER ON MOTION X

The following e-filed documents, listed by NYSCEF document number (Motion 001) 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19,20,21,22 were read on this motion to/for JUDGMENT-SUMMARY

APPEARANCES:

Kueker Marino Winiarsky & Bittens, LLP, New York, New York (Michael Stephen Bennett, Esq., of counsel) for plaintiff.

HON. EMILY MORALES-MINERVA:

In this action for breach of a guaranty, plaintiff 36TH HY

LLC moves, by notice of motion (sequence number 01), for (1) an

order, pursuant to CPLR § 3212, granting it summary judgment

against defendant YAN RONG ZHEN; for (2) an order, pursuant to

CPLR § 3025 (c), amending the pleadings to conform them to the

proof; and for (3) an order, pursuant to CPLR § 3211 (b),

dismissing defendant's six affirmative defenses. Defendant does

not appear or submit opposition to the motion.

For the reasons set forth below, the motion (seq. no. 01) is

granted without opposition.

159766/2021 36TH HY LLC vs. ZHEN, YAN RONG Page 1 of 15 Motion No. 001

[* 1] 1 of 15 FILED: NEW YORK COUNTY CLERK 02/27/2026 04:41 PM INDEX NO. 159766/2021 NYSCEF DOC. NO. 25 RECEIVED NYSCEF: 02/27/2026

BACKGROUND

Pursuant to a 10-year commercial lease agreement, plaintiff

36TH HY LLC (owner-landlord), as owner and landlord, leased the

ground floor retail space and mezzanine of 367 West 36th Street,

New York, New York 10008 (premises) to non-party tenant Zhen Dim

Sum LLC (tenant) (see New York State Court Electronic Filing

System [NYSCEF] Doc. No. 01, complaint; see also NYSCEF Doc. No.

12, commercial lease agreement, dated September 13, 2018).

On the same date the lease agreement was executed between

owner-landlord and tenant, defendant YAN RONG ZHEN (guarantor)

guaranteed tenant's obligations under the lease, including the

monetary obligations thereunder, pursuant to a separate

unconditional guaranty (see NYSCEF Doc. No. 01, complaint; see

also NYSCEF Doc. No. 14, limited personal lease guaranty, dated

and notarized on September 13, 2018 [the body of said guaranty

identifies the guarantor as defendant YAN RONG ZHEN, includes a

signature with said defendant's name in print, a witness, and an

endorsement of a notary public]).

Specifically, the guaranty provides, in part:

" [T] he undersigned ('Guarantor' ) , a shareholder of [non-party tenant], hereby jointly and severally personally guarantees to the Owner, its successors and assigns, the full and prompt payment of all annual rent and additional rental, as set forth in the Lease, and any and all other sums and 159766/2021 36TH HY LLC vs. ZHEN, YAN RONG Page 2 of 15 Motion No. 001

[* 2] 2 of 15 FILED: NEW YORK COUNTY CLERK 02/27/2026 04:41 PM INDEX NO. 159766/2021 NYSCEF DOC. NO. 25 RECEIVED NYSCEF: 02/27/2026

charges payable by Tenant, its successors and assigns, under the Lease .

"[I]f tenant shall default in the payment or performance of any of the Obligations, Guarantor shall forthwith pay such amounts due and perform such other of the Obligations to and for Owner, its successors and assigns, including without limitation, all reasonable attorneys' fees and disbursements incurred by Owner in connection with or caused by any such default under the Lease and/or by the enforcement of this Guaranty.

"This Guaranty is an absolute and unconditional Guaranty of payment and of performance. It shall be enforceable against Guarantor, her successors and assigns, without necessity for any suit or proceedings on Owner's part against Tenant, its successors and assigns, and without the necessity of any notice of non-payment, non- performance, or of any other notice of demand to which Guarantor might otherwise be entitled, all of which Guarantor hereby expressly waives . .

"This Guaranty shall be a continuing Guaranty, and the liability of Guarantor hereunder shall in no way be affected, modified or diminished by reason of any . . . modification or extension of or under the Lease or by reason of any modification or waiver of or change in any of the terms of the Lease . "

(NYSCEF Doc. No. 14, limited personal lease guaranty).

Thereafter, On October 23, 2018, owner-landlord and non-

party tenant executed a modification of the lease, which, among

other things not relevant here, modified the amount of the

159766/2021 36TH HY LLC vs. ZHEN, YAN RONG Page 3 of 15 Motion No. 001

3 of 15 [* 3] FILED: NEW YORK COUNTY CLERK 02/27/2026 04:41 PM INDEX NO. 159766/2021 NYSCEF DOC. NO. 25 RECEIVED NYSCEF: 02/27/2026

annual base rent and security deposit (see NYSCEF Doc. No. 13,

first amendment to the lease, dated October 23, 2018).

At or around October of 2019, things began to sour between

non-party tenant and owner-landlord (see NYSCEF Doc. No. 01,

complaint). Specifically, non-party tenant ceased paying the

rent due under the lease, and guarantor failed to cover non-

party tenant's rent obligations (see id.; see also NYSCEF Doc.

No. 02, rent ledger). Consequently, owner-landlord commenced a

summary nonpayment proceeding against non-party tenant in the

Civil Court of the City of New York (see NYSCEF Doc. No. 17,

36th HY LLC v Zhen Dim Sum LLC, Index No. LT-050084-20/NY [filed

on or about January 20, 2020]).

In the meanwhile, while the summary nonpayment proceeding

remained pending, owner-landlord commenced this action against

guarantor for breach of the guaranty agreement, seeking payment

of rental arrears, additional rent, and attorneys' fees (see

NYSCEF Doc. No. 01, complaint, dated October 27, 2021).

Specifically, owner-landlord sought $204,420.45 in rent and

additional rent due, "and such further rent and additional rent

that accrues [] until the date of judgment", as well as

$42,977.34 in attorneys' fees (see id.).

Guarantor answered, asserting six affirmative defenses (see

NYSCEF Doc. No. 05, answer with affirmative defenses). The

defenses include (1) plaintiff's failure to perform under the 159766/2021 36TH HY LLC vs. ZHEN, YAN RONG Page 4 of 15 Motion No. 001

[* 4] 4 of 15 FILED: NEW YORK COUNTY CLERK 02/27/2026 04:41 PM INDEX NO. 159766/2021 NYSCEF DOC. NO. 25 RECEIVED NYSCEF: 02/27/2026

lease with the non-party tenant; (2) plaintiff's refusal to sign

off on applications to the DOB, interfering with non-party

tenant's business; (3) lack of entitlement to attorneys' fees;

(4) plaintiff's failure to meet the conditions precedent to

payment, "i.e. performance under the contract"; (5) plaintiff's

refusal to sign documents necessary for non-party tenant to

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Bluebook (online)
2026 NY Slip Op 30702(U), Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/36th-hy-llc-v-yan-rong-zhen-nysupctnewyork-2026.