Dougherty v. E.B.D. Assoc.

2026 NY Slip Op 30889(U)
CourtNew York Supreme Court, New York County
DecidedMarch 12, 2026
DocketIndex No. 151589/2016
StatusUnpublished
AuthorPaul A. Goetz

This text of 2026 NY Slip Op 30889(U) (Dougherty v. E.B.D. Assoc.) 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
Dougherty v. E.B.D. Assoc., 2026 NY Slip Op 30889(U) (N.Y. Super. Ct. 2026).

Opinion

Dougherty v E.B.D. Assoc. 2026 NY Slip Op 30889(U) March 12, 2026 Supreme Court, New York County Docket Number: Index No. 151589/2016 Judge: Paul A. Goetz 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.1515892016.NEW_YORK.002.LBLX036_TO.html[03/19/2026 3:45:53 PM] FILED: NEW YORK COUNTY CLERK 03/13/2026 11:27 AM INDEX NO. 151589/2016 NYSCEF DOC. NO. 179 RECEIVED NYSCEF: 03/12/2026

SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK NEW YORK COUNTY PRESENT: HON. PAUL A. GOETZ PART 47 Justice ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------X INDEX NO. 151589/2016 MELISSA DOUGHERTY, MOTION DATE 07/11/2023 Plaintiff, MOTION SEQ. NO. 003 -v- E.B.D. ASSOCIATES, E.B.D. ASSOCIATES DECISION + ORDER ON LLC,BUCHBINDER & WARREN LLC,CHANA BEN-DOV MOTION Defendants. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------X

The following e-filed documents, listed by NYSCEF document number (Motion 003) 121, 122, 123, 124, 125, 126, 127, 128, 129, 130, 131, 132, 133, 134, 135, 136, 137, 138, 139, 140, 141, 142, 143, 144, 145, 146, 147, 148, 149, 150, 151, 152, 153, 154, 155, 156, 157, 158, 159, 160, 161, 162, 163, 164, 165, 166, 167, 168, 169, 170, 171, 172, 173, 174, 175, 176, 177 were read on this motion to/for JUDGMENT - SUMMARY .

In this rent overcharge action, plaintiff moves for summary judgment against defendants

E.B.D. Associates, E.B.D. Associates LLC (together “EBD”), Buchbinder & Warrant LLC (the

manager), and Chan Ben-Dov (collectively, defendants), seeking: (1) a declaratory judgment that

her apartment was at all times covered by the Rent Stabilization Law (RSL) and Rent

Stabilization Code (RSC) and that defendants were required to comply with those laws with

respect to her apartment; (2) money damages for defendants’ alleged overcharge, with the base

date rent and rent increases determined based on defendants’ alleged fraud; (3) damages

associated with defendants’ alleged fraudulent misrepresentation; and (4) an award of attorneys’

fees and costs, and dismissal of defendants’ sole counterclaim.

BACKGROUND

Plaintiff is the former tenant of apartment 6A (the unit) in an apartment building located

at 214 East 11th St, New York, NY (the building), which is owned by EBD. She moved into the 151589/2016 DOUGHERTY, MELISSA vs. E.B.D. ASSOCIATES Page 1 of 11 Motion No. 003

1 of 11 [* 1] FILED: NEW YORK COUNTY CLERK 03/13/2026 11:27 AM INDEX NO. 151589/2016 NYSCEF DOC. NO. 179 RECEIVED NYSCEF: 03/12/2026

unit in July of 2006 pursuant to a one-year non rent stabilized lease with a rent of $2,500/mo.1

After several annual lease renewals, her rent had increased to $2,825/mo by the end of her final

lease agreement. On April 9, 2015, defendants sent plaintiff a notice that her lease would not be

renewed for the coming year, and plaintiff planned to vacate the unit at the end of August 2015.

However, mere days before she moved, she discovered that the building was receiving J-51 tax

benefits, and that she had unknowingly been a rent-stabilized tenant, despite paying market rate

for her unit. Since plaintiff had already signed a new lease and incurred other non-refundable

expenses, she continued with her move.

DISCUSSION

I. Summary Judgment Standard

“It is well settled that ‘the proponent of a summary judgment motion must make a prima

facie showing of entitlement to judgment as a matter of law, tendering sufficient evidence to

demonstrate the absence of any material issues of fact.’” (Pullman v Silverman, 28 NY3d 1060,

1062 [2016], quoting Alvarez v Prospect Hosp., 68 NY2d 320, 324 [1986]). “Failure to make

such showing requires denial of the motion, regardless of the sufficiency of the opposing

papers.” (Winegrad v New York Univ. Med. Ctr., 64 NY2d 851, 853 [1985] [internal citations

omitted]). “Once such a prima facie showing has been made, the burden shifts to the party

opposing the motion to produce evidentiary proof in admissible form sufficient to raise material

issues of fact which require a trial of the action.” (Cabrera v Rodriguez, 72 AD3d 553, 553-554

[1st Dept 2010], citing Alvarez, 68 NY2d at 342). “The court’s function on a motion for summary

judgment is merely to determine if any triable issues exist, not to determine the merits of any

1 At the time, buildings receiving J-51 tax benefits were obligated to register with the Division of Housing and Community Renewal (DHCR), however, a “luxury deregulation exemption” permitted deregulation of (1) vacant apartments where the legal regulated rent was $2,000/mo or more; and (2) occupied apartments where the legal regulated rent was $2,000/mo or more and the combined annual income of all occupants exceeded $250,000/yr. 151589/2016 DOUGHERTY, MELISSA vs. E.B.D. ASSOCIATES Page 2 of 11 Motion No. 003

2 of 11 [* 2] FILED: NEW YORK COUNTY CLERK 03/13/2026 11:27 AM INDEX NO. 151589/2016 NYSCEF DOC. NO. 179 RECEIVED NYSCEF: 03/12/2026

such issues or to assess credibility.” (Meridian Mgmt. Corp. v Cristi Cleaning Serv. Corp., 70

AD3d 508, 510-511 [1st Dept 2010] [internal citations omitted]). If there is any doubt as to the

existence of a triable fact, the motion for summary judgment must be denied (Rotuba Extruders v

Ceppos, 46 NY2d 223, 231 [1978]).

II. Declaratory Judgment

Plaintiff’s first cause of action is for a declaratory judgment that her apartment was

subject to rent stabilization because the building was receiving J-51 tax benefits. “[B]uilding

owners who receive J-51 benefits forfeit their rights under the luxury decontrol provisions even

if their buildings were already subject to the RSL” (Roberts v Tishman Speyer Properties, L.P.,

13 NY3d 270, 283 [2009]).

Here, plaintiff submits undisputed evidence that the building was receiving J-51 benefits

(NYSCEF Doc No 128), and that her apartment was not registered with the DHCR (NYSCEF

Doc No 138). There is no dispute that plaintiff’s apartment should have been subject to rent

stabilization. Accordingly, plaintiff will be granted summary judgment on her first cause of

action for a declaratory judgment.

III. Calculation of Rent Overcharge

a. Fraud

Plaintiff argues that she is entitled to a calculation of overcharge damages based on the

default formula, because she contends that defendants engaged in a fraudulent scheme to

deregulate her apartment. Defendants argue that they did not knowingly engage in a fraudulent

scheme and summary judgment must be denied as there are triable issues of fact as to the

landlord’s knowledge and intent in deregulating the apartment.

151589/2016 DOUGHERTY, MELISSA vs. E.B.D. ASSOCIATES Page 3 of 11 Motion No. 003

3 of 11 [* 3] FILED: NEW YORK COUNTY CLERK 03/13/2026 11:27 AM INDEX NO. 151589/2016 NYSCEF DOC. NO. 179 RECEIVED NYSCEF: 03/12/2026

“A provision added as part of the Rent Regulation Reform Act of 1997 (1997 RRRA)

expressly preclude[d] examination of the rental history of the housing accommodation prior to

the four-year period preceding commencement of the overcharge action” (Regina Metro. Co.,

LLC v New York State Div. of Hous. and Community Renewal, 35 NY3d 332, 353 [2020]

[internal quotation marks removed]).

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2026 NY Slip Op 30889(U), Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/dougherty-v-ebd-assoc-nysupctnewyork-2026.