Ellenberg Morgan Corp. v. Hard Rock Cafe Associates

116 A.D.2d 266, 500 N.Y.S.2d 696, 1986 N.Y. App. Div. LEXIS 50903
CourtAppellate Division of the Supreme Court of the State of New York
DecidedApril 22, 1986
StatusPublished
Cited by21 cases

This text of 116 A.D.2d 266 (Ellenberg Morgan Corp. v. Hard Rock Cafe Associates) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of the State of New York primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Ellenberg Morgan Corp. v. Hard Rock Cafe Associates, 116 A.D.2d 266, 500 N.Y.S.2d 696, 1986 N.Y. App. Div. LEXIS 50903 (N.Y. Ct. App. 1986).

Opinion

OPINION OF THE COURT

Kassal, J.

The action was commenced in January 1985, for a judgment declaring that plaintiff was a 10% limited partner of defendant Hard Rock Cafe Associates, which owns and operates a Manhattan restaurant, known as the Hard Rock Cafe.

Plaintiff had been retained to act as construction manager in the alteration of the restaurant, for which it was to receive a fee of $100,000, payable when the restaurant opened in March 1984. Plaintiff had previously earned a brokerage commission of $37,500 for services in procuring the property. In October 1983, at the request of Isaac Tigrett, defendant’s general partner and principal, plaintiff had advanced $87,500 to the partnership, at a time when defendant was experiencing cash flow difficulties. The loan was evidenced by a demand promissory note.

Prior to the opening, in lieu of payment of the foregoing sums, plaintiff requested that it be permitted to acquire a 10% limited partnership interest. This resulted from negotiations between plaintiff’s president, Shepard Ellenberg, and Tigrett. Accordingly, in March 1984, Tigrett directed his counsel to prepare a special subscription agreement negotiated between the attorneys, providing for the issuance to plaintiff of a 10% interest in the partnership in return for the previous $87,500 cash payment, the assignments of the brokerage commission [268]*268($37,500) and the construction management fee ($100,000), making a total of $225,000. This sum corresponded to the amount paid by other subscribers for a 10% limited partnership interest, albeit defendant’s limited partnership agreement required payment to be made in three installments on specified dates. The agreement authorized the general partner to admit other limited partners, provided the standard subscription agreement was used, and, if not, the approval of 51% of the limited partners was required (§ 7.03). Section 4.03 of the agreement further provided that the agreement must be signed by the subscriber, accepted by the general partner and returned to the subscriber before it would be effective.

On March 12, 1984, after the restaurant had opened, plaintiff requested documents confirming its subscription to and participation in the limited partnership. Accordingly, on March 21, 1984, defendant’s attorney, William Sterns, forwarded to plaintiff a copy of the limited partnership agreement and plaintiff’s subscription acknowledging that the contractor’s fee of $100,000 had been fully earned as of that date. The letter instructed Shepard Morgan, one of plaintiff’s officers, to sign and date the partnership and subscription agreements, the assignments, release and power of attorney and return the same to him with a completed qualification questionnaire. Under the subscription agreement, the $87,500 promissory note was to be returned to defendant and plaintiff’s brokerage commission ($37,500) and construction management fee ($100,000) were to be assigned in full payment of its capital contribution as a limited partner.

On March 30, 1984, Sterns forwarded a proposed form of subscription agreement and again advised that defendant was "willing to agree that your fee of $100,000.00 has been earned as of this date”. Thereafter, on April 3, 1984, plaintiff executed and returned to defendant the subscription agreement and assignments, together with the promissory note. However, Tigrett did not return the executed subscription agreement to plaintiff, an express condition to its effectiveness.

Plaintiff, in any event, relies upon certain events which, it claims, evince a binding intention by Tigrett, as general partner, to accept plaintiff as a 10% limited partner. As a result of an unexplained incident between Tigrett and Ellen-berg on the weekend prior to the opening, Tigrett insisted on buying back plaintiff’s interest. In a telex dated October 12, 1984, he inquired whether plaintiff would be interested "in disposing of your shares and if so at what price?” Subse[269]*269quently, at a meeting on October 18, 1984, defendant’s attorney, Daniel Hirsch, reportedly stated that Tigrett had directed that he no longer wished plaintiff to be a limited partner, wanted to buy back its interest at the original price ($225,000) and, if plaintiff would not agree, it would be necessary for plaintiff to commence "a long and expensive lawsuit” to gain recognition as a limited partner.

In moving for summary judgment dismissing the complaint, defendant claimed that plaintiff’s subscription agreement varied in material respects from the standard form in that this transfer was not on a cash basis, in contrast to the all-cash installment payments required by the standard agreement. As a result of this deviation, it is argued that plaintiff’s subscription was barred by the limited partnership agreement, which required the consent of or ratification by 51% of the limited partners. Alternatively, defendant contended that the full subscription price had not been paid since there had been malfeasance by plaintiff as construction manager. While defendant does not deny having previously admitted that the fee had been fully earned, it is alleged that this was before Tigrett learned of the extent of plaintiff’s malfeasance. Following oral argument at Special Term, at which defendant submitted the affidavits of limited partners representing more than a 95% interest in the partnership, all of whom objected to plaintiff’s subscription, the court dismissed the complaint, declaring that the plaintiff was not entitled to any limited partnership interest. In doing so, it concluded that there was a substantial difference between plaintiff’s subscription agreement and the standard form and, therefore, found dispositive the affidavits of the limited partners that they would not consent to plaintiffs subscription.

Bearing in mind the limited function of the court on a motion for summary judgment, we conclude that the several factual issues present here should await disposition at trial, especially since summary judgment is a drastic remedy, which should only be granted where there is no doubt as to the existence of a triable issue of fact (Moskowitz v Garlock, 23 AD2d 943, 944) or where the issue is even arguable (Barrett v Jacobs, 255 NY 520, 522).

In concluding that there was a material variance between plaintiff’s subscription agreement and the standard form, Special Term overlooked evidence in the record of an unequivocal acknowledgement by defendant of its indebtedness to plaintiff in the sum of $225,000 which would render plaintiffs [270]*270subscription to be on an all-cash basis. The only difference between the standard form and this transaction would be that the plaintiff had prepaid the entire subscription price, in place of the deferred installments in the standard agreement. Concededly, plaintiff had previously advanced $87,500 cash to the restaurant and admittedly had earned a brokerage fee of $37,500. In spite of this, it is now asserted that the construction fee of $100,000 had not been earned because of certain misconduct, which is one of the factual issues which cannot be resolved on this record and should await the trial. In the event it is established that the fee was earned at the time the subscription agreement was signed, it could be concluded that there was then due and owing to plaintiff the full amount of the subscription, which, as an acknowledged indebtedness, could be offset or credited against the purchase price. (Cf. Matter of San Giacomo, 14 NY2d 615; Matter of Klaum, 58 Misc 2d 262.)

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
116 A.D.2d 266, 500 N.Y.S.2d 696, 1986 N.Y. App. Div. LEXIS 50903, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/ellenberg-morgan-corp-v-hard-rock-cafe-associates-nyappdiv-1986.