First Keystone Consultants, Inc. v. Schlesinger Electrical Contractors, Inc.

871 F. Supp. 2d 103, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 67872, 2012 WL 1711218
District Court, E.D. New York·Decided May 15, 2012·No. No. 10-CV-696(KAM)(SMG)·Published·Cited by 12 cases

Opinion

MEMORANDUM & ORDER

KIYO A. MATSUMOTO, District Judge.

Presently before the court is a motion filed by defendant and counterclaim-plaintiff Schlesinger Electrical Contractors, Inc. (“SEC” or “defendant”) seeking summary judgment on its first through fifth counterclaims against plaintiffs and counterclaim-defendants First Keystone Consultants, Inc. (“FKC”), Robert H. Solomon and Jane Solomon (together, the “Solomons,” and collectively with FKC, “the FKC Plaintiffs”). (ECF No. 137-1, Notice of Motion for Partial Summary Judgment, dated 12/15/2011 (“Not. of Mot.”).) For the reasons set forth below, SEC’s motion for summary judgment is granted.

BACKGROUND

The following facts are undisputed unless noted. The court has considered whether the parties have proffered admissible evidence in support of their positions and has viewed the facts in the light most favorable to the nonmoving FKC Plaintiffs. [109]*109In support of its motion, SEC filed an initial memorandum of law (ECF No. 137-32, Memorandum of Law of DefendantCounterclaimant Schlesinger Electrical Contractors, Inc. in Support of Motion for Summary Judgment on its FirsL-Fifth Counterclaims, dated 12/15/2011 (“Def. Mem.”)); a reply memorandum of law (ECF No. 138-15, Reply Memorandum of Law of Defendant-Counterclaimant Schlesinger Electrical Contractors, Inc. in Support of Motion for Summary Judgment on its FirsL-Fifth Counterclaims, dated 2/10/2012 (“Def. Reply Mem.”)); a statement of material facts not in dispute pursuant to Local Civil Rule 56.1 (ECF No. 137-33, Statement of Material Facts of Schlesinger Electrical Contracts, Inc., dated 12/15/2011 (“DSOF”)); two declarations supported by exhibits by Jacob Levita, the president of SEC, stating that he is “fully familiar with the facts and circumstances set forth” therein (ECF No. 137-3, Declaration of Jacob Levita in Support of Schlesinger’s Motion for Partial Summary Judgment, dated 12/15/2011 (“Levita Decl.”) ¶ 1; ECF No. 138-2, Reply Declaration of Jacob Levita in Support of Schlesinger’s Motion for Partial Summary Judgment, dated 2/9/2012 (“Levita Reply Decl.”) ¶ 1); and two declarations by Melvin Kalish, Esq., SEC’s counsel, stating that he is “fully familiar with the facts and circumstances set forth” therein and attaching several exhibits (ECF No. 137-2, Declaration of Melvin J. Kalish in Support of Schlesinger Motion for Partial Summary Judgment, dated 12/15/2011 (“Kalish Decl.”) ¶ 1; ECF No. 138-1, Reply Declaration of Melvin J. Kalish in Support of Schlesinger Motion for Partial Summary Judgment, dated 2/10/2012 (“Kalish Reply Decl.”) ¶ 1).

In opposing SEC’s motion for summary judgment, the FKC Plaintiffs filed a memorandum of law, which attached several exhibits. (ECF No. 139, Plaintiffs’ Opposition to Defendant’s Motion for Partial Summary Judgment, dated 1/16/2012 (“PI. Opp.”).) The FKC Plaintiffs did not file a counter Rule 56.1 statement or any declaration or other admissible evidence in opposition to SEC’s motion.

This court relies on the undisputed material facts set forth in SEC’s Rule 56.1 statement because the FKC Plaintiffs either have admitted such facts or have not disputed the facts with citations to admissible evidence. Pursuant to Local Civil Rule 56.1(b), a party opposing a motion for summary judgment must include with its opposition papers “a correspondingly numbered paragraph responding to each numbered paragraph in the statement of the moving party, and if necessary, additional paragraphs containing a separate, short and concise statement of additional material facts as to which it is contended that there exists a genuine issue to be tried.” Here, however, the opposition papers submitted by the FKC Plaintiffs failed to include a statement pursuant to Local Civil Rule 56.1(b) or respond to each numbered paragraph in SEC’s Rule 56.1 statement. Moreover, the FKC Plaintiffs have failed to offer any admissible evidence in support of its opposition to SEC’s motion. Accordingly, the court is entitled to conclude that the facts asserted in SEC’s Rule 56.1 statement are uncontested. T.Y. v. N.Y. City Dep’t of Educ., 584 F.3d 412, 418 (2d Cir.2009) (citing Gubitosi v. Kapica, 154 F.3d 30, 31 n. 1 (2d Cir.1998) (per curiam)); see also Giannullo v. City of New York, 322 F.3d 139, 140 (2d Cir.2003) (“If the opposing party ... fails to controvert a fact so set forth in the moving party’s Rule 56.1 statement, that fact will be deemed admitted.”).

I. The Parties

SEC is a New York corporation that performs public and private commercial and industrial electrical work, both as a [110]*110prime contractor and as a subcontractor. (DSOF ¶¶ 1-3; Levita Decl. ¶¶ 4-6; EOF No. 1, Complaint filed 2/17/2010 (“Compl.”) ¶ 10.) FKC is a Pennsylvania corporation authorized to do business in New York. (DSOF ¶¶ 4-5; Kalish Decl. Ex. Q, Testimony of Robert Solomon before Arbitration Panel, dated 6/30/2009 (“Robert Solomon 6/30/2009 Arb. Tr”) at 1053-54; Compl. ¶ 8.) Robert Solomon and Jane Solomon are husband and wife, and are residents of Florida. (DSOF ¶ 8; Levita Decl. ¶ 8; Kalish Decl. ¶ 6; ECF No. 141, [Solomons’] Response to Order to Show Cause, filed 2/29/2012, ¶ 5; Compl. ¶¶ 8-9.) Jane Solomon is FKC’s president, and she owns 100 percent of FKC’s shares. (DSOF ¶¶ 6-7; Levita Decl. ¶ 8; Kalish Decl. ¶ 6; Compl. ¶ 8.) Robert Solomon is FKC’s vice president. (DSOF ¶ 8; Levita Decl. ¶ 8; Compl. ¶ 8.) FKC’s letterhead lists as its business address 1629 Southeast Ballantrae Boulevard, Port St. Lucie, Florida, which is the Solomons’ personal home address. (DSOF ¶¶ 133-34; Kalish Decl. Ex. Z, Letter dated 12/31/2007 on FKC Letterhead, at 1; Kalish Decl. Ex. H, Deposition of Jane Solomon, dated 6/13/2011 (“Jane Solomon 6/13/2011 Dep.”) at 5-6.)

Jane Solomon testified that she gave Robert Solomon permission to sign documents on behalf of FKC, including authorizing him to sign her name to documents. (DSOF ¶ 131; Kalish Decl. Ex. H, Jane Solomon 6/13/2011 Dep. at 150; Kalish Decl. Ex. H, Deposition of Jane Solomon, dated 4/14/2010 (“Jane Solomon 4/14/2010 Dep.”) at 21-22.) Jane Solomon further testified that she and Robert Solomon loaned money to FKC whenever they determined that FKC needed money, and that they received repayment of their loans from FKC “when we had money.” (DSOF ¶ 132; Kalish Decl. Ex. H, Jane Solomon 6/13/2011 Dep. at 141-42.) The Solomons and FKC did not have any signed agreements regarding such loans. (Kalish Decl. Ex. H, Jane Solomon 6/13/2011 Dep. at 140-41.)

II. The Coney Island Joint Venture

On or about January 21, 2004, SEC and FKC entered into a joint venture agreement to bid on and perform work as an electrical subcontractor in connection with a New York City Department of Environmental Protection project on Coney Island (the “Coney Island Joint Venture”). (Levita Decl. ¶¶ 10-11.) Pursuant to the joint venture agreement, SEC and FKC agreed to share in all profits and losses of the Coney Island Joint Venture as fifty-fifty partners. (DSOF ¶ 10; Levita Decl. ¶ 11.)

Between July 28, 2004 and December 28, 2004, FKC and SEC each took $964,000 in advance draws against future profits of the Coney Island Joint Venture. (DSOF ¶ 13; Levita Decl. ¶¶ 14-15.) The last advance draw against future profits was made on December 28, 2004. (Levita Decl.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

First Keystone Consultants, Inc. v. Schlesinger Electrical Contractors, Inc., 871 F. Supp. 2d 103, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 67872, 2012 WL 1711218 (E.D.N.Y. 2012).

871 F. Supp. 2d 103 (First Keystone Consultants, Inc. v. Schlesinger Electrical Contractors, Inc.) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

Related