Fowler Court Tenants, Inc. v. Young

119 Misc. 2d 492, 463 N.Y.S.2d 686, 1983 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 3544
CourtCivil Court of the City of New York
DecidedMay 2, 1983
StatusPublished
Cited by11 cases

This text of 119 Misc. 2d 492 (Fowler Court Tenants, Inc. v. Young) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Civil Court of the City of New York primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Fowler Court Tenants, Inc. v. Young, 119 Misc. 2d 492, 463 N.Y.S.2d 686, 1983 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 3544 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 1983).

Opinion

OPINION OF THE COURT

Guy G. Ribaudo, J.

Petitioner Fowler Court Tenants, Inc., moves for an order striking respondents’ jury demand, ordering respon[493]*493dents Curtis and Denise Young to pay use and occupancy and disqualifying the firm of Fischbein, Olivieri, Rozenholc and Badillo from representing both the respondents tenants and the respondent undertenant John Bryant. Motion granted in part and denied in part.

Respondents assert a number of grounds to oppose the motion to strike the jury demand. They argue that the lease is terminated and accordingly that the jury waiver clause therein is no longer in effect. They assert that the court is without jurisdiction in this matter because the action does not fall within RPAPL 711 authorizing the use of summary proceedings; they further point out that even if it did fall within the ambit of that section, a summary proceeding in any event would not be the appropriate remedy for the landlord herein since the action is in essence one of ejectment. They also assert that by reason of the action being in the nature of an ejectment, this case falls within the ambit of Seventh Amendment cases requiring a jury trial. In addition, they argue that the jury waiver clause in the lease cannot be relied on by reason of the absence of written authorization of the petitioner’s agent who signed the lease pursuant to subdivision 2 of section 5-703 of the General Obligations Law as well as by the reason of the waiver not being knowing and intentional. Lastly, they assert that the counterclaims, being in the nature of personal injury, take the case out of the ambit of the jury waiver clause pursuant to section 259-c of the Real Property Law.

This court will firstly address itself to the argument that the respondents are entitled to a jury trial by reason of the alleged termination of the lease. The main action herein is a holdover proceeding commenced by reason of an alleged violation of substantial obligations of the tenancy as contained in paragraph “16” of the lease prohibiting subletting without the landlord’s prior written consent and paragraph “2” requiring occupancy by the tenants only. Paragraph “26” of the lease contains the clause whereby the parties agreed to waive trial by jury “on any matters whatsoever arising out of or in any way connected with this lease”. Clearly the matters involved in this proceeding arise out, of the lease. It is settled case law that where a [494]*494landlord’s litigation comes clearly within the scope of the provision waiving a jury trial, a tenant will not be permitted to nullify the waiver by interposing a plea that the lease has been terminated (Spevack v Breitman, 48 NYS2d 663; Clayman v Moelis, 28 NYS2d 196). Accordingly, this court will not permit the respondents herein to nullify the waiver on such grounds.

In order for the court to examine the issue of its jurisdiction, it is necessary to determine whether an expiration or a termination of the lease is involved herein and if the action is in the nature of an ejectment. Respondents argue that this court is without jurisdiction pursuant to RPAPL 711 by reason of their not being occupants of a rooming house. It is the court’s position that RPAPL 711 does not limit the use of summary proceedings to cases involving rooming house occupants but merely requires that such proceedings be used in order to remove such occupants from possession. On the contrary, RPAPL 711 lists a number of circumstances wherein the use of summary proceedings are permitted; among them, RPAPL 711 (subd 1) states that a special proceeding may be maintained, under article 7 upon the ground of a tenant continuing in possession “after the expiration of his term” without permission of the landlord. The court finds that this action falls within the above category as an expiration for reasons discussed below and accordingly that it does have jurisdiction. Respondents further argue that even if this action does technically fall within RPAPL 711, it is in essence a short-form action in ejectment “available by dint of common practice, not statutory authority” and therefore is within the ambit of the Seventh. Amendment guarantee of a jury trial. It is the court’s position that this matter is not in the nature of an ejectment for the reasons also stated below.

At the outset, it is important to distinguish between a condition and a conditional limitation because of the difference in remedies available to the landlord for regaining possession pursuant to each. Upon breach of a condition, a landlord may have the right to enforce the forfeiture of a leasehold by re-entry which as a general rule means ejectment. However in the case of a conditional limitation, the lease upon the occurrence of the stipulated event expires; if [495]*495the tenant continues in possession after the occurrence of the stipulated event, he is “holding over” after expiration of his term and RPAPL 711 authorizes a summary proceeding as the landlord’s remedy to remove the tenants (2 Rasch, NY Landlord & Tenant [2d ed], § 747). Under the old case law, it was originally held that summary proceedings did not lie where the landlord was seeking to recover possession on account of a breach by a tenant of some condition in the lease (Kramer v Amberg, 15 Daly 205, affd 115 NY 655). However, as the case law evolved, where a notice to vacate was necessary, the lease was not considered terminated by the violation of its terms. In Kennedy v Deignan (90 Misc 2d 238, 239-240), the court found that notice was a conditional limitation which created an expiration rather than a termination and therefore a summary proceeding was held available to the landlord to obtain possession as a holdover. In Martin v Crossley (46 Misc 254), the court held that where notice of the breach was required by a lease that that notice requirement was a conditional limitation and that it was the notice and not the breach of the condition that operated upon the lease; upon the giving of notice, the lease term expired justifying a summary proceeding (2 Rasch, NY Landlord & Tenant [2d ed], § 752).

This case was commenced subsequent to the service of the requisite notices pursuant to paragraph “17” of the lease. Accordingly, this court finds that these notices were conditional limitations service of which created an expiration rather than a termination of the lease, as a result of which a summary proceeding became available to the landlord as his remedy for possession pursuant to the statutory authority of RPAPL 711. In addition, by reason of this case being found not to be in the nature of an ejectment, the court finds that it does not fall within the ambit of Seventh Amendment cases and therefore does not require a trial by jury.

To further support their opposition, the respondents assert that the lease may not be used to bar them from asserting their right to a jury trial by reason of the absence of written authorization for petitioner’s agent to enter into the lease pursuant to subdivision 2 of section 5-703 of the [496]*496General Obligations Law. This is a Statute of Frauds defense; as such, in order to be enforced by either party against another, it must be properly pleaded as a defense in an action brought thereon pursuant to CPLR 3018 (subd [b]) or asserted by a motion to dismiss pursuant to CPLR 3211 (subd [e]).

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Bluebook (online)
119 Misc. 2d 492, 463 N.Y.S.2d 686, 1983 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 3544, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/fowler-court-tenants-inc-v-young-nycivct-1983.