In re Abbott

14 Misc. 3d 983
New York Supreme Court·Decided January 8, 2007·Published

Opinion

[984]*984OPINION OF THE COURT

Paul G. Feinman, J.

In this proceeding, commenced by order to show cause pursuant to Lien Law § 19 (6), petitioners seek to discharge a mechanic’s lien filed by respondent. For the reasons which follow, the petition is granted in its entirety.

Factual and Procedural Background

Petitioners are the lessees of a cooperative apartment located in the building known as 17 East 80th Street, New York, New York 10021, tax block 1492, tax lot 11 (verified petition 1I1Í1, 3). The building is owned by 17 East 80 Realty Corp., the shares of which are owned by petitioners (verified petition 1Í 4). Petitioners apparently lease the entire property from the corporation (verified petition 1f 4). They have a proprietary lease for apartment 11, which is their personal residence, dated August 7, 2002 (verified petition 11111, 2, exhibit A). Apartment 11 is on the sixth floor and sixth floor mezzanine (reply, exhibit D, certification of occupancy).

Petitioners entered into an agreement with respondent on October 10, 2002 in which respondent agreed to undertake “the project” involving the “6th FI. & Penthouse,” commencing October 16, 2002, and to be substantially completed “not later than 3 months from the date of commencement” (affidavit in opposition, exhibit A). The agreed-upon bid proposal references work for a children’s bathroom, master bathroom, kitchen, office/laundry room, recreation room, dining room, living room, and stairs. It also references skylights and roof repairs, with a roof terrace listed under the category of “alternates.”. The contract sum totaled $552,325.

On July 19, 2005, respondent filed a notice of mechanic’s lien against the building, naming petitioners as the owners and lienors, for “labor to combine two apartments, 6F and penthouse,” in the amount of $26,544.90 (verified petition, exhibit B). According to the notice of mechanic’s lien, the time when the last item of work was performed and material furnished was December 10, 2004.

Petitioners bring this proceeding to discharge the lien. They proffer two grounds: that the lien was untimely filed, and that it fails to sufficiently identify the unit or the property in question.

[985]*985Legal Analysis

A mechanic’s lien may only be claimed against an interest in real property and the owner of that property (Lien Law §§ 3, 4). Although a notice of a hen may generally be filed within eight months after the date of the last item of work performed or material furnished, where the real property at issue is a single-family dwelling, the notice of lien must be filed within four months after the date of the last item of work performed or material furnished (Lien Law § 10 [1]). Where the county clerk indexes liens by a block index, a valid lien must contain a designation of the number of every block affected by the notice of lien (Lien Law § 10 [2]).

In Interior Resources Intl. v Shapiro & Shapiro (NYLJ, Mar. 24, 1992, at 23, col 1 [Civ Ct, NY County]), it was held that, although located in a multiple-unit dwelling, a cooperative apartment, similar to a condominium apartment, is a single-family dwelling and subject to the four-month notice requirement for purposes of the Lien Law.

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In re Abbott, 14 Misc. 3d 983 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 2007).

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