In Re Fifth Avenue Originals

32 B.R. 648, 1983 Bankr. LEXIS 5503
CourtUnited States Bankruptcy Court, S.D. New York
DecidedSeptember 1, 1983
Docket18-13789
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 32 B.R. 648 (In Re Fifth Avenue Originals) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Bankruptcy Court, S.D. New York primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
In Re Fifth Avenue Originals, 32 B.R. 648, 1983 Bankr. LEXIS 5503 (N.Y. 1983).

Opinion

HOWARD C. BUSCHMAN, III, Bankruptcy Judge.

The debtor, Fifth Avenue Originals, Inc., seeks permission of this Court to assume and assign a lease pursuant to 11 U.S.C. § 365 of the Bankruptcy Code (the “Code”).

I

The debtor leases a store in the northeast corner of The Sherry Netherland Hotel located at 783 Fifth Avenue, in Manhattan pursuant to a lease entered into on July 8, 1977 (the “Lease”). The Lease expires on June 30, 1987, subject to a five-year renewal option. Annual rent is $56,000 a year, to be increased by increments of $1,000 per annum.

*650 Two clauses of the Lease are claimed by the parties to be relevant to this proceeding: the use clause states that the debtor shall use the demised premises “as a high-class boutique for the sale of male and female clothing and shoes.” A second clause states:

Tenant represents that the sole holder of all the issued and outstanding shares of Tenant is Internaco Investment Corp., a Delaware corporation, (the “Parent”) .... Any change of more than ten percent in the beneficial ownership of the holders’ interest in Parent listed in Exhibit A shall be deemed an assignment of this lease, which may not be effected without Landlord’s prior written consent as provided in Article 11 hereof .. . provided that Maurice Amiel shall, at all times, remain the owner of not less than 88%% of the issued and outstanding shares of Parent.

The debtor filed a petition for reorganization under Chapter 11 of the Code on July 22, 1982, and is currently operating as a debtor-in-possession. It seeks to assign the Lease to Diane von Furstenberg, a designer of women’s and children’s clothing, cosmetics and home furnishings. The landlord, Fifth Avenue & 59th Corp., (the “Hotel”) objected on two grounds: (i) the intended use by Ms. von Furstenberg would violate the use clause of the Lease and (ii) the Lease is in default because a change in more than ten percent in the beneficial ownership of the Parent has occurred and the default cannot be cured.

At trial, the Hotel conceded that there is no dispute as to Ms. von Furstenberg’s ability to comply with the financial provisions or any other provisions of the Lease, other than the use clause. The parties stipulated that rent owed for the past two months will be paid from the proceeds of the assignment. Ms. von Furstenberg produced a financial statement showing a net worth of approximately $16,000,000. She has agreed to deposit $50,000 as security and to pay $400,000 as consideration for the assignment, consisting of a $20,000 down payment, payment of $250,000 on assumption and posting of a bond to assure payment of the remainder.

With respect to the use clause, Ms. von Furstenberg testified that she will use the store as a high-class, luxury boutique for women’s clothing and accessories, including cosmetics and fragrances. The revenue from accessories will range up to approximately 20% of sales. She may sell shoes. She will sell perfume, which is marketed under her own label, at prices up to approximately $150 per ounce. Some of the clothing she will carry will be of a unisex design to be worn by men or women. In any case, she intends to sell only prestige items to an exclusive clientele with dresses priced from $150 to $1,500. All of the clothing will be designed exclusively by Ms. von Fursten-berg.

Since the inception of the Lease, Fifth Avenue Originals has not limited its inventory to merely men’s and women’s clothing and shoes. Rather, it has offered for sale “all accessories for the fashion.” 1 These included umbrellas, briefcases, luggage, cuff links, tie clips, women’s gloves, scarves, hats and veils, “all what is included in the fashion store is what we sold.” 2 Not disputing this testimony, the Hotel’s manager confirmed it, stating that he had observed several of these items for sale in the store.

Prior to the date on which the petition for reorganization was filed, the store’s clothing sales were roughly evenly divided between men’s and women’s clothing. Since shortly before that date, the store has sold mostly men’s clothing. No testimony was offered to the effect that this shift in sales violated the Lease, the Hotel’s practice being to act only on the complaint of a customer. No specific complaints were identified, nor did the Hotel’s board of directors consider the desirability of Ms. von Furstenberg as a tenant. Notwithstanding its failure to have objected to the shift in the debtor’s inventory and the debtors sale of accessories, the Hotel claims that Ms. von *651 Furstenberg’s intentions to operate a women’s boutique offering accessories, including expensive clothing and perfume of her own design would violate the use clause of the Lease.

With respect to the alleged change of stock ownership, the corporate books and records of Internaco Investment Inc. (“In-ternaco”), parent of the debtor, reflect the issuance of 666% shares, apparently of common stock, to each of Prosper Elmoznino, Robert Assor and Maurice Amiel. While four blank certificates are missing, the corporate books and records do not indicate that any of the three certificates issued to Elmoznino, Assor or Amiel have been transferred or surrendered.

There is no dispute regarding the Elmoz-nino or Assor shares. As to the Amiel shares, the deposition testimony of Ms. Janet Perez, a part-time bookkeeper employed by Internaco, is that in October, 1981, she received a telephone call from the Hotel asking for a current list of the Internaco shareholders. Not knowing their identity, she telephoned Ms. Eichenholtz, (the corporation secretary of Internaco), who informed her that the shareholders were El-moznino, Assor and Eichenholtz. Perez then telephoned that information to the Hotel and confirmed it by letter.

Ms. Eichenholtz testified that she told Ms. Perez that she would respond to the Hotel upon returning to the office. Ms. Perez, however, at the insistence of the Hotel, went ahead and mistakenly responded, to the best of her knowledge. Ms. Ei-chenholtz added that Mr. Amiel was and is a shareholder of Internaco and that she was never a shareholder.

Mr. Amiel’s deposition testimony is that he continues to own the Internaco stock held by him .on the date he signed the Lease, Amiel dep. pp. 15-16, 3 and that a stock certificate pertaining to those shares was issued to him in March 1982. Id. pp. 20, 32-33. He testified further that by early 1981 he had resigned as president of Internaco.

The former secretary-treasurer of the Hotel testified that he met with Amiel in the Fall of 1981 and that Amiel told him that he was no longer a stockholder and would, for a fee, so testify on behalf of the Hotel. He added that the Hotel refused to consider such an arrangement but that it was Amiel’s information that led him to call Ms. Perez. After receiving Ms. Perez’ letter, the Hotel apparently commenced a state court action involving the purported breach of the stock ownership clause.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
32 B.R. 648, 1983 Bankr. LEXIS 5503, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-fifth-avenue-originals-nysb-1983.