Kesselman v. London Paint & Wallpaper Co.

54 Misc. 3d 639, 42 N.Y.S.3d 573
CourtCivil Court of the City of New York
DecidedNovember 29, 2016
StatusPublished

This text of 54 Misc. 3d 639 (Kesselman v. London Paint & Wallpaper Co.) 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
Kesselman v. London Paint & Wallpaper Co., 54 Misc. 3d 639, 42 N.Y.S.3d 573 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 2016).

Opinion

OPINION OF THE COURT

Paul A. Goetz, J.

Respondent London Paint & Wallpaper Co., Inc.’s motion to restore and to dismiss, and petitioner Sidney Kesselman as Trustee of the Kesselman Living Trust’s cross motion for an order pursuant to RPAPL 745 (2) (a) are decided as follows:

Background

Petitioner commenced this commercial holdover proceeding on April 1, 2015, seeking to recover possession of premises described as the ground floor store, and portion of the basement located in the building known as 191 Ninth Avenue, New York, New York based on termination of respondent’s monthly tenancy after service of a 30-day notice of termination.

Respondent filed a motion to dismiss on May 14, 2015. On July 27, 2015, this proceeding was marked off the calendar because of a preliminary injunction issued in a related action between the parties in New York County Supreme Court (London Paint & Wallpaper Co., Inc. v Kesselman, 2015 NY Slip Op 31398[U] [Sup Ct, NY County 2015]) staying this proceeding.

By decision and order dated June 24, 2016 (2016 NY Slip Op 31220[U] [Sup Ct, NY County 2016]), Supreme Court lifted all stays of this proceeding and dismissed the complaint in its entirety.

On July 19, 2016, petitioner filed a consent to change attorney and on August 8, 2016, respondent filed a consent to change attorney. Respondent’s current counsel filed the instant motion on September 14, 2016, apparently unaware that the prior motion to dismiss by respondent’s previous counsel was never decided. The court deems respondent’s prior motion to dismiss made by its previous counsel withdrawn.

In light of Supreme Court vacating the preliminary injunction staying this proceeding and its dismissal of that case, this court grants respondent’s application to restore this proceeding to the calendar and upon restoration will consider and determine respondent’s (second) motion to dismiss.

The following facts are not in dispute and are gleaned from the parties’ submissions on the instant motions and from [641]*641Supreme Court’s July 27, 2015 decision and order granting a preliminary injunction and Supreme Court’s June 24, 2016 decision and order. London Paint & Wallpaper Co., Inc. occupies the ground floor and basement commercial space in the building located at 191 Ninth Avenue, New York, NewYork and Leonard Kesselman is London Paint’s president. Leonard’s father, Sidney Kesselman, founded London Paint over 50 years ago and in 1983 Leonard acquired the business and took over management responsibilities of the building for the family. Sidney and Evelyn Kesselman, Sidney’s wife and Leonard’s mother, are cotrustees of the Kesselman Living Trust dated October 6, 1997, and ownership of the building was transferred to the trust on October 27, 1997. On November 5, 2014, Sidney and Evelyn amended the trust via a “First Restatement of the Kesselman Living Trust” which, inter alia, permitted Sidney to act unilaterally on behalf of the trust.

The Parties’ Contentions

Respondent argues that the termination notice is ineffective because it failed to show the signing agent’s authority to act on behalf of the trust. At the end of the termination notice dated February 24, 2015 are the typed words: “Sidney Kesselman, as Trustee of the Kesselman Living Trust, Dated October 6, 1997, Landlord.” Beneath those typewritten words is the typewritten word “By” followed by a signature of “Sidney Kesselman” and typed underneath the signature are the typed words “Sidney Kesselman, Trustee.” Respondent submits an affidavit from Leonard who states that before November 5, 2014, the trust provided that neither trustee could act alone. Leonard further attests that unbeknownst to him the trust was amended and restated on November 5, 2014, to provide that Sidney could act on behalf of the trust unilaterally. Leonard claims that when he received the 30-day notice of termination signed only by Sidney, he did not believe it was effective because it had not been issued by both trustees.

Petitioner opposes respondent’s motion, positing that no proof of Sidney’s authority to act is required because he was acting in his capacity as an owner of the building, not as an agent. Petitioner notes that Supreme Court expressly held that “under the Trust Restatement, Sidney may act unilaterally on behalf of the Trust in matters affecting Trust property.”

Analysis

Prior to initiating a summary holdover proceeding to regain possession of premises occupied by a month-to-month tenant, a [642]*642landlord is required to serve a 30-day notice of termination signed by the landlord or its agent (Real Property Law § 232-a). A valid notice of termination is a condition precedent to a summary holdover proceeding (Second & E. 82 Realty v 82nd St. Gily Corp., 192 Misc 2d 55, 56 [Civ Ct, NY County 2002], citing 170 W. 85th St. Tenants Assn. v Cruz, 173 AD2d 338, 339 [1st Dept 1991]). A defective notice of termination may not be amended and provides the tenant with a successful defense in the proceeding (id. at 56-57, citing Chinatown Apts. v Chu Cho Lam, 51 NY2d 786, 787-788 [1980]).

When determining the validity of a termination notice, courts have often been required to determine whether the individual signing the notice who purports to be the landlord is authorized to do so. It is now well settled that where the landlord is a partnership, a termination notice signed by a partner is sufficient (Rogers v New York Tel Co., 74 AD2d 526 [1st Dept 1980]). In Rogers, the First Department reasoned that “no confusion as to the signatory’s authority could exist [since] [h]e was a general partner in the limited partnership which leased the premises and, in fact, had signed the lease for the partnership as landlord” (id. at 526-527; see also Marbru Assoc. v Thumm, NYLJ, Feb. 24, 1989 at 22, col 2 [App Term, 1st Dept 1989] [holding termination notice signed by a partner of the petitioner to be sufficient]). Likewise, where the landlord is a corporation, a notice of termination signed by an officer of a corporate petitioner is not defective (Arvic Realty Corp. v RST Assoc., L.P., 9 Misc 3d 137[A], 2005 NY Slip Op 51723[U] [App Term, 1st Dept 2005]).

When the termination notice is purportedly signed by a landlord’s agent, the issue that often must be resolved is whether the tenant had a basis to doubt the agent’s authority to bind the landlord (54-55 St. Co. v Torres, 171 Misc 2d 237 [App Term, 1st Dept 1997]) especially since proof of the agent’s authority does not need to be attached to the termination notice (Second & E. 82 Realty, 192 Misc 2d at 58, citing Sporn v Nicholas, NYLJ, Jan. 13, 1988 at 6, col 4 [App Term, 1st Dept 1988]; Kosnik v Sterling, NYLJ, June 6, 1988 at 27, col 6 [App Term, 2d Dept 1988]). In other words, the issue is whether or not the tenant knows or should know the agent is acting on the landlord’s behalf. A tenant would or should know an agent is acting on the landlord’s behalf in either of two ways: either the notice states what grants the agent authority to bind the landlord (cf. Siegel v Kentucky Fried Chicken of Long Is., 108 [643]*643AD2d 218 [2d Dept 1985], affd 67 NY2d 792 [1986]; Triborough Bridge & Tunnel Auth. v Serling, NYLJ, July 12, 1996 at 25, col 3 [App Term, 1st Dept 1996]) or the knowledge is imputed based upon past dealings between the tenant and the agent acting on the landlord’s behalf

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Related

Kuehne & Nagel, Inc. v. Baiden
330 N.E.2d 624 (New York Court of Appeals, 1975)
Chinatown Apartments, Inc. v. Chu Cho Lam
412 N.E.2d 1312 (New York Court of Appeals, 1980)
Siegel v. Kentucky Fried Chicken of Long Island, Inc.
492 N.E.2d 390 (New York Court of Appeals, 1986)
Ashley Realty Corp. v. Knight
73 A.D.3d 500 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 2010)
Rogers v. New York Telephone Co.
74 A.D.2d 526 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 1980)
Siegel v. Kentucky Fried Chicken of Long Island, Inc.
108 A.D.2d 218 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 1985)
170 West 85th Street Tenants Ass'n v. Cruz
173 A.D.2d 338 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 1991)
54-55 Street Co. v. Torres
171 Misc. 2d 237 (Appellate Terms of the Supreme Court of New York, 1997)
Second & E. 82 Realty LLC v. 82nd Street Gily Corp.
192 Misc. 2d 55 (Civil Court of the City of New York, 2002)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
54 Misc. 3d 639, 42 N.Y.S.3d 573, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/kesselman-v-london-paint-wallpaper-co-nycivct-2016.