Maestro West Chelsea SPE LLC v. Pradera Realty Inc.

38 Misc. 3d 522
CourtNew York Supreme Court
DecidedOctober 9, 2012
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 38 Misc. 3d 522 (Maestro West Chelsea SPE LLC v. Pradera Realty Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New York Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Maestro West Chelsea SPE LLC v. Pradera Realty Inc., 38 Misc. 3d 522 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 2012).

Opinion

OPINION OF THE COURT

Eileen Bransten, J.

Motion sequence Nos. 001 and 003 are consolidated for disposition. In motion sequence No. 001, plaintiffs seek a preliminary injunction, a mandatory injunction and a permanent injunction. Defendant opposes.

In motion sequence No. 003, defendant moves to dismiss the complaint. Plaintiffs oppose.

I. Background

Plaintiffs own property located at 319, 321, 323 and 325 10th Avenue and 507, 509, 511, 513 and 515 West 28th Street in Manhattan, New York (the property). (Complaint If 14.) Plaintiffs plan to develop a mixed use residential and retail complex on the property (the project). (Id. 1HI1, 16.)

Defendant owns real estate adjacent to plaintiffs’ property. (Id. 1Í15.) Defendant also has unused air rights for its property (the air rights). Plaintiffs needed additional air rights to build the project in compliance with New York City zoning regulations. (Id. lili 15-17.) Consequently, after extensive negotiations, plaintiffs contracted in March of this year to purchase defendant’s air rights for $4.6 million (the contract). (Id. 1118.) As per the terms of the contract, plaintiffs placed a $460,000 down payment into escrow. (Id. It 19.)

A. The Contract’s Terms

The contract provides that the sale of the air rights will close, at the latest, on December 26, 2012. (Id.) Before the sale can close, defendant must obtain a “Waiver and Subordination” from JPMorgan Chase (JPMC), which holds the mortgage on defendant’s property (the waiver). Defendant must obtain the waiver within 30 days of the execution of the contract (the waiver contingency period). (Id. 1Í1Í 6-7.) The contract requires defendant to use its “best efforts” to obtain the waiver. (Id. 1i 7.) If defendant’s attempt to obtain the waiver is unsuccessful, the contract provides that plaintiffs may themselves seek the [526]*526waiver from JPMC. (Id.) The contract further states that plaintiffs may extend the waiver contingency period as needed to obtain the waiver.

Under paragraph 8 (C) (ii) of the contract, plaintiffs may unilaterally extend the closing date “from time to time, ... in [their] sole discretion in which case the Closing, at [plaintiffs’] election, shall be moved back day for day by the number of days” necessary for the plaintiffs to obtain the waiver. (Affirmation of Gregg L. Weiner, exhibit B [the contract], 1Í 8 [C] [ii].)

B. Defendant’s Failure to Obtain the Waiver

Plaintiffs claim that defendant waited several weeks after executing the contract to submit an application to JPMC to obtain the waiver. (Third affirmation of Gregg L. Weiner, exhibit A [Lalezarian aff], at 3.) Plaintiffs allege that defendant further complicated the process of obtaining the waiver by submitting a “sloppy,” “poorly-prepared” waiver application to JPMC. (Id.)

Defendant claims that it promptly attempted to obtain the waiver after entering into the contract. (Mem of law in support of the defendant’s motion to dismiss the complaint [defendant’s mem] at 4.) Defendant states that, on May 11, 2012, over a month after the parties entered into the contract, JPMC sent defendant a proposal requiring defendant to pay a prepayment penalty of $1,800,000 in exchange for the waiver. (Affirmation of Steven Landy in support of defendant’s order to show cause to dismiss the complaint [Landy affirmation], exhibit H, at 6.) Defendant rejected JPMC’s proposal. (Defendant’s mem at 4.)

Plaintiffs assert that, after rejecting JPMC’s offer, defendant interfered with plaintiffs’ ability to exercise their contractual right to attempt to obtain the waiver by instructing JPMC not to communicate with plaintiffs. (Complaint 1i 27.)

On May 15, 2012, defendant’s counsel informed plaintiffs’ counsel that defendant had “been unable to attain the waiver from the bank .... Unless [plaintiffs are] able to obtain same, please advise how to return the down payment.” (Landy affirmation, exhibit J, at 1.)

On June 5, 2012, defendant’s counsel informed plaintiffs’ counsel that “[n] either party has been [ ]able to obtain the waiver. Please be advised the [defendant] is terminating this transaction.” (Landy affirmation, exhibit K, at 3.)

Plaintiffs’ counsel sent defendant’s counsel a series of emails explaining that plaintiffs had extended the waiver contingency period, and confirming that plaintiffs planned to continue to [527]*527work towards obtaining the waiver. (Id.) Defendant insisted that “[t]his deal is over.” (Id. at 1.)

On June 13, 2012, defendant sent plaintiffs a “Notice of Termination of Purchase and Sale Agreement” (the termination letter). Defendant contends this notice terminated the contract. (Landy affirmation, exhibit L, at 1.)

On June 15, 2012, defendant followed up the termination letter by sending a letter to JPMC stating that defendant had “terminated its purchase and sale agreement with [plaintiffs].” (Landy affirmation, exhibit M, at 1.) Defendant further informed JPMC that “it is [defendant’s] position that [JPMC was] under no obligation to continue discussing the matter or to engage in further negotiations” with plaintiffs regarding the waiver. (Id.)

Plaintiffs brought the instant action on June 20, 2012. Plaintiffs bring causes of action for breach of contract and breach of the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing. Plaintiff also brings causes of action for a declaratory judgment, a preliminary injunction and a permanent injunction. Plaintiffs seek specific performance of the contract in addition to compensatory damages.

II. Standard of Law

“On a motion to dismiss pursuant to CPLR 3211, the pleading is to be afforded a liberal construction.” (Leon v Martinez, 84 NY2d 83, 87 [1994].) The court accepts the facts as alleged in the nonmoving party’s pleading as true and accords the non-moving party the benefit of every possible favorable inference. (Id.) “[A] court may freely consider affidavits submitted by the plaintiff to remedy any defects in the complaint and ‘the criterion is whether the proponent of the pleading has a cause of action, not whether he has stated one.’ ” (Id. at 88 [citations omitted].)

III. Analysis

A. Defendant’s Motion to Dismiss the Complaint

1. Breach of Contract

a. The “Best Efforts” Clause

Defendant first moves to dismiss plaintiffs’ claim for breach of contract on the grounds that the contract is void. Defendant argues that the contract’s “best efforts” clause is invalid because it “contains no objective criteria or guidelines against [528]*528which Defendant’s efforts can be measured.” (Defendant’s mem at 12.) Consequently, reasons defendant, “the Contract is unenforceable on the ground of uncertainty and vagueness.” (Id.)

As Judge Friendly commented in Bloor v Falstaff Brewing Corp. (601 F2d 609, 613 n 7 [2d Cir 1979]), the law in New York concerning best efforts clauses is “far from clear.” Since Bloor,

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
38 Misc. 3d 522, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/maestro-west-chelsea-spe-llc-v-pradera-realty-inc-nysupct-2012.