Sachs v. Adeli

16 A.D.3d 175, 791 N.Y.S.2d 47, 2005 N.Y. App. Div. LEXIS 2455
CourtAppellate Division of the Supreme Court of the State of New York
DecidedMarch 10, 2005
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 16 A.D.3d 175 (Sachs v. Adeli) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of the State of New York primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Sachs v. Adeli, 16 A.D.3d 175, 791 N.Y.S.2d 47, 2005 N.Y. App. Div. LEXIS 2455 (N.Y. Ct. App. 2005).

Opinion

Order, Supreme Court, New York County (Karla Moskowitz, J.), entered July 21, 2004, which denied plaintiffs motion for summary judgment on his cause of action for recovery on a personal guaranty, unanimously reversed, on the law, without costs, the motion granted, and the matter remanded for further proceedings, including for calculation of appropriate attorneys’ fees, costs and interest.

In July 2000, Klothes (NY) LLC (KNY) was formed for the purpose of producing and distributing garments designed by defendant Adeli. The management of KNY was vested in defendant. Plaintiff became an investor. On September 15, 2000, KNY entered into a “Factoring Agreement” with CIT Group/ Commercial Services, Inc. (CIT), in conjunction with which defendant executed a “Continuing Guaranty,” personally and unconditionally guaranteeing the debts of KNY to CIT. In this guaranty, defendant waived any rights she may have for contribution, subrogation, performance or indemnification against, inter alia, any other guarantor for any amounts paid or acts performed by her.

On June 8, 2001, “in order to induce CIT to enter into or [176]*176continue a factoring and financing relationship with [KNY],” plaintiff executed a “Continuing Limited Guaranty,” guaranteeing the debts of KNY to CIT under the Factoring Agreement, up to $1,000,000. In this guaranty, plaintiff similarly waived rights of contribution, subrogation, performance or indemnification but only “[u]ntil such time as all indebtedness and obligations owing by [KNY] to CIT under the Factoring Documents have been indefensibly paid in full.”

On or about April 15, 2003, CIT declared KNY to be in default under the Factoring Agreement. Following the sale of certain assets of KNY and the collection of KNY’s accounts receivable, the outstanding balance due from KNY to CIT was approximately $630,000. By letter to the parties dated September 8, 2003, CIT offered, for a limited time, to refrain from further collection proceedings and to sell to either or both of them the remaining obligations and security, interests in the debt owed.

Plaintiff then entered into a “Loan Purchase and Sale Agreement” whereby he purchased from CIT all rights, title and interest in the Factoring Agreement and related agreements for $641,753.34, the full amount of the outstanding debt. Pursuant to this agreement, CIT released plaintiff from his guaranty.

Plaintiff seeks, inter alia, to recover from defendant the entire $641,753.34, plus interest, fees and costs, as the present holder of the CIT loans guaranteed by her. Relying on California Civil Code § 1474, defendant argues that plaintiff s performance of the obligation for which they were jointly liable extinguished her liability, although she concedes that, pursuant to other provisions of the Code, plaintiff could assert a counterclaim for contribution. Our analysis of the statutes and case law leads us to conclude that plaintiff, a secondary obligor who satisfied the principal obligation, is subrogated to all rights of CIT, including the right to collect from defendant.

The statutes would appear to support defendant’s position. California Civil Code § 1474 provides that “[performance of an obligation, by one of several persons who are jointly liable under it, extinguishes the liability of all.” California Civil Code § 1432 provides, in pertinent part, that “a party to a joint, or joint and several obligation, who satisfies more than his share of the claim against all, may require a proportionate contribution from all the parties joined with him.” Other sections of the California Civil Code provide:

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Related

Sachs v. Adeli
26 A.D.3d 52 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 2005)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
16 A.D.3d 175, 791 N.Y.S.2d 47, 2005 N.Y. App. Div. LEXIS 2455, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/sachs-v-adeli-nyappdiv-2005.