Sherman v. Town of Chester

339 F. Supp. 3d 346
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. Illinois
DecidedSeptember 7, 2018
Docket12 Civ. 647 (ER)
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 339 F. Supp. 3d 346 (Sherman v. Town of Chester) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, S.D. Illinois primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Sherman v. Town of Chester, 339 F. Supp. 3d 346 (S.D. Ill. 2018).

Opinion

Ramos, District Judge:

This matter comes before the Court once again on the motion of Laroe Estates, Inc. ("Laroe") to intervene in this litigation between Nancy J. Sherman, the widow of Bill Sherman ("Sherman"),1 and Defendants the Town of Chester, the Town Board of the Town of Chester, and the Planning Board of the Town of Chester (collectively, "the Town"). The Court initially denied Laroe's motion on the basis that it lacked standing to bring a claim for damages against the Town. See Sherman v. Town of Chester ("Sherman II "), No. 12 Civ. 647 (ER), 2015 WL 1473430, at *14-16 (S.D.N.Y. Mar. 31, 2015). The Second Circuit vacated and remanded the Court's decision. See Laroe Estates, Inc. v. Town of Chester , 828 F.3d 60 (2d Cir. 2016). The Supreme Court, in turn, vacated and remanded the Second Circuit's decision. See Town of Chester, N.Y. v. Laroe Estates, Inc. , --- U.S. ----, 137 S.Ct. 1645, 198 L.Ed.2d 64 (2017). After the Second Circuit remanded the case to this Court for further proceedings in accordance with the *350Supreme Court's opinion, see 693 F. App'x 69 (2d Cir. 2017), the parties engaged in limited discovery on the relationship between Laroe and Sherman and submitted extensive supplementary briefing. See Docs. 75, 82, 87, 90-93. For the following reasons, the Court GRANTS in part and DENIES in part Laroe's motion.

I. FACTUAL BACKGROUND

Sherman was a real estate developer who in 2001 purchased a 398-acre tract of land in Chester, New York, known as "MareBrook." Compl. (Doc. 1 Ex. A) ¶¶ 5, 39, 353. The MareBrook project was to include 385 residential housing units, a golf course, an equestrian facility, baseball fields, tennis courts, a clubhouse, and a restaurant. Id. ¶ 10. Sherman claims that over the course of the ensuing ten years, the Town wrongfully prevented him from developing MareBrook because it variously wanted: (1) to make MareBrook a "de facto nature preserve," id. at ¶¶ 21, 30, 285, 299; (2) to retaliate against him for instituting several lawsuits against the Town over the development of MareBrook, id. at ¶¶ 26-29, 61, 225, 231, 241, 262; and (3) to discriminate against him because he is Jewish, one of his business associates is Jewish, and Town residents are worried about MareBrook becoming a Hasidic community, id. ¶¶ 31-32, 222, 225, 307-24, 326.2

The dispute currently before the Court revolves around the relationship between Sherman, the MareBrook property, and Laroe. Laroe and its principals are real estate developers, and in 2003, Laroe entered into an agreement with Sherman, ostensibly for the purchase of lots on three parcels of land in the MareBrook property. See Proposed Intervenor's Complaint (Doc. 83-1) ¶ 20.

The June 2003 agreement between Sherman and Laroe provided that:

[Sherman] agrees to sell and convey to [Laroe] and [Laroe] agrees to purchase and acquire from [Sherman] the single-family home building sites or lots created by either a subdivision or site plan which are to be located on three parcels of land currently owned by Sherman designated on the tax maps of the Town of Chester, New York as Section 15, Block 1, Lots 9.2 and 65.1 and that portion of tax lot Section 8, Block 1, Lot 20 located east and south of Bull Mill Road, all as more particularly described and depicted on Exhibit A hereto, together with any and all of the rights and appurtenances pertaining to such Property....

See Affirmation of Joseph Haspel ("Haspel Aff.") (Doc. 74) Ex. K. at 188. In the event that the Town approved fewer than 135 lots for the subdivision, either party could terminate the agreement. Id. In the event that the approvals were not completed in the time frame contemplated by the contract, Laroe had the right to terminate the agreement. Id. at 197-98. Similarly, in the event of a taking of the property by eminent domain, Laroe could elect to terminate; if it did not, it and Sherman would "be deemed to have elected to proceed with Closing, in which event [Sherman would] assign to [Laroe] all of [Sherman's] right, title, and interest in and to any and all claims and proceeds [Sherman] may have with respect to any condemnation awards or insurance proceeds." Id. at 203.

Between 2003 and 2004, Laroe paid Sherman $2.5 million in three collateral notes secured by mortgages on the MareBrook property.3 Id. ; see also Declaration *351of Alexander J. Eleftherakis ("Eleftherakis Decl.") (Doc. 86) Exs. B-D. The first note, for the sum of $1 million, was payable on June 30, 2006, "if the principal sum is repaid to the Mortgagee upon or as the result of the cancellation of the contract of sale." Id. Ex. B.

In 2010, Laroe sued Sherman to recover $1.5 million plus interest, representing the amount owing on two of the three mortgage notes. Id. Ex. G.4 Laroe explained that it had sent Sherman written notices of default, and ten days later, had sent written demand for payment due under the mortgages within sixty days. Id. Sherman, however, failed to pay Laroe. Id. Sherman moved to dismiss or stay the complaint arguing that, as Orthodox Jews, he and Laroe's owner, Joseph Hershkowitz, were obligated to adjudicate their dispute before a rabbinical court. Id. Ex. H.

On April 25, 2012, the rabbinical court ruled that "[b]eing that Mr. Steven Sherman failed to pay [Laroe] the amount of $2,500,000, therefore, as of today, the aforementioned properties belong to [Laroe]." Haspel Aff. Ex. F. This decision was memorialized in a May 7, 2013 amendment to the June 2003 agreement. Under the amendment, the purchase price of the agreement became: (1) the $2.5 million Laroe already advanced to Sherman; (2) any amount paid to TD Bank to satisfy the mortgages, (3) the transfer of certain lots in the development back to Sherman after approval, and (4) the execution of a related consulting agreement between the parties. Id. Ex. K at 233. With respect to TD Bank, the agreement provided that "[s]ettlement of the amounts due under the TD Mortgages shall be in the sole discretion of [Laroe]. In the event the TD Bank Mortgages are not settled prior to any foreclosure sale of the property, [Laroe] may terminate this agreement, with no further liability between [Laroe] and [Sherman]." Id. at 234.

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Bluebook (online)
339 F. Supp. 3d 346, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/sherman-v-town-of-chester-ilsd-2018.