Sommer v. Ann Turkel, Inc.

139 Misc. 2d 892, 530 N.Y.S.2d 946, 1988 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 324
CourtCivil Court of the City of New York
DecidedMay 31, 1988
StatusPublished

This text of 139 Misc. 2d 892 (Sommer v. Ann Turkel, Inc.) 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
Sommer v. Ann Turkel, Inc., 139 Misc. 2d 892, 530 N.Y.S.2d 946, 1988 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 324 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 1988).

Opinion

OPINION OF THE COURT

Norman C. Ryp, J.

Rent Stabilization Law (Administrative Code of City of New York § 26-501 et seq. [RSL]) maximum rent cap or fair market rental capitalization under RPAPL 749 (3)?

The defining issue of first impression is whether RPAPL 749 [893]*893(3) retroactive (63 months) use and occupation between lease termination and issuance of a warrant of eviction for tenants’ nonprimary residence determined by a reversing appellate court is limited by the current stabilized rent or fair market value.

A. PROCEDURAL HISTORY AND FACTS

This RPAPL 753 application by respondents occupants Ann Turkel, Inc. (ATI) and Ann Turkel (Turkel), respondents tenant and undertenant, respectively, for a maximum six months’ stay of the warrant of eviction from and fixing reasonable use and occupancy for apartment 36E (a 7-room apartment, including 3 bedrooms, a maid’s room, 4 Vi bathrooms with a terrace or balcony and panoramic view totaling some 2,800 square feet — subject apartment) of premises No. 425 East 58th Street, New York, New York (the Sovereign).

The relevant facts are that Ms. Turkel, a model, television and motion picture actress, and public relations spokesperson for swimwear, moved into her rent-stabilized subject apartment in the Sovereign, under lease to ATI, with her former husband, actor Richard Harris, in 1974. In 1978, under the sponsorship of petitioner’s late husband, Sigmund Sommer, the Sovereign was converted into a cooperative, under a "non-eviction” plan, including subject apartment which ATI and Turkel chose not to purchase. ATI continued to receive RSL renewal leases for subject apartment until September 30, 1982 for which ATI paid one third and Ms. Turkel paid one third of the rent. During this period, Turkel claims to have made extensive renovations and kept valuable furnishings, antique box and doll collections, works of art and personalty exceeding $200,000.

In October 1983, petitioner commenced a former Code of the Rent Stabilization Association of New York City, Inc. § 54 (E) (now Rent Stabilization Code [9 NYCRR] § 2520 et seq. [RSC]) holdover summary proceeding based upon Turkel’s nonprimary residence, which petition was dismissed, with prejudice, after trial before then Housing (now Civil Court) Judge Jay Stuart Dankberg during 1984-1985 by final judgment and order, dated February 6, 1986, which was unanimously reversed and a final judgment of possession granted in favor of petitioner, by order of the Appellate Term, First Department, filed October 23, 1987, with leave to appeal to the Appellate Division, First Department, denied by its order, dated January 5, 1988.

[894]*894On January 14, 1988, an order to show cause (including a temporary restraining order, pending hearing, subsequently extended to this determination) was signed by Judge Leonard N. Cohen, returnable January 21, 1988. Such was later adjourned by this.court to January 26, 1988, which set monthly use and occupancy at $2,482.20 (covering Jan. and Feb. 1988, subject to further order of the court) and a hearing commencing February 4, 1988. Such continued to parts of February 5 and 9, 1988 when both parties rested and submitted posthearing memoranda on February 22, 1988.

At the hearing, Ms. Turkel testified she suffers from chronic fatigue over the past seven years, has been the only permanent resident since 1976 of subject apartment, wherein she removed a bedroom wall and enlarged her living room and of which respondent submitted 23 (3½ inch by 5 inch) color photos as fair and accurate representations reflecting various antique furniture furnishings (including a 6½-foot-by-d-foot antique breakfront, 10-foot couch, various antique collections), artworks and clothes.

Ms. Turkel further testified that: she still rents the Beverly Hills, California (1 bedroom — 1,300 square feet — plus 2-car [Rolls-Royce and Mercedes-Benz] garage), home at $2,000 a month; since finally losing her appeal in early January 1988 has completed 5% of packing with 7 cartons sent out to a used clothing store; obtained at least 2 movers’ estimates exceeding $10,000 each; with little to no room available (except for sleeping and some clothes in her parent’s [mother, respondent Thelma Turkel] Scarsdale home [her former bedroom converted into father’s office] or Park Ave. apartment); and she earned $37,000 to $40,000 in 1987 plus $80,000 annually available from her matrimonial settlement plus $30,000 cash, with a current recording as a rock and roll singer. Upon cross-examination, Ms. Turkel stated she: took no relocation steps from the Appellate Term, First Department, reversal (Oct. 23, 1987) to the Appellate Division, First Department, decisions (Jan. 5, 1988); first tried to raise money to buy the cooperative shares for subject apartment; left New York City to be in Los Angeles to seek relocation and meet work obligations, with much, if not most, of her valuable furniture installed in her previous apartment.

For the defendant, Byron Greenfield, a New York State licensed (since 1952) real estate broker, specializing in and supervising the Sovereign sponsor’s rentals and sales testified that the reasonably current monthly rental market values for [895]*895the Sovereign’s apartment "E” and "H” lines (both with an area of approximately 3,000 square feet) unfurnished are as follows:

* (a) Apartment 12H— 2 year (1986-1988) lease $ 7,150

* (b) Apartment 16H— 2 year (1987-1989) lease $ 7,400

(c) Apartment 29E — on the market asking $ 8,500

(d) Apartment 30E — 2 year (1987-1989) lease $ 8,000

(e) Apartment 32E — 2 year (1987-1988) lease $ 7,500

(i) Apartment 42E — (1) 1 year (1982-1983) lease $ 7,500

(2) 1 year (1987-1988) lease $10,000

* lesser view

The cooperative monthly maintenance for subject apartment 36E was $3,223.14, effective April 1, 1985.

On cross-examination, Mr. Greenfield testified that the "H” line generally sold for $500 per share ($5,200 v $4,700) because of an extra 300-square-foot bedroom than the "E” line; both ("E” and "H”) lines sold for $300 more per share because of a better view upon the 33rd floor and above (28th amendment to the Sovereign’s cooperative offering plan), and the above amounts were set before the October 19, 1987 "Black Monday” Wall Street "crash”; that there are no pending negotiations for the sale or lease of subject apartment 36E.

In view of respondents’ physical removal within four months of the November 27, 1987 final judgment of possession, the predicate for the issuance of a warrant of eviction, and less than the maximum six months (up to May 27, 1988) discretionary stay period (RPAPL 753 [1]) the issues of compliance with RPAPL 753 and the length of respondents’ stay are moot.

B. REMAINING ISSUES

The fulcrum issues now focus upon: (1) the amount of reasonable monthly use and occupancy; petitioner claims such should be at current market rents (between $7,500 and $10,000), while respondent contends that the current rent-stabilized rent ($2,484) still applies, both under the RSL and former RSC § 54 (E) thereunder and Real Property Tax Law § 421-a; and (2) the duration of such reasonable monthly use and occupancy. Petitioner submits retroactivity to September 1, 1983, the effective date of the original 30-day notice of [896]

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

New York City Housing Authority v. Torres
61 A.D.2d 681 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 1978)
Cooper v. Schube
86 A.D.2d 62 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 1982)
Cooper v. Schube
101 A.D.2d 737 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 1984)
Cier Industries Co. v. Hessen
136 A.D.2d 145 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 1988)
Beacway Operating Corp. v. Concert Arts Society, Inc.
123 Misc. 2d 452 (Civil Court of the City of New York, 1984)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
139 Misc. 2d 892, 530 N.Y.S.2d 946, 1988 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 324, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/sommer-v-ann-turkel-inc-nycivct-1988.