Stephen Estates, Inc. v. Kaplan

198 Misc. 948, 100 N.Y.S.2d 455, 1950 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 2138
CourtCity of New York Municipal Court
DecidedOctober 26, 1950
StatusPublished
Cited by10 cases

This text of 198 Misc. 948 (Stephen Estates, Inc. v. Kaplan) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering City of New York Municipal Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Stephen Estates, Inc. v. Kaplan, 198 Misc. 948, 100 N.Y.S.2d 455, 1950 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 2138 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 1950).

Opinion

Frank, J.

The problem in this holdover summary proceeding is posed by a motion to dismiss the petition on the ground that the same fails to state facts constituting a cause of action.”

New housing in this city, public and private, has produced a trickle of additional accommodations against the needs of more than a quarter of a million families who are desperately seeking them. This meager supply has occasioned a recurrence of one phase in the relationship of landlord and tenant, bedeviling the principals involved, creating confusion and a flood of repetitious litigation.

What are the rights of those involved, when a tenant lawfully in possession assigns or sublets an apartment to a third person? Is the new occupant a squatter to be dispossessed under subdivision 4 of section 1411 of the Civil Practice Act; or is the landlord’s remedy a proceeding under section 1410 of the Civil Practice Act, after compliance with the regulations promulgated under chapter 250 of the Laws of 1950? Who are the necessary parties under such proceeding?

In the case at bar, the petition and precept are. entitled ‘ ‘ Stephen Estates, Inc., Landlord against Irving Kaplan, Occupant.” The petition assailed is carefully drafted, not on a form, and alleges in part:

[950]*950(3) That on or about October 30th, 1945 petitioner, as Landlord, entered into a written agreement of lease with one Monroe Friedman, as Tenant, whereby petitioner leased to said Monroe Friedman, for the term of eleven months and twenty-five days, commencing November 5, 1945 and ending October 31, 1946, the premises known as apartment number C-4 in the building known as 2042 Grand Avenue, Borough of Bronx, City of New York ”.

(5) That paragraph ‘ 3 ’ of said lease provided in part as follows: ‘ Tenant, and Tenant’s heirs, distributees, executors, administrators, legal representatives, successors and assigns, shall not assign, mortgage or encumber this agreement, nor underlet, or use or permit the demised premises, or any part thereof to be used by others, without the prior written consent of Landlord in each instance ’.

(6) “ Upon information and belief, that subsequent to entering into said lease, and subsequent to entering into possession of said premises, said Monroe Friedman, on a date unknown to petitioner, assigned to the occupant herein, Irving Kaplan, his entire estate in and to said premises; that thereafter said Monroe Friedman vacated said premises and said Irving Kaplan gained occupancy thereof; that all of said acts were committed by said Monroe Friedman and said Irving Kaplan without the knowledge or consent of landlord and in contravention of the terms of said paragraph ‘ 3 ’ of said lease between landlord and said Monroe Friedman.

(7) “ That by reason of said assignment in breach of said agreement of lease, landlord duly demanded of said Irving Kaplan that he remove from said premises and deliver up the premises thereof to landlord.

(8) That notwithstanding such demand, said Irving Kaplan continues to hold over and to remain in possession of said premises without the consent of landlord in writing or otherwise.

(12) That the preliminary notice required under Sections 52 and 53 of the Rent and Eviction Regulations of the said Temporary State Housing Rent Commission has been duly given both to the occupant herein and to the Local Rent Office. A copy of said notice is annexed hereto, made part hereof, and marked Exhibit ‘ A ’. A copy of the affidavit of service of said notice is annexed hereto, made part hereof and marked Exhibit ‘ B ’.”

Nowhere in this pleading is there an allegation that Kaplan, the occupant, squatted or intruded upon the premises, or that the proceedings are predicated on subdivision 4 of section 1411 of the Civil Practice Act. On the argument, however, there was [951]*951extended discussion asserting on one hand that Kaplan was a squatter and denied with equal vehemence on the other. The section read, in part, as follows: “ Additional cases in which tenants and others be removed. * * *

“ 4. Where he or the person to whom he has succeeded has intruded into or squatted upon any real property without the permission of the person entitled to the possession thereof and the occupancy thus commenced has continued without permission from the latter ”.

The person entitled to the possession of the apartment in question in the first instance, was the tenant, Friedman. The petition makes it abundantly clear that Friedman voluntarily delivered possession to Kaplan, whether by assignment or subletting is immaterial. Thus Kaplan’s possession of the premises upon his entry was with the permission of the person (Friedman) entitled to possession.

The Court of Appeals, in a unanimous decision affirming the dismissal of a petition in a squatter proceeding, in the case of Williams v. Alt (226 N. Y. 283, 290, opinion by Chase, J.), said: A squatter is one who settles on the land of another without any legal authority. '* # The respondent * * * entered upon the land in question by right under the life tenant, then living.”

The Appellate Term, First Department (Frazier v. Cropsey, 124 Misc. 367) decided that one obtaining occupancy with the permission of the tenant entitled to possession is not a squatter or an intruder. The court said (pp. 367-368): Cropsey having commenced his occupancy with the permission of the tenant Leone, then entitled to possession, was not a squatter or an intruder within the provisions of subdivision 4 of section 1411 of the Civil Practice Act. * * * Since it appeared that the appellant has 1 permission ’ of the tenant Leone to take occupancy, the question of whether the latter had breached his covenant against subletting was wholly immaterial. ’ ’

The reasoning in this case follows the rule promulgated in Commonwealth v. De Waltoff (62 Misc. 639, opinion by Seabuby, J.) and Lincoln Trust Co. v. Hutchinson (65 Misc. 590, opinion by Lehman, J.). This principle has been adopted, approved and followed in Mele v. Russo (168 Misc. 760); Wright v. Wright (188 Misc. 268); Herberg Realty Corp. v. Allen (69 N. Y. S. 2d 181, affd. App. Term, April, 1947) and Block v. Kennedy & Gruber, Inc. (91 N. Y. S. 2d 504, affd. 276 App. Div. 843).

[952]*952In Stengel v. Morehead (194 Misc. 1027 [App. Term, 1st dept.]) the court said: “ Having entered into possession with permission of the one entitled to possession, respondent is not a squatter or intruder within the provisions of subdivision 4 of section 1411 of the Civil Practice Act.”

The case of Birdie Management Corp. v. Dunton (60 N. Y. S. 2d 673) is clearly distinguishable for it was a proceeding by the landlord and' the tenant entitled to possession against the respondent. So, too, is Greif Realty Corp. v. Maroff (82 N. Y. S. 2d 396 [App. Term, 2d dept.]) distinguishable. The opinion indicates that the tenant was out of possession when he sought to convey his interest to the occupant.

The facts as alleged in this petition closely follow those in Viggiano v. Grojensky (72 N. Y. S. 2d 15), in which the Appellate Term, First Department, said: “ Upon the facts of this case, the appellant is not a squatter.

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

Related

Golden Mountain Realty Inc. v. Severino
36 Misc. 3d 346 (Civil Court of the City of New York, 2012)
Town of Hempstead Housing Authority v. Lindner
16 Misc. 3d 899 (New York District Court, 2007)
Resolution Trust Corporation v. Selma Diamond
18 F.3d 111 (Second Circuit, 1994)
Resolution Trust Corp. v. Diamond
18 F.3d 111 (Second Circuit, 1994)
Ryerson Towers Inc. v. Estate of Brown
156 Misc. 2d 614 (Civil Court of the City of New York, 1993)
Fitzgerald v. Washington
80 Misc. 2d 861 (Civil Court of the City of New York, 1975)
Goldman Bros. v. Forester
62 Misc. 2d 812 (Civil Court of the City of New York, 1970)
Garrison v. Abrams
57 Misc. 2d 417 (New York County Courts, 1965)
Cammarata v. Fuller
9 Misc. 2d 61 (City of New York Municipal Court, 1957)
Reichman v. Crane
3 Misc. 2d 731 (City of New York Municipal Court, 1956)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
198 Misc. 948, 100 N.Y.S.2d 455, 1950 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 2138, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/stephen-estates-inc-v-kaplan-nynyccityct-1950.