Stern v. Equitable Trust Co.

208 A.D. 13, 203 N.Y.S. 91, 1924 N.Y. App. Div. LEXIS 4967
CourtAppellate Division of the Supreme Court of the State of New York
DecidedFebruary 8, 1924
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 208 A.D. 13 (Stern v. Equitable Trust Co.) 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
Stern v. Equitable Trust Co., 208 A.D. 13, 203 N.Y.S. 91, 1924 N.Y. App. Div. LEXIS 4967 (N.Y. Ct. App. 1924).

Opinion

Merrell, J.:

The plaintiff is a resident of the borough of Manhattan, in the city, county and State of New York, and is of full age, and the defendant is a domestic corporation organized and existing under and by virtue of the laws of the State of New York, having its principal place of business at No. 37 Wall street, in said borough of Manhattan. The plaintiff during all the times mentioned in the agreed submission was and is the owner in fee simple of premises situate at No. 970 Park avenue, in the said borough of Manhattan, said premises being an apartment house building. On or about March 8, 1918, the plaintiff duly leased to one Joseph Rosenthal an apartment in said apartment house at 970 Park avenue, known as apartment No. 7, north, for a term of three years, commencing October 1, 1918, and ending September 30,1921, said leased premises to be occupied as a private dwelling apartment only, at an annual rental of $4,200, payable in equal monthly installments of $350 in advance on the first day of each and every month during said term. The lease contained the usual covenant empowering the landlord to institute dispossess proceedings in case of the tenant’s default in keeping any of the covenants of the lease, and providing for a cancellation thereof in the event of such default of the tenant and permitting the landlord to re-enter and repossess himself of said premises.

Pursuant to said lease the said Joseph Rosenthal, the lessee, together with his family, consisting of his wife and two children, occupied the leased' premises during the entire term of said lease. Prior to the expiration of the lease and in or about April, 1921, the plaintiff demanded a rental of $7,500 per annum for the year commencing October 1, 1921, and ending September 30, 1922. Rosenthal refused to pay the increased rental upon the ground that the same was unreasonable. The parties failed, prior to the expiration of the three years covered by the said lease, to agree to any renewal thereof. On or about August 31, 1921, the plaintiff demanded possession at the expiration of the term, but the lessee, Rosenthal, under the protection of chapter 944 of the Laws of 1920 and the laws amendatory thereof, known as one of the Emergency Rent Laws or the Emergency Housing Laws, refused to deliver up possession at the termination of said lease, and remained in possession of the said premises.

Under a stipulation entered into between the plaintiff and the said Joseph Rosenthal under date of October 14, 1921, the said [15]*15Rosenthal paid to the plaintiff the sum of $350 for the month of October, 1921, being the amount of the monthly rent paid prior to the 1st of October, 1921, without prejudice to the rights of either party, and the said lessee paid the additional sums of $350 during and for each of the months of November and December, 1921, and January, 1922, under the provisions of said stipulation. A copy of the stipulation is annexed to the submission, marked Exhibit A, and reads as follows:

“ Stipulation.
“The undersigned owner and occupant, having entered into a lease dated March 8th, 1918, of Apartment No. 7 North, in the building known as No. 970 Park Avenue, and said lease having expired and the said occupant having retained possession of said apartment after the expiration of said lease, herewith pays to the owner $350.00 on account for said apartment for the month of October, 1921, and the owner acknowledges receipt of that amount, such payment and the acceptance thereof being without prejudice to any right of either party.
The payment and acceptance of like amounts in the future shall be deemed to have been made and received under like ■ conditions.
“ Dated, New York, Oct. 14, 1921.
“ BING & BING, Agent
By M. Sloman (signed)
Owner.
“ JOSEPH ROSENTHAL (signed)
Occupant.”

Joseph Rosenthal, the tenant under said lease, died on or about January 2, 1922, leaving a last will and testament, which was duly admitted to probate in the Surrogate’s Court of New York county on or about January 27, 1922, and letters testamentary on his estate were, on or about that day, issued to the defendant, the Equitable Trust Company of New York, the executor and trustee named in said will, and the said defendant duly qualified and has ever since that time been acting as such executor and trustee.

The widow and two children of the said Joseph Rosenthal continued in the possession of said premises after the death of the said Joseph Rosenthal until on or about the 1st day of July, 1922, all the household effects and belongings remaining therein until said date, when the widow and two children of said Rosenthal vacated said apartment, removing all of said household effects at said time, and thereupon the plaintiff re-entered into the pas-[16]*16session of said premises and thereafter entered into a lease thereof to commence on the 1st day of October, 1922, giving possession of'said premises to the new tenant on September 1, 1922, for which right of possession for said month of September the new tenant paid to the plaintiff the sum of $500.

After the death of said Joseph Rosenthal, the plaintiff received -from his widow $116.67 for each of the months of February, March and April, 1922, and from the defendant, as trustee for the two children of said Rosenthal, the sum of $466.67 on March 9, 1922, and from said trustee the further sum of $233.33 on April 3, 1922, which payments by the said trustee were made under the provisions of the will of said Rosenthal permitting the trustee to make expenditures for the maintenance of the two children of the testator until the trust funds in said will established should produce an income for said purpose, all of said sums paid by the widow and by the trustee aggregating the sum of $350 for each of the months of February, March and April, 1922, and all being paid and received under the aforesaid stipulation, without prejudice to the rights of the parties as therein provided. No further payment of any kind has been received by the plaintiff from the defendant, from the estate of Joseph Rosenthal, or from his widow, or from any one else on account of any of said parties.

It is further stipulated in the agreed statement of facts that the fair rental value of said demised premises for the year commencing October 1, 1921, and ending September 30, 1922, was the sum of $6,500.

On or about July 24, 1922, the plaintiff duly filed with the defendant proof of claim for rent and rental value of said demised premises for the period from October 1, 1921, to July 1, 1922, at the rate of $7,500 per annum, or in the aggregate a claim for $6,250, and for interest on the several monthly installments of rent at said date, amounting to $67.10, less the sum of $2,450> credited as payments on account. Thereafter thé defendant-rejected the said claim.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
208 A.D. 13, 203 N.Y.S. 91, 1924 N.Y. App. Div. LEXIS 4967, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/stern-v-equitable-trust-co-nyappdiv-1924.