Williams v. Ron-Jay Enterprises, Inc.

65 A.D.2d 213, 411 N.Y.S.2d 86, 1978 N.Y. App. Div. LEXIS 13410
CourtAppellate Division of the Supreme Court of the State of New York
DecidedDecember 15, 1978
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 65 A.D.2d 213 (Williams v. Ron-Jay Enterprises, Inc.) 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
Williams v. Ron-Jay Enterprises, Inc., 65 A.D.2d 213, 411 N.Y.S.2d 86, 1978 N.Y. App. Div. LEXIS 13410 (N.Y. Ct. App. 1978).

Opinion

OPINION OF THE COURT

Marsh, P. J.

This is an appeal by plaintiffs in Action No. 1 and defendants in Action No. 2 from a judgment of Supreme Court, and by defendant in Action No. 1 and plaintiff in Action No. 2 from certain portions of the same judgment.

Plaintiffs Kenneth P. Williams and Mary E. Williams (hereinafter referred to as Williams) commenced Action No. 1 against defendant in the first action Ron-Jay Enterprises, Inc. (hereinafter referred to as Ron-Jay) by order to show cause accompanied by a temporary restraining order, which restraining order forbade Ron-Jay from altering the cellar of certain leased premises at 5076 Velasko Road, Syracuse. The complaint by Williams seeks to permanently enjoin Ron-Jay from remodeling premises owned by Williams and leased to Ron-Jay pursuant to a one-year written lease. A specific prohibition is sought against the construction of a rathskeller in the basement of the leased premises. Ron-Jay counterclaimed seeking the removal of structures placed by Williams on the leased premises, seeking declaration of a right under the lease to erect a dividing line between the leased premises and adjoining premises owned by the Williamses and a declaration that under the lease Ron-Jay could make nonstructural modifications to the cellar of the leased premises transforming it into a rathskeller. In an amended complaint Williams sought additionally to restrain Ron-Jay from blocking an entranceway from Velasko Road onto the leased premises by striping it for patron parking, which entranceway permits cars to cross over the leased premises and onto Williams’ adjacent property which is used as Shady Brook Shopping Plaza.

In Action No. 2 plaintiff Ron-Jay obtained a temporary restraining order against defendant Williams prohibiting the removal of cars belonging to employees and customers of Ron-Jay with respect to the restaurant, known as MacDufFs, being operated on the leased premises, which cars were parked in [215]*215the parking lot of the Shady Brook Shopping Center owned by Williams adjacent to the leased premises. The complaint in Action No. 2 seeks to enjoin Williams from removing from the Shady Brook Shopping Center parking lot vehicles belonging to employees and patrons of Ron-Jay’s restaurant. A prohibition is also sought against tampering with said vehicles, engaging in verbal abuse of patrons of MacDufFs and depositing broken glass in front of the entrances to MacDufFs Restaurant. Action No. 1 and Action No. 2 were ordered to be jointly tried.

Plaintiff Kenneth Williams testified that he purchased a parcel of land on March 17, 1953, known as 5076 Velasko Road, hereinafter referred to as Parcel No. 1, upon which was situated a restaurant known as the Velasko Inn. There were a restaurant operated on the first floor and apartments on the second. He operated the Velasko Inn restaurant as a one-floor operation. The parcel and the inn were located on the corner of Velasko Road and McDonald Road with approximately 211 feet frontage on McDonald Road and 350 feet on Velasko Road and with an irregular rear southerly boundary running northeasterly into the center of the property approximately 170 feet, then southeasterly approximately 108 feet, giving an effective depth to the parcel from both McDonald Road and Velasko Road of a little over 200 feet. Williams operated the restaurant until 1975.

On February 14, 1961 Williams purchased the adjoining parcel, hereinafter referred to as Parcel No. 2, consisting of vacant land fronting on McDonald Road and later used as a site for the Shady Brook Shopping Plaza located at 4800 McDonald Road. Williams blacktopped the area surrounding the Velasko Inn in 1954. In 1974 he blacktopped the area of the parcel purchased in 1961 and also repaved the blacktopped area on the Velasko Road parcel east of Velasko Inn. From 1953 until 1975 the Velasko Inn was serviced by a driveway approximately 10 feet south of the inn, entering from Velasko Road, and a drive about 75 feet east of the inn entering from McDonald Road.

The parcel purchased in 1961 remained vacant land until 1974 when it was blacktopped and two structures were erected. One structure housed a small grocery store, a liquor store, a beauty shop and a sewing center and the other structure was located within a few feet of Parcel No. 1 in the southwesterly corner of the 1961 parcel. The smaller structure [216]*216located in the southwesterly portion of Parcel No. 2 is used as an ice cream store operated by the Williamses. Another structure was completed in 1976 on Parcel No. 2 consisting of a fabric store and two apartments above. In 1975 pavement markings were placed on the premises to the side and rear of the inn on Parcel No. 1 and on Parcel No. 2 there were white stripes for parking in front of the ice cream store and on the remainder of Parcel No. 2 yellow stripes and also yellow stripes for delineation of parking on Parcel No. 1. From 1954 to 1974 parking for the inn was confined to Parcel No. 1. Parcel No. 2 although purchased in 1961 remained a vacant lot until 1974. Following the completion of Shady Brook Shopping Center access was obtained to it by a 25-foot entrance from McDonald Road directly onto Parcel No. 2, a 25-foot entrance from McDonald Road to Parcel No. 1 and the entranceway running from Velasko Road 10 feet behind the inn on Parcel No. 1 over to Parcel No. 2.

On November 7, 1975 Ron-Jay Enterprises, Inc. executed a purchase offer for all the fixtures, stock and trade, inventory and good will of Velasko Inn for $25,000 and providing for a 10-year lease of Velasko Inn at $700 per month, which would cover the entire premises situated at 5076 Velasko Road. A lease was also executed on the same day providing a 10-year duration with two five-year options to renew with an additional right of first refusal for purchase of the real property. Ron-Jay went into possession on February 1, 1976. Plans were discussed orally with Ron Skalko, president of Ron-Jay, for renovation of the premises. Williams verbally agreed with Skalko to permit replacing the flooring on the second floor and fixing a new entrance between the small and larger rooms on the second floor. With respect to the first floor it was orally agreed to permit construction of a wrap-around bar and fireplace. There was discussion of a rathskeller for the basement, but consideration of this was put off until a future date. Williams also verbally authorized construction of a stairway from the first to the second floor and a vestibule. The question of where Ron-Jay’s customers would park was not specifically addressed by the parties. In June, 1976 the problem arose as to the extent of inn customer parking on Parcel No. 2. Williams suggested that they put parking stripes around the west side of the inn. There was no clear demarcation between the Parcel No. 1 and Parcel No. 2.

Theordore Furtch testified that he drew the purchase offer [217]*217and lease for the Williams and for Ron-Jay, the principals of which were Ronald Skalko and Joseph Downs. It was a clear understanding of Furtch as attorney that the lease covered the inn and real estate which comprised Parcel No. 1, the 1953 purchase by the Williamses and that it was not intended to extend beyond it. Parcel No. 1 was contained in a separate deed, had a separate abstract, was taxed separately and was discussed by the parties as a distinct parcel. Furtch recalled no conversation with respect to parking.

The decision of the Trial Justice concludes that the lease between Williams and Ron-Jay by implication grants to Ron-Jay the right to use the blacktopped parking area of both Parcel No.

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Bluebook (online)
65 A.D.2d 213, 411 N.Y.S.2d 86, 1978 N.Y. App. Div. LEXIS 13410, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/williams-v-ron-jay-enterprises-inc-nyappdiv-1978.