Opinion
2012-12-27
William DUGAN, et al., Plaintiffs–Respondents, v. LONDON TERRACE GARDENS, L.P., Defendant–Appellant. James Doerr, etc., Plaintiff–Respondent, v. London Terrace Gardens, L.P., Defendant–Appellant.
Borah, Godlstein, Altschuler, Nahins & Goidel, P.C., New York (Robert D. Goldstein of counsel), for appellant. Emery Celli Brinckerhoff & Abady LLP, New York (Adam R. Pulver of counsel), for William Dugan, Masha D'Yans, Georgette Gagnon, Lowell D. Kern, Michael McCurdy, Jose Pelaez, Tracy Synder, Michael J. Walsh, Leslie M. Mack, and Anita Zitis, respondents.
Borah, Godlstein, Altschuler, Nahins & Goidel, P.C., New York (Robert D. Goldstein of counsel), for appellant. Emery Celli Brinckerhoff & Abady LLP, New York (Adam R. Pulver of counsel), for William Dugan, Masha D'Yans, Georgette Gagnon, Lowell D. Kern, Michael McCurdy, Jose Pelaez, Tracy Synder, Michael J. Walsh, Leslie M. Mack, and Anita Zitis, respondents.
Bernstein Liebhard LLP, New York (Gabriel G. Galletti of counsel), for James Doerr, respondent.
Order, Supreme Court, New York County (Lucy Billings, J.), entered June 21, 2011, which denied defendant's motion to dismiss these actions on the ground of primary jurisdiction or stay them pending resolution by the New York State Division of Housing and Community Renewal (DHCR), unanimously affirmed, with costs.
Supreme Court properly declined to cede primary jurisdiction of these actions to DHCR, since the actions raise legal issues, including class certification and applicable limitations periods, that should be addressed in the first instance by the courts ( Gerard v. Clermont York Assoc., LLC, 81 A.D.3d 497, 916 N.Y.S.2d 502 [1st Dept. 2011];see Staatsburg Water Co. v. Staatsburg Fire Dist., 72 N.Y.2d 147, 156, 531 N.Y.S.2d 876, 527 N.E.2d 754 [1988];Roberts v. Tishman Speyer Props., L.P., 13 N.Y.3d 270, 287, 890 N.Y.S.2d 388, 918 N.E.2d 900 [2009] ).