Owner of SRO Denied Certificate

Owner of Manhattan brownstone sought to convert a single room occupancy building. Nicole and Clinton Simpson own a single non-occupancy building located at 107 West 122nd Street in Manhattan. The Simpsons purchased the building in September 2016 from the prior owner, who had owned the building from 2007-2016. The Simpsons applied to the Department of Housing Preservation and Development for a certificate of no harassment, a requirement which must be satisfied before the owner … <Read More>


Claim based on verbal request denied

Construction Company sought additional compensation related to the reconstruction of Washington Square Park. In May 2015, the Parks Department contracted with SH5 Construction Corp. to reconstruct perimeter sidewalks around Washington Square Park, Manhattan. SH5 alleged a Parks employee gave it verbal instructions to install a straight curb instead of a drop curb at the north side of the park between 5th Avenue and University Place.


Sixth Unit Triggered Rent Laws

Owner of a five family house added unit intended for residential use. Nicolae Gogarnow, the owner of a five family house in Queens, lived on the first floor of the house. The house had five residential units, a commercial space that partially occupied the first floor, and an additional unoccupied space on the first floor.  Owner Gogarnow filed a petition to evict one of the tenants, Rosalia Silvia. Silvia defended by claiming that she had … <Read More>


No Notice Required for Pothole Injury

Police officers were injured when their car struck a pothole that had been repaired by the City. On September 7, 2011, at about 12:40 a.m., while on patrol, two New York City police officers sustained personal injuries when their vehicle’s tire fell into a roadway hole located in the northbound lane of Saint Nicholas Avenue between 124th Street and 125th Street. 


Tenant Wins New Lower Base Rent

State used sampling method to set new base rent for studio improperly deregulated under luxury decontrol. The owner of a rental building at 160 East 84th Street, Manhattan, took advantage of the luxury decontrol provisions of the Rent Stabilization Law to deregulate a studio apartment. Subsequently, the New York Court of Appeals ruled that buildings like 160 East 84th Street were ineligible to take advantage of luxury decontrol because the building was also … <Read More>


Extra Payment for Repair Work Denied

Contractor sought compensation for repairing damages caused during an additional work contract. In 2009, Sanitation entered into a $161 million contract with Prismatic Development Corporation to improve the North Shore Marine Transfer Station in Queens.  Prismatic, following Sanitation’s plans and specifications, installed a new deck and concrete overlay on the Transfer Station’s exterior ramp.  The concrete overlay later developed extensive cracking.  Sanitation conceded that an error in the design documents provided by Sanitation to Prismatic … <Read More>