Opinion
57 Index No. 162432/19 Case No. 2022–05258
04-18-2023
BOARD OF MANAGERS OF PETIT VERDOT CONDOMINIUM, Plaintiff–Appellant, v. 732–734 WEA, LLC, et al., Defendants–Respondents.
Leech Tishman Robinson Brog, PLLC, New York (David Abramovitz of counsel), for appellant. Abrams Garfinkel Margolis Bergson, LLP, New York (Andrew W. Gefell of counsel), for respondents.
Leech Tishman Robinson Brog, PLLC, New York (David Abramovitz of counsel), for appellant.
Abrams Garfinkel Margolis Bergson, LLP, New York (Andrew W. Gefell of counsel), for respondents.
Kapnick, J.P., Moulton, Kennedy, Mendez, Pitt–Burke, JJ.
Order, Supreme Court, New York County (Shlomo S. Hagler, J.), entered October 7, 2022, which, to the extent appealed from as limited by the briefs, granted defendants' motion to dismiss the cause of action for breach of contract (the second cause of action) as against defendants Carter Sackman and James Hefelfinger, unanimously affirmed, without costs.
Plaintiff's breach of contract claim against Sackman and Hefelfinger, principals of the condominium sponsor, was properly dismissed because a private litigant "may not pursue a common-law cause of action where the claim is predicated solely on a violation of the Martin Act [(General Business Law art 23–A, § 352–e)] or its implementing regulation [( 13 NYCRR § 20.4 [b]), as is the case herein] and would not exist but for the statute" ( Assured Guar. [UK] Ltd. v. J.P. Morgan Inv. Mgt. Inc., 18 N.Y.3d 341, 353, 939 N.Y.S.2d 274, 962 N.E.2d 765 [2011] ; see also Board of Mgrs. of Bayard Views Condominium v. FPG Bayard, LLC, 187 A.D.3d 697, 699–700, 132 N.Y.S.3d 150 [2d Dept. 2020] ; Board of Mgrs. of 184 Thompson St. Condominium v. 184 Thompson St. Owner LLC, 106 A.D.3d 542, 544, 965 N.Y.S.2d 114 [1st Dept. 2013] ).