Opinion
14953 Index No. 650736/20 Case No. 2021–00661
01-04-2022
Bill COLEMAN, Plaintiff–Appellant, v. Kierin KIRBY professionally known as Lady Miss Kier et al., Defendants–Respondents, Towa Tei also known as Dong Hwa Chung, Defendant.
Gusrae Kaplan Nusbaum PLLC, New York (Kari Parks of counsel), for appellant. Reitler Kailas & Rosenblatt LLP, New York (Brian D. Caplan of counsel), for respondents.
Gusrae Kaplan Nusbaum PLLC, New York (Kari Parks of counsel), for appellant.
Reitler Kailas & Rosenblatt LLP, New York (Brian D. Caplan of counsel), for respondents.
Gische, J.P., Singh, Mendez, Shulman, Pitt, JJ.
Order, Supreme Court, New York County (Barry R. Ostrager, J.), entered January 27, 2021, which, to the extent appealed from, granted defendants’ motion to dismiss the first, second and fourth through eleventh causes of action, unanimously affirmed, without costs.
Supreme Court correctly dismissed plaintiff's claims for breach of the management agreement and breach of the co-management agreement. These agreements were separate contracts, as they had differing contracting parties, the management agreement made no reference to plaintiff or the co-management agreement. Nor did defendants have a direct obligation to plaintiff under either agreement (see Rudman v. Cowles Communications, Inc., 30 N.Y.2d 1, 13, 330 N.Y.S.2d 33, 280 N.E.2d 867 [1972] ; see also Schron v. Troutman Sanders LLP, 97 A.D.3d 87, 92–93, 945 N.Y.S.2d 25 [1st Dept. 2012], affd 20 N.Y.3d 430, 963 N.Y.S.2d 613, 986 N.E.2d 430 [2013] ). The court also correctly dismissed plaintiff's claims for breach of the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing under these agreements. These claims require a contractual obligation between the parties and, none exists here in either the management agreement or the co-management agreement ( Duration Mun. Fund, L.P. v. J.P. Morgan Sec., Inc., 77 A.D.3d 474, 474–475, 908 N.Y.S.2d 684 [1st Dept. 2010] ).
Plaintiff's claims for injunctive and declaratory relief fail because he has an adequate remedy at law in the form of monetary damages for breach of the finder's fee contract (see Law Offs. of Paul A. Chin, P.C. v. Seth A. Harris, PLLC, 159 A.D.3d 637, 639, 74 N.Y.S.3d 198 [1st Dept. 2018] ).
Plaintiff cannot assert claims for unjust enrichment, promissory estoppel, or money had and received against defendants as they are not parties to the co-management agreement, which is potentially a valid and enforceable agreement that governs plaintiff's commissions for his management services (see Scarola Ellis LLP v. Padeh, 116 A.D.3d 609, 611, 984 N.Y.S.2d 56 [1st Dept. 2014] ).
We have considered plaintiff's remaining arguments and find them unavailing.