Opinion
No. 4622.
March 24, 2011.
Judgment, Supreme Court, New York County (Jane S. Solomon, J), entered December 11, 2009, dismissing the complaint and awarding defendant the principal sum of $142,800 upon its counterclaim, unanimously modified, on the law, to vacate the damages award and dismiss the counterclaim, and otherwise affirmed, without costs.
Cheifetz Iannitelli Marcolini, P.C., New York (Claudio E. Iannitelli, a member of the bar of the State of Arizona admitted pro hac vice of counsel), for appellant.
Steven C. Moore, Bloomington MN, a member of the bar of the State of Minnesota admitted pro hac vice, for respondent.
Before: Gonzalez, P.J., Catterson, Richter, Abdus-Salaam and Román, JJ.
Plaintiff's failure to provide a working tri-vision billboard constituted a material breach of the parties' contracts; thus, defendant was excused from performing its contractual payment obligations ( NAS Elecs., Inc. v Transtech Elecs. PTE Ltd., 262 F Supp 2d 134, 145 [SD NY 2003]). Plaintiffs unequivocal statement that it was going to convert the trivision billboard to a standard billboard, making clear that it did not intend to perform under the parties' 2005 and 2006 contracts, constituted an anticipatory breach of those contracts ( see Rachmani Corp. v 9 E. 96th St. Apt. Corp., 211 AD2d 262, 266-267).
However, since defendant failed to present any evidence of damages resulting from the breach, it should not have been awarded any damages; indeed, the counterclaim should have been dismissed ( Lexington 360 Assoc. v First Union Natl. Bank of N. Carolina, 234 AD2d 187, 190; StoreRunner Network, Inc. v CBS Corp., 8 AD3d 127, 128).
We have considered plaintiffs remaining contentions and find them without merit.
[Prior Case History: 25 Misc 3d 1230 (A), 2009 NY Slip Op 52346(U).]