Opinion
2021-50972
10-14-2021
33-39 East 60th Street LLC, c/o Sol Goldman Investments LLC, Petitioner-Landlord-Appellant, v. Michael Huston, Respondent-Tenant-Respondent, and Michael Bacle a/k/a Michael LeBacle, "John Doe" and "Jane Doe," Respondents-Undertenants.
Unpublished Opinion
MOTION DECISION
Landlord appeals from an amended final judgment of the Civil Court of the City of New York, New York County (Anne Katz, J.), entered October 3, 2019, after a nonjury trial, in favor of tenant dismissing the petition in a holdover summary proceeding.
PRESENT: Edmead, P.J., Brigantti, Hagler JJ.
PER CURIAM
Amended final judgment (Anne Katz, J.), entered October 3, 2019, affirmed, with $25 costs.
In this summary holdover proceeding to recover possession of a loft unit in an interim multiple dwelling on the ground that it had not been occupied as a primary residence (see 29 RCNY § 2-08.1), Civil Court determined, after a nonjury trial, that landlord failed to meet its burden to establish nonprimary residency by a preponderance of the evidence. We see no basis to disturb Civil Court's resolution of the issues of fact raised at the trial of this matter since it is "not obvious that the court's conclusions could not be reached under any fair interpretation of the evidence, especially when the findings of fact rest in large measure on considerations relating to the credibility of witnesses" (Claridge Gardens v Menotti, 160 A.D.2d 544, 545 [1990]). The testimonial and documentary evidence, fairly interpreted, supports a finding that the tenant maintained a substantial, physical nexus to the apartment for actual living purposes which is reflected on most of his important documents, such as his driver's license, voter registration, tax, banking and Social Security records, and that his temporary absences from the apartment, including a lengthy hospitalization, were excusable (see 542 E. 14th St. LLC v Lee, 66 A.D.3d 18 [2009]).
Even assuming that the Court erred in limiting the temporal scope of the trial evidence to the "2014 calendar year," any such error does not require reversal in the particular circumstances of this case. Tenant was a statutory tenant and no particular lease renewal term was in effect. Nevertheless, landlord obtained broad discovery for the two-year period prior to the June 30, 2015 termination of the tenancy, and was in possession of its own video surveillance of tenant's comings and goings from the premises. However, when the court requested the submission of papers regarding its decision to limit the temporal scope of evidence, landlord did not make any offer of proof at that time (or thereafter) regarding evidence outside the calendar year 2014 that would affect the outcome of the case (see 184-188 Claremont Invs., LLC v Nelson, 46 Misc.3d 148 [A], 2015 NY Slip Op 50235[U] [App Term, 1st Dept 2015]).