Opinion
12562 Index No. 100718/16 Case No. 2019-03508
12-08-2020
Evelyn RODRIGUEZ, Plaintiff–Respondent, v. Joseph KALATA et al., Defendants–Appellants.
Michael J. Good, Brooklyn, for appellants. Michael Stepper, New York, for respondent.
Michael J. Good, Brooklyn, for appellants.
Michael Stepper, New York, for respondent.
Acosta, P.J., Gische, Oing, Gonza´lez, Kennedy, JJ.
Judgment, Supreme Court, New York County (Barbara Jaffe, J.), entered August 6, 2019, which awarded plaintiff compensatory damages and treble damages, plus prejudgment interest thereon, unanimously modified, on the law, to vacate the award of prejudgment interest, and, as so modified, affirmed, without costs.
Having been awarded treble damages, plaintiff is not entitled to prejudgment interest ( Grady v. Hessert Realty L.P., 178 A.D.3d 401, 405, 113 N.Y.S.3d 698 [1st Dept. 2019], citing Mohassel v. Fenwick, 5 N.Y.3d 44, 50, 799 N.Y.S.2d 758, 832 N.E.2d 1174 [2005] ).
Defendants' evidentiary arguments and arguments based on Matter of Regina Metro. Co., LLC v. New York State Div. of Hous. & Community Renewal, 35 N.Y.3d 332, 130 N.Y.S.3d 759, 154 N.E.3d 972 (2020) are foreclosed by the collateral estoppel effect given to a determination by the Division of Housing and Community Renewal that set the legal regulated rent (see Rodriguez v. Kalata, 173 A.D.3d 554, 100 N.Y.S.3d 518 [1st Dept. 2019] ), and are otherwise beyond the scope of the remand ordered in the prior appeal in this case (see id. ; Wiener v. Wiener, 10 A.D.3d 362, 363, 780 N.Y.S.2d 759 [2d Dept. 2004] ).