Ridgewood Sav. Bank v New Line Realty VI Corp.
Annotate this CaseDecided on June 8, 2009
Supreme Court, Bronx County
Ridgewood Savings Bank, Plaintiff(s),
against
New Line Realty VI Corp.; 2315 MOON LCC; STATE OF NEW YORK DEPARTMENT OF TAXATION AND FINANCE; CITY OF NEW YORK DEPARTMENT OF FINANCE; CITY OF NEW YORK ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL BOARD; IRINA ROVINSKY; YOLANDA RIVERA; "JOHN DOE NO. 1" TO "JOHN DOE NO. XXX." inclusive, the last thirty names being fictitious and unknown to plaintiff, the persons or parties intended being the tenants occupants, persons or corporations, if any, having or claiming an interest in or lien upon the premises described in the complaint, Defendant(s).
380538/09
Nelson Roman, J.
Plaintiff, Ridgewood Savings Bank (Ridgewood), moves, by Order to Show Cause (OSC), an Order directing the appointment of a receiver during the instant mortgage foreclosure of the premises known as 2315 Walton Avenue, Bronx, New York. Plaintiff contends that pursuant to the terms of the mortgage instrument the appointment of a receiver is warranted. In particular, Ridgewood avers that the Mortgage Consolidation, Modification and Security Agreement (Consolidation Agreement) provides for a receiver appointment in the event of a default upon the terms of the mortgage. Such default includes failure to make monthly timely installment payments. Defendant, 2315 Moon LLC (Moon), opposes plaintiff's application and argues that the mortgage agreement between the parties does not mandate the appointment of a receiver. In addition, defendant contends that the clause in the Consolidation Agreement, upon which plaintiff relies, is inconsistent with New York Real Property Law § 254(10) and therefore warrants the denial of the instant motion. In the alternative, defendant appeals to the court on equitable grounds.
For the following reasons, plaintiff, Ridgewood's, Motion for the appointment of a receiver is granted.
The moving papers reveal the following information. The instant action involves a mortgage
foreclosure action. Plaintiff seeks the appointment of a receiver during the pendency of the
litigation. Defendant, Moon, is the title holder to the premises known as 2315 Walton Avenue,
Bronx, New York (property). Defendant, Moon, acquired the deed to the property from
co-defendant, New Line Realty VI Corp. (New Line), pursuant to a conveyance, on or about
January 1, 2007. On January 5, 2007, co-defendant, New Line, executed the mortgage
Consolidation [*2]Agreement, subjecting the property to a
secured lien. The Consolidation Agreement combined two previous mortgages into one single
loan for a principal amount of $2,300,000.00. On or about November 20, 2007, NY Affordable
Housing Walton Associates, LLC purchased defendant, Moon.
Plaintiff commenced the underlying mortgage foreclosure action on or about March
25, 2009 against all named defendants. Thereafter, plaintiff filed the instant application seeking
the appointment of receiver. In its Affidavit of Exigent Circumstances, plaintiff asserts, inter
alia, that defendants defaulted on a contractual obligation to make timely payments,
inclusive of principal, interest and other sums associated with the mortgage, since December of
2008. Defendant, Moon, in its Affirmation, opposing plaintiff's motion, affirms this fact, stating
that "2315 Moon LLC was not able to make the mortgage payments to Ridgewood Savings Bank
during the months of January through May, 2009."
The Law and the Appointment of a Receiver
In motions to the court requesting the appointment of a receiver, it must be
determined whether New York Real Property Law § 254(10) or Civil Practice
Law and Rules § 6401 applies. CPLR § 6401(a) provides for the
appointment of a receiver when "there is danger that the property will be removed...lost,
materially injured or destroyed." In mortgage foreclosure actions when the mortgage "contains
no provision authorizing the appointment of a receiver...the application [is] entirely governed by
CPLR § 6401". First Nat. Bank of Glen Falls v. Caputo, 124 AD2d 417
(A.D. 3 Dept., 1986). However, when a receiver agreement exists between the parties RPL
Law § 254(10) applies. Febbraro v. Febbraro, 70 A.D. 584, 585 (A.D. 2 Dept.,
1979); See Citibank, N.A. v. Nyland (CF8) Ltd., 839 F.2d 93, 97 (C.A. 2 (NY) 1988);
F.D.I.C. v. Vermont Real Estate Investments, Ltd., 798 F. Supp. 1009, 1012 (S.D.NY,
1992).
In relevant part, RPL Law § 254(10) provides that:
"(i)n mortgages of real property. . .the following or similar clauses and covenants
must be construed as follows:...A covenant that the holder of this mortgage, in any action to
foreclose it, shall be entitled to the appointment of a receiver,' must be construed as meaning that
the mortgagee...in any action to foreclose the mortgage, shall be entitled, without notice and
without regard to adequacy of any security of the debt, to the appointment of a receiver...in the
event of any default or defaults in paying the principal, interest, taxes..."
It is a well-established principle of law that even where "covenants in mortgages by
their terms purport to give an absolute right to the appointment of a receiver, the propriety of
such [an] appointment rests in the sound discretion of the Court." Blair v. Donlon, 51
NYS2d 921, 922 (1944). See F.D.I.C., 798 F. Supp. at 1012; Ardeb Realty Corp. v.
East Estates, Inc., 12 Misc 2d 167, 167-68 (1957). The appointment of a receiver, even when
"the mortgage contains a clause in so many words...does not require the court to appoint a
receiver in an action to foreclose the mortgage". Chatham-Phenix Nat. Bank & Trust Co. v.
Hotel Park-Central, 146 Misc. 208, 210 (1931); See New York Bldg. Loan Co. v.
Begly, 75 A.D. 308 (A.D. 2 Dept., 1902); Fletcher v. Krupp, 35 A.D. 586, 588 (A.D.
1 Dept., 1898); Browning v. Sire, 33 Misc. Rep. 503 (1900). A "receivership clause
irrevocably consenting to the appointment of a receiver is not binding upon the court." [*3]Chatham-Phenix Nat. Bank & Trust Co., 146 Misc. at 209.
Consequently, it is within the purview of the court to deny the appointment of a
receiver, vacate a previous receiver appointment, or limit a receiver's power. Friedman v.
Gerax Realty Associates, 100 Misc 2d. 820, 821 (1979). See Chatham-Phenix Nat'l Bank
& Trust Co. v. Hotel Park-Central Inc., 146 Misc. 208 (1931)(Court determined that receiver
was unnecessary and denied Order even though mortgage agreement had receiver clause). The
court, pursuant to its discretionary power, may "deny or vacate the appointment of a receiver
under appropriate circumstances". Naar v. I.J. Litwak & Co., Inc., 260 AD2d. 613, 614
(A.D. 2 Dept. 1999); See Clinton Capital Corp. v. One Tiffany Place Developers, 112
AD2d 911 (A.D. 2 Dept., 1985). Courts even have the discretionary power to deny the
appointment of a receiver when the mortgage contains a contractual receiver clause.
Friedman, 100 Misc 2d. at 821-22.
Discussion
Receivers are appointed either pursuant to RPL § 254(10) or
CPLR § 6401. While defendant, Moon, alleges that RPL § 254(10) is
inapplicable because the receiver clause of the Consolidation Agreement, § 2.2(viii), is not
identical to the standard language contained in RPL § 254(10), defendant fails to
appreciate that RPL § 254(10) does not require verbatim language. Rather, RPL
§ 254(10) states that mortgage agreements containing "similar clauses and covenants",
will be construed as designated in RPL § 254(10).
It is well settled that if parties:
"desire to contract with each other in a manner different from that stated in the
statute. They can, by apt language, readily evince such a contrary intention. If they fail to do so,
that is, use language upon which a statutory interpretation has been placed, then the instrument
should not be construed to evince an intention contrary to the statutory construction."
Seligman v. Burg, 233 A.D. 221, 224 (A.D. 2 Dept., 1931).
The Consolidation Agreement §2.2(viii) states that upon an event of default,
plaintiff, Ridgewood, may apply for the appointment of a receiver, without notice and without
regard for the adequacy of the security for the debt. In comparison, RPL § 254(10)
reads that a mortgagee "shall be entitled to the appointment of a receiver" with instructions to
construe the language as allowing the appointment to be done "without notice and without regard
to adequacy of any security of the debt".
When interpreting statutes, courts follow the "plain language" application of words.
See Parkattan Corp. v. Coster, 87 NYS2d 795, 797(1949)(principle that plain language
may not be overridden to avoid an undesirable result in a particular application of the law);
General Acc. Fire & Life Assur. Corp. v. Martino, 12 Misc 2d 935 (1958)(when
language is plain and clear there is no need to resort to other means of interpretation). Therefore,
a "plain language" reading of RPL § 254(10) and the Consolidation Agreement
reveals the clauses and covenants of the parties' agreement to be similar to the standard language
of RPL § 254(10).
Furthermore, Seligman, 233 A.D. at 224, states that if parties intend to not
be controlled by [*4]the statutory construction of RPL §
254(10), the parties need to readily evince their intention through "apt language". However,
no such affirmative language exists in the Consolidation Agreement. Accordingly, the parties'
failure to make such an intention readily recognizable means that the court must construe the
language in the agreement in a manner that is not contrary to ordinary statutory constructions.
Id. at 224. Thus, it is the court's determination that § 2.2(viii) of the Consolidation
Agreement is similar to the language of RPL § 254(10) and should be construed in
accordance therewith.
With regards to the use of the court's discretionary powers, defendant, Moon, contends that
the court should deny plaintiff's Order for the appointment of a receiver on equity grounds. The
appointment of a receiver is viewed as a "drastic remedy", which may add unnecessary costs to
litigation proceedings. S.Z.B. Corp. v. Jacob Ruth et al., 14 AD2d. 678 (A.D. 1 Dept.,
1961); See also First Nat'l Bank v. Caputo, 124 AD2d 417, 418 (A.D. 2 Dept., 1986);
Groh v. Halloran, 86 AD2d 3034 (A.D. 1 Dept., 1982). Receivers should be appointed to
protect the interests of the parties, including protection from irreparable loss. Id.; See
also Societe Generale v. Charles & Co. Acquisition, Inc., 157 Misc 2d 643 (1993), citing
Eastbank N.A. v. Malneut Realty Corp., 180 AD2d 442 (A.D. 1 Dept., 1992).
Courts appoint receivers when necessary for the security and protection of the
mortgage. Chatham-Phenix Nat'l Bank & Trust Co., 146 Misc at 210. In
Chatham-Phenix Nat'l Bank & Trust Co. v. Hotel Park-Central, 146 Misc at 208,
defendant opposed plaintiff's motion for the appointment of a receiver as unnecessary and
detrimental to the best interest of the parties. In its moving papers, plaintiff stated that a
reorganization plan between the parties was almost complete. Id. The court noted that the
plaintiff's "moving papers fails to disclose that a receivership will or can achieve anything which
the reorganization plan cannot accomplish." Id. at 209. Accordingly, the court concluded
that equity justified the denial of a receivership because the appointment appeared unnecessary,
duplicative of action already taken, and, in fact, could result in "appreciable and irreparable
mischief." Id. at 209. In contrast to Chatham-Phenix Nat'l Bank & Trust Co., the
present action contains no agreement or plan between the parties that could serve as an
alternative to a receiver.
Additionally, in W.I.M. Corp. v. Cipulo, 216 A.D. 46, 49-50 (A.D. 1 Dept.,
1926), the Supreme Court of New York, Appellate Division, reversed a lower court's grant of
receivership when plaintiff's moving papers alleged that only $600.00 in repairs were needed to
the property-at-issue and proffered only "very meager proof" as to the poor condition of the
building. Moreover, when deciding that the appointment of a receiver was unjustified the court
noted that the circumstances of the underlying mortgage foreclosure "arouse[d] the suspicion [of
the court] that the plaintiff had some ulterior motive" for instituting the proceeding. Id. at
51. However, in the motion at bar, plaintiff notes that the property at 2315 Walton Avenue went
from a building with a 97% occupancy rate that was being renovated to a tenancy with
improperly maintained plumbing that suffered from water damage, mold, lead paint, and 238
open Department of Housing Violations.
Although an "automatic entitlement to a receiver [does not] exist, [the court] shall
not deny the appointment of a receiver unless the circumstances require us to as a matter of
equity." F.D.I.C. v. Vernon Real Estate Investments, Ltd., 798 F. Supp. 1009, 1012
(S.D.NY 1992). In the present [*5]action, defendant has failed to
assert equitable grounds upon which the court could justify denying plaintiff's application for
receiver. In its moving papers, defendant, Moon, makes only a blanket statement that a receiver
would be detrimental to both parties. In support of this contention, defendant merely states that
relationships are already established between defendant and the tenants of the property-at-issue,
which the receiver will have to cultivate anew. Additionally, defendant points to the cost of a
receiver to support its opposition. However, no case law or statutory authority is offered to
demonstrate that the inherent cost of a receiver is an equitable ground upon which to deny such
appointment.
Thus, plaintiff's motion for an order granting the appointment of a receiver must be
granted because defendant does not provide sufficient grounds to justify the court's discretionary
denial of receiver.
Conclusion
Based on the foregoing, it is the court's determination that pursuant to the terms
of the mortgage agreement and RPL § 254(10) plaintiff has established entitlement
to the appointment of a receiver during the pendency of the instant mortgage foreclosure
proceeding. Thus, it is hereby
ORDERED that plaintiff's application for the appointment of a receiver is
granted; it is further
ORDERED that Andrew Kulak, Esq. of Kulak & Zaslowsky located at 401
Broadway, Ste 400, New York, NY 10013, Tel. No. 212-219-2600, be hereby appointed
receiver; it is further
ORDERED that plaintiff serve a copy of this decision and order, with
notice of entry, upon all parties via certified mail within 21 days hereof.
This constitutes the court's decision and order.
Date:June 8, 2009Hon. _________________________
NELSON ROMAN, J.S.C.
Some case metadata and case summaries were written with the help of AI, which can produce inaccuracies. You should read the full case before relying on it for legal research purposes.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.