Firm Update No. 2026-16本所动态 2026-16 号
Pending: Defending a Restaurant Tenant and Its Guarantors Against a Multimillion-Dollar Lease Claim, With Counterclaims for the Landlord’s Failures审理中：为餐馆租户及其担保人应对数百万美元的租约索赔，并就业主的违约提出反请求
- Practice领域
- Civil Litigation民事诉讼
- Jurisdiction管辖
- Supreme Court, New York County, Commercial Division纽约州最高法院曼哈顿分院商事庭
- Our role本所角色
- Counsel to the restaurant tenant and its guarantors餐馆租户及其担保人律师
- Status进展
- Pending; partial dismissal denied May 2026; answer with counterclaims July 2026; in discovery, compliance conference Dec. 2, 2026审理中；部分驳回动议于2026年5月被拒；2026年7月提交答辩及反请求；证据开示中，合规会议定于2026年12月2日
IFacts事实
A Manhattan landlord sued a restaurant tenant and two individual guarantors in the Commercial Division for close to $3 million under the lease and guaranties. The restaurant had lost gas service after a fire in the building years earlier.曼哈顿一名业主在商事庭依租约及担保起诉一家餐馆租户及两名个人担保人，索赔近300万美元。该餐馆多年前因大楼火灾失去燃气供应。
IIPleadings诉辩文书
Landlord's complaint (June 2025). The landlord sued the restaurant tenant and two individual limited guarantors for unpaid rent and charges under a 2015 lease, a 2015 limited guaranty and a 2019 lease modification, following a 14-day rent notice served in November 2023.业主起诉状（2025年6月）。业主依据2015年租约、2015年有限担保及2019年租约修订，并在2023年11月送达14日催租通知后，起诉餐馆租户及两名个人有限担保人，追讨欠付租金及费用。
Amended complaint (July 13, 2026). After the lease expired, the landlord added a claim for holdover use and occupancy at two and a half times the rent under the lease's holdover clause, plus water charges, bringing its total claim close to $3 million.修订起诉状（2026年7月13日）。租约到期后，业主依租约逾期占用条款，增加按租金二点五倍计算的逾期使用占用费请求及水费，请求总额接近300万美元。
Defendants' verified answer to the amended complaint (July 15, 2026). Fifteen affirmative defenses, including payment (with insurance proceeds); accord and satisfaction and a performed modification of the rent, under which reduced monthly payments were made and accepted from February 2021; waiver and estoppel; abatement under the lease's casualty clause, because a July 2018 fire closed the restaurant and gas service was not restored until about January 2021; overstated and duplicative charges; that the holdover multiplier is an unenforceable penalty; the effect of the June 2026 Civil Court settlement; insurance setoff and no double recovery; the landlord's prior breach; the limits and discharge of the guaranties; conditions precedent; and the statute of limitations.被告对修订起诉状的宣誓答辩（2026年7月15日）。共提出十五项积极抗辩，包括：已付款（含保险赔款）；和解清偿及已履行的租金变更，即自2021年2月起以减额月付方式付款并被接受；弃权及禁反言；依租约意外事故条款减免租金，因2018年7月火灾致餐馆停业，燃气至约2021年1月方恢复；费用多算及重复计算；逾期占用倍数属不可执行的罚金；2026年6月民事法院和解的效力；保险抵销及不得双重受偿；业主先违约；担保的范围限制及解除；先决条件；以及诉讼时效。
Counterclaims. Five: a declaratory judgment on the parties' obligations; breach of the landlord's obligations to restore gas and building services, with lost profits for the closure period; reimbursement of the restoration and equipment costs the tenant bore; indemnity for the tenant's costs of defending the fire litigation; and unjust enrichment. The landlord replied to the counterclaims on July 20, 2026.反请求。共五项：就双方权利义务作出确认判决；业主违反恢复燃气及楼宇服务义务，赔偿停业期间的利润损失；偿还租户承担的修复及设备费用；补偿租户就火灾诉讼支出的抗辩费用；以及不当得利。业主于2026年7月20日对反请求作出答复。
IIIMotions and Court Orders动议及法院裁定
Defendants' pre-answer motion for partial dismissal, Mot. Seq. 001 (August 15, 2025). The firm moved under CPLR 3211(a)(1), (5), (7) and (10), arguing documentary evidence, the statute of limitations, failure to state a claim, and the absence of necessary parties (the insurers and the utility). The motion was fully briefed in October 2025; the landlord asked to file a sur-reply and the firm opposed.被告答辩前部分驳回动议（第001号动议，2025年8月15日）。本所依据CPLR第3211(a)(1)、(5)、(7)及(10)条提出，理由分别为书面证据、诉讼时效、未陈述诉因及缺少必要当事人（保险公司及公用事业公司）。该动议于2025年10月完成书状交换；业主申请提交再答复，本所提出反对。
Decision and order, May 26, 2026. The court denied the motion. It held that the written acknowledgment of the arrears in the 2019 modification restarted the limitations period under General Obligations Law § 17-101; that the fire-abatement clause raises fact issues that cannot be decided on the papers in light of the lease's no-abatement clause; that the lease's non-waiver clause defeats waiver at this stage; that frustration of purpose does not apply; and that the insurers and the utility are not necessary parties. The defendants then answered the amended complaint with the counterclaims described above.2026年5月26日裁定。法院驳回该动议，认定：2019年修订协议中对欠款的书面确认依《一般义务法》第17-101条使诉讼时效重新起算；鉴于租约中的不减免条款，火灾减免条款涉及事实争议，无法仅凭书面材料裁决；租约的不弃权条款使弃权抗辩在此阶段不能成立；目的落空原则不适用；保险公司及公用事业公司并非必要当事人。被告随后对修订起诉状提交了上述载有反请求的答辩。
Related holdover proceeding, Civil Court, New York County. After the lease expired, the landlord brought a holdover proceeding in January 2026. The firm came into that case after a missed first appearance and prevented a default. Its motion to dismiss for improper service was denied on March 3, 2026, and its motion to stay the holdover pending this Supreme Court action was denied in April 2026, as was the landlord's cross-motion for summary judgment. On the trial date, June 17, 2026, the parties resolved the holdover by a so-ordered stipulation with a judgment of possession. The stipulation left all money claims, including use and occupancy through July 20, 2026, to this action, and reserved all rights, claims and defenses.相关的逾期占用收房程序（纽约县民事法院）。租约到期后，业主于2026年1月提起收房程序。本所在租户首次未出庭后接手，避免了缺席判决。本所以送达不当为由提出的驳回动议于2026年3月3日被驳回；本所申请在本最高法院诉讼审结前中止收房程序的动议于2026年4月被驳回，业主的简易判决交叉动议亦被驳回。2026年6月17日开庭当天，双方以经法院批准的和解协议结案，并作出收房判决。该和解将包括截至2026年7月20日使用占用费在内的全部金钱请求留待本案处理，并保留双方全部权利、请求及抗辩。
Discovery orders and demands. The preliminary conference order was so-ordered on August 21, 2026. Both sides served discovery demands and demands for bills of particulars on August 26, 2026. The landlord responded and produced documents in October 2026. The firm served a deficiency letter under 22 NYCRR 202.20-f on October 30, 2026, and the parties have proposed a stipulation to extend the note-of-issue date.证据开示裁定及要求。初步会议裁定于2026年8月21日经法院批准。双方于2026年8月26日互相送达证据开示要求及明细要求。业主于2026年10月作出答复并提交文件。本所于2026年10月30日依22 NYCRR 202.20-f送达缺陷函，双方已拟议延长开庭登记期限的协议。
IVQuestion Presented争议问题
What defenses and claims do a commercial tenant and its guarantors have when the landlord’s own failures disrupted the business?业主自身的违约扰乱经营时，商业租户及其担保人有哪些抗辩及请求？
VRelevant Law相关法律
Cooperatieve Centrale Raiffeisen-Boerenleenbank, B.A. v. Navarro, 25 N.Y.3d 485 (2015): absolute and unconditional guaranty; waiver of defenses; enforcement according to termsCooperatieve Centrale Raiffeisen-Boerenleenbank, B.A. v. Navarro, 25 N.Y.3d 485 (2015)：绝对无条件担保；抗辩权放弃；依约执行
Barash v. Pennsylvania Terminal Real Estate Corp., 26 N.Y.2d 77 (1970): covenant of quiet enjoyment; actual eviction; constructive eviction; rent abatementBarash v. Pennsylvania Terminal Real Estate Corp., 26 N.Y.2d 77 (1970)：安宁享用承诺；实际驱逐；推定驱逐；租金减免
CPLR 3019: counterclaim; cross-claim; joinder of claimsCPLR 3019：反诉；交叉请求；请求合并
N.Y. Gen. Oblig. Law §§ 15-301, 17-101: no-oral-modification clause; written modification; written acknowledgment of debtN.Y. Gen. Oblig. Law §§ 15-301, 17-101：禁止口头修改条款；书面修改；书面债务确认
Rose v. Spa Realty Assocs., 42 N.Y.2d 338 (1977): oral modification; partial performance; equitable estoppelRose v. Spa Realty Assocs., 42 N.Y.2d 338 (1977)：口头修改；部分履行；衡平禁反言
Truck Rent-A-Center, Inc. v. Puritan Farms 2nd, Inc., 41 N.Y.2d 420 (1977): liquidated damages; unenforceable penalty; reasonable proportion to probable lossTruck Rent-A-Center, Inc. v. Puritan Farms 2nd, Inc., 41 N.Y.2d 420 (1977)：约定违约金；不可执行的惩罚性条款；与可能损失合理相称
CPLR 3211(a)(1), (5), (7), (10): pre-answer motion to dismiss; documentary evidence; release and statute of limitations; failure to state a cause of action; necessary partyCPLR 3211(a)(1), (5), (7), (10)：答辩前驳回动议；书面证据；免责与诉讼时效；未陈述诉因；必要当事人
VICurrent Stage当前阶段
The case is in discovery in the Commercial Division. A compliance conference is set for December 2, 2026, and under the preliminary conference order the note of issue is due December 15, 2026 unless the court approves the proposed extension. No judgment has been entered against the tenant or the guarantors.案件正在商事庭进行证据开示。合规会议定于2026年12月2日；依初步会议裁定，除非法院批准拟议的延期，开庭登记须于2026年12月15日前提交。目前未对租户或担保人作出任何判决。
Open issues. Casualty abatement and the no-abatement clause; oral modification, partial performance and General Obligations Law § 15-301; liquidated damages versus penalty in the holdover multiplier; scope and discharge of limited guaranties; constructive eviction, breach of the covenant of quiet enjoyment and lost profits; insurance setoff and double recovery.待决问题。意外事故租金减免与不减免条款；口头变更、部分履行及《一般义务法》第15-301条；逾期占用倍数属约定违约金抑或罚金；有限担保的范围及解除；推定驱逐、违反安宁享用义务及利润损失；保险抵销及双重受偿。
Client details are withheld to protect confidentiality. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.为保护客户隐私，相关信息已隐去。过往结果不保证类似案件的结果。