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Class Certification in Landlord-Tenant Action Upheld

The First Department upheld Supreme Court’s grant of class certification in an action alleging defendant landlord charged market rents while accepting J-51 [tax incentive] benefits.  The First Department wrote:

The issues of when defendant received J-51 benefits, whether defendant deregulated apartments while receiving those benefits, which tenants resided in those apartments during those time periods, and whether defendant wrongfully charged market rents while accepting J-51 benefits are common issues that “predominate,” thereby meeting the commonality requirement of CPLR 902(a)(2)… . The need to conduct individualized damages inquiries does not obviate the utility of the class mechanism for this action, given the predominant common issues of liability … .

Defendant’s counterclaim for rent arrears does not cause plaintiff to be an atypical member of the class. Her claim is typical of the claims of all class members in that each flows from defendant’s alleged unlawful deregulation of apartments while receiving J-51 benefits … . “[T]hat the underlying facts of each individual plaintiff’s claim vary, or that [defendant’s] defenses vary, does not preclude class certification” …. Defendant’s counterclaim does not materially add to the complexity or difficulty of resolving plaintiff’s individual claim, and defendant’s suggestion that plaintiff might be inclined to settle her case to evade liability on the counterclaim is speculative.  Bordern v 400 East 55th Street Associates, LP, 2013 NY Slip Op 02815, 1st Dept, 4-25-13

 

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