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PLAINTIFF RAISED QUESTIONS OF FACT ABOUT THE EXISTENCE OF AN AGREEMENT WITH DEFENDANT ABOUT EACH HAVING 50% OWNERSHIP OF TWO RESTAURANTS; DEFENDANT USED THE RESOURCES FROM THOSE RESTAURANTS TO OPEN A THIRD; PLAINTIFF’S CONSTRUCTIVE TRUST AND UNJUST ENRICHMENT CAUSES OF ACTION SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN DISMISSED (SECOND DEPT).

The Second Department, reversing Supreme Court, determined plaintiff, in her affidavit, had raised questions of fact about the existence of a constructive trust and whether defendant was unjustly enriched. Plaintiff and defendant were in a romantic relationship. Plaintiff alleged she and defendant agreed two restaurants would be jointly owned but would be in defendant’s name for tax purposes. After the relationship ended, defendant had used the resources from the two restaurants to open a third:

“To prove unjust enrichment, a party must show that the other party was enriched at his or her expense, and it is against equity and good conscience to permit that person to retain what is sought to be recovered” … . In order to impose a constructive trust, a litigant is generally required to establish four elements by clear and convincing evidence: “(1) a fiduciary or confidential relationship; (2) an express or implied promise; (3) a transfer in reliance on the promise; and (4) unjust enrichment” … . However, the four “elements . . . serve only as a guideline, and a constructive trust may still be imposed . . . provided that those factors are substantially present” … . Further, there is no requirement that the alleged promise be expressly stated; rather, “a promise may be implied or inferred from the very transaction itself” … . Courts have also “extended the transfer element to include instances where funds, time and effort were contributed in reliance on a promise to share in some interest in property, even though no transfer actually occurred” … . Canas v Oshiro, 2023 NY Slip Op 05585, Second Dept 11-8-23

Practice Point: Here plaintiff and defendant were in a romantic (i.e., a confidential) relationship. The alleged oral agreement that they each had a 50% interest in two restaurants supported plaintiff’s action for constructive trust and unjust enrichment based upon defendant’s using the resources from the restaurants to open a third.

 

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