THE TENANT MADE GOOD FAITH EFFORTS TO CURE THE DEFAULTS CITED BY THE LANDLORD AND WAS ENTITLED TO A YELLOWSTONE INJUNCTION TOLLING TENANT’S TIME TO CURE (FIRST DEPT).
The First Department, in a full-fledged opinion by Justice Gonzalez, determined the tenant liquor-store had made good faith efforts to cure the defaults cited by the landlord and was entitled to a Yellowstone injunction tolling the tenant’s time to cure the defaults. The opinion lays out the fact in a level of detail which cannot be fairly summarized here:
In keeping with public policy against forfeiture, courts grant Yellowstone relief on “far less than the normal showing required for preliminary injunctive relief” … . The tenant need only demonstrate that (1) it holds a lease; (2) it received a notice of default, notice to cure, or threat to terminate the lease; (3) it requested injunctive relief prior to the termination of the lease or expiration of the cure period; and (4) it is prepared to cure the alleged default by any means short of vacating the premises … ,. Once the tenant establishes these elements, the motion court may exercise its discretion to issue a Yellowstone injunction tolling the tenant’s time to cure … . Elite Wine & Spirit LLC v Michelangelo Preserv. LLC, 2023 NY Slip Op 00631, First Dept 2-7-23
Practice Point: If a tenant has made good faith efforts to cure the defaults cited by the landlord, a court may grant the tenant a Yellowstone injunction tolling the tenant’s time for curing the defaults. The Yellowstone criteria are laid out in the opinion.
