Lex & Third 116th St. Corp. v. Vargas

<div>Lex &amp; Third 116th St. Corp. v Vargas - 2026 NY Slip Op 50592(U)

<div> skip to main content </div>

<div> <p>It appears you are using Adblock. Please disable Adblock to best experience our website.</p> </div>

<div> <header> <div> <img src="/reporter/images/nys-logo-white.svg" alt=""> </div> <div> <span title="Law Reporting Bureau Home Page">Law Reporting <br>Bureau <span></span></span> <span>Thomas J.K. Smith, State Reporter</span> <nav> Court Decisions Resources About </nav> </div> <div> <img src="/reporter/images/lrb-seal.png" alt=""> </div> </header> </div>

<nav> <ol> <li>Home</li> <li>All Court Decisions</li> <li>Decisions</li> </ol> </nav> <div> <div> <h1>Lex &amp; Third 116th St. Corp. v Vargas</h1> <p>2026 NY Slip Op 50592(U)</p> <p>April 28, 2026</p> <p>Appellate Term, First Department</p> <p>Published by New York State Law Reporting Bureau pursuant to Judiciary Law § 431.</p> <p>This opinion is uncorrected and will not be published in the printed Official Reports.</p> </div> <div><b>Digest-Index Classification: </b>Landlord and Tenant—Summary Proceedings--Discovery--Ample Need</div> <div> <p>Lex &amp; Third 116th Street Corp., Petitioner-Landlord-Respondent,</p> <p>v</p> <p>Rosa Vargas, Respondent-Tenant-Appellant, and Moises Mendoza, "John Doe," and "Jane Doe," Respondents.</p> </div> <p>Supreme Court, Appellate Term, First Department</p> <p>Decided on April 28, 2026</p> <p>570014/26</p> <p>Present: Brigantti, J.P., Tisch, Alpert, JJ. </p> <p> </p><p>Tenant Rosa Vargas appeals an order of the Civil Court of the City of New York, New York County (Tracy E. Ferdinand, J.), dated November 12, 2024 which denied her motion for discovery in a nonpayment summary proceeding.</p> <p></p>[*1] <p><b>Per Curiam.</b></p> <p>Order (Tracy E. Ferdinand, J.), dated November 12, 2024, reversed, with $10 costs, motion granted and matter remanded for further proceedings consistent herewith.</p> <p>Civil Court improvidently exercised its discretion in denying tenant's motion for leave to conduct discovery relating to whether the subject premises constitutes a horizontal multiple dwelling (<i>see 480-486 Broadway, LLC v No Mystery Sound, Inc., </i>11 Misc 3d 1056[A], 2006 NY Slip Op 50236[U] [Civ Ct, NY County, Scarpulla, J.], <i>affd </i>16 Misc 3d 137[A], 2007 NY Slip Op 51730[U] [App Term, 1st Dept 2007]). Tenant demonstrated "ample need" for the disclosure on this issue (<i>New York Univ. v Farkas</i>, 121 Misc 2d 643, 647 [Civ Ct, NY County 1983]), since landlord possesses particular knowledge of the ownership, management and other relevant factors related to the three buildings at issue, and in view of tenant's showing of some indicia of common facilities, ownership, management, and operation (see <i>Matter of Julia 455, LLC v State of NY, Div. of Hous. &amp; Community Renewal</i>, 104 AD3d 686, 687 [2013]). Accordingly, "the motion for discovery in the summary proceeding under CPLR 408 was improperly denied" (<i>Matter of West Pierre Assoc. LLC v Harvey</i>, 241 AD3d 413, 414 [2025]; see <i>Mautner—Glick Corp. v Higgins</i>, 64 Misc 3d 16, 18 [App Term, 1st Dept 2019]).</p> <p>However, since the demands are overbroad, we remand the matter to Civil Court to limit the scope of discovery as it deems proper.</p> <p>All concur.</p> <p>THIS CONSTITUTES THE DECISION AND ORDER OF THE COURT.</p> <p>Clerk of the Court</p> <p>Decision Date: April 28, 2026</p> </div>

<div> <footer> <div> <p>Court Decisions</p> All Court Decisions Official Reports Service Bound Volumes Decision Search </div> <div> <p>Resources</p> RSS Feeds Style Manual Citation Tools Opinion Formatting &amp; Privacy Guidelines Opinion Selection Criteria Legal Research Portal Site Index </div> <div> <p>About</p> About the Law Reporting Bureau About our Operations Contact Us Twitter </div> <div> <p>Quick Contact Info</p> <p>17 Lodge Street</p> <p>Albany, NY 12207</p> <p>Phone: (518) 453-6900</p> </div> </footer> </div> <div> <p>Links to or from other sites do not signify endorsement or relationship with them.</p> </div>

</div>