Developer – Successful Defense in Breach of Contract and Fraud Dispute

Herrick successfully defended Muss Development in the Appellate Division, First Department appeal of Princes Point LLC, et al. v. Muss Development LLC et al., a case involving the plaintiff's breach of a $36 million contract to purchase Princes Point, a 23-acre waterfront parcel of land on the south shore of Staten Island, from Muss. The First Department unanimously confirmed Herrick's earlier Supreme Court, New York County victory for Muss, which entitles the real estate developer to retain the plaintiffs' approximately $4 million deposit plus other fees totaling nearly $1 million. In doing so, the court delved into an area where there was a dearth of case law in New York – namely, whether a prospective real estate purchaser anticipatorily breaches a sale contract by commencing an action against the seller for rescission before the closing date, and whether, in that event, the seller is required to show that it was ready, willing, and able to complete the sale. The court held that the plaintiff had anticipatorily breached the contract and that Muss is entitled to keep the deposit and other significant fees without having to show that it was ready, willing and able to close. Once there was a breach, there was no need to spend time and money preparing for a closing that was not going to happen.