Real Estate Developer – Summary Judgment Granted in Lease Dispute

Represented a real estate developer in a New York Commercial Division dispute arising from a proposed 99-year ground lease of a New York City-based church property. The matter involved the application of New York Religious Corporations Law § 12 and whether a proposed deed-in-lieu transaction could be used to avoid required court approval of the lease. The court granted our client's motion for summary judgment, holding that the alternative transaction structure was unlawful and resolving the dispute in our client's favor.