Ramos, District Judge:
This matter comes before the Court once again on the motion of Laroe Estates, Inc. ("Laroe") to intervene in this litigation between Nancy J. Sherman, the widow of Bill Sherman ("Sherman"),
Sherman was a real estate developer who in 2001 purchased a 398-acre tract of land in Chester, New York, known as "MareBrook." Compl. (Doc. 1 Ex. A) ¶¶ 5, 39, 353. The MareBrook project was to include 385 residential housing units, a golf course, an equestrian facility, baseball fields, tennis courts, a clubhouse, and a restaurant. Id. ¶ 10. Sherman claims that over the course of the ensuing ten years, the Town wrongfully prevented him from developing MareBrook because it variously wanted: (1) to make MareBrook a "de facto nature preserve," id. at ¶¶ 21, 30, 285, 299; (2) to retaliate against him for instituting several lawsuits against the Town over the development of MareBrook, id. at ¶¶ 26-29, 61, 225, 231, 241, 262; and (3) to discriminate against him because he is Jewish, one of his business associates is Jewish, and Town residents are worried about MareBrook becoming a Hasidic community, id. ¶¶ 31-32, 222, 225, 307-24, 326.
The dispute currently before the Court revolves around the relationship between Sherman, the MareBrook property, and Laroe. Laroe and its principals are real estate developers, and in 2003, Laroe entered into an agreement with Sherman, ostensibly for the purchase of lots on three parcels of land in the MareBrook property. See Proposed Intervenor's Complaint (Doc. 83-1) ¶ 20.
The June 2003 agreement between Sherman and Laroe provided that:
See Affirmation of Joseph Haspel ("Haspel Aff.") (Doc. 74) Ex. K. at 188. In the event that the Town approved fewer than 135 lots for the subdivision, either party could terminate the agreement. Id. In the event that the approvals were not completed in the time frame contemplated by the contract, Laroe had the right to terminate the agreement. Id. at 197-98. Similarly, in the event of a taking of the property by eminent domain, Laroe could elect to terminate; if it did not, it and Sherman would "be deemed to have elected to proceed with Closing, in which event [Sherman would] assign to [Laroe] all of [Sherman's] right, title, and interest in and to any and all claims and proceeds [Sherman] may have with respect to any condemnation awards or insurance proceeds." Id. at 203.
Between 2003 and 2004, Laroe paid Sherman $2.5 million in three collateral notes secured by mortgages on the MareBrook property.
In 2010, Laroe sued Sherman to recover $1.5 million plus interest, representing the amount owing on two of the three mortgage notes. Id. Ex. G.
On April 25, 2012, the rabbinical court ruled that "[b]eing that Mr. Steven Sherman failed to pay [Laroe] the amount of $2,500,000, therefore, as of today, the aforementioned properties belong to [Laroe]." Haspel Aff. Ex. F. This decision was memorialized in a May 7, 2013 amendment to the June 2003 agreement. Under the amendment, the purchase price of the agreement became: (1) the $2.5 million Laroe already advanced to Sherman; (2) any amount paid to TD Bank to satisfy the mortgages, (3) the transfer of certain lots in the development back to Sherman after approval, and (4) the execution of a related consulting agreement between the parties. Id. Ex. K at 233. With respect to TD Bank, the agreement provided that "[s]ettlement of the amounts due under the TD Mortgages shall be in the sole discretion of [Laroe]. In the event the TD Bank Mortgages are not settled prior to any foreclosure sale of the property, [Laroe] may terminate this agreement, with no further liability between [Laroe] and [Sherman]." Id. at 234. Although the settlement amount was discretionary, settlement was also a prerequisite to the closing of the agreement: "As a condition of the Closing under the Agreement, [Laroe] shall procure the following: (a) the TD Bank Settlement referenced in Section 2 of this Amendment, and (b) the release of all TD Bank Mortgages encumbering the properties...." Id. In other words, Laroe could elect to proceed with the closing and the transfer of the properties by settling with TD Bank; if not, Laroe could elect to terminate the agreement with Sherman.
Although discovery has not yet begun, this case has already had a long and tortured history. Sherman first filed suit in federal court on May 5, 2008. See Sherman v. Town of Chester et al., No. 08 Civ. 4248 ("Sherman I") (S.D.N.Y. 2008). In that lawsuit, as in the instant one, he alleged a federal takings claim. Sherman voluntarily dismissed that action on January 6, 2012,
In early 2013, the Court granted the Town's motion to dismiss on the grounds that Sherman's constitutional takings claim was unripe. See Sherman v. Town of Chester, No. 12 Civ. 647 (ER), 2013 WL 1148922 (S.D.N.Y. Mar. 30, 2013). The Second Circuit reversed, finding that Sherman had stated a non-categorical taking. Sherman, 752 F.3d at 566. In reaching that conclusion, the Circuit found that the Town's actions "effectively prevented Sherman from making any economic use of his property," interfered with his reasonable investment-backed expectations, and "singled out [his] development, suffocating him with red tape to make sure he could never succeed in developing MareBrook." Id. at 565. The Second Circuit remanded the case for further consideration of Sherman's other claims. Id. at 567.
Within days of the Second Circuit's decision, Laroe wrote a letter to the Court, asserting, for the first time, that it "is a contract vendee of Plaintiff with respect to the subject real property, as well as the holder of an arbitration award giving it the right of ownership." Doc. 16. Laroe moved to intervene in the lawsuit and the Town moved to dismiss the remainder of Sherman's claims against it. On March 31, 2015, the Court dismissed Sherman's procedural and substantive due process claims, his equal protection claim, and his state claims. See Sherman II, 2015 WL 1473430. The Court also denied Laroe's motion to intervene, concluding that "courts in this Circuit have found that contract vendees lack standing to assert a takings claim" and that "Laroe has not provided any reason to depart from the reasoning [of those cases]." Id. at *15-16. Therefore, the Court found that Laroe did not have standing to bring a takings claim "based on its status as contract vendee to the property." Id.
The Second Circuit reversed, finding that the Court should not have denied the motion "based on [Laroe's] failure to show it had Article III standing," because independent standing was not required on a motion to intervene. Laroe, 828 F.3d at 65. Although the Second Circuit found that "the factual record ... is insufficiently developed at this stage to allow us confidently to resolve these arguments," it suggested that Laroe had valid arguments on the Rule 24(a) requirements. Id. at 66-70.
The Supreme Court disagreed, holding: "[A]n intervenor of right must have Article III standing in order to pursue relief that is different from that which is sought by a party with standing. That includes cases in which both the plaintiff and the intervenor seek separate money judgments in their own names.... If Laroe wants only a money judgment of its own running directly against the Town, then it seeks damages different from those sought by Sherman and must establish its own Article III standing in order to intervene." Town of Chester, 137 S.Ct. at 1651-52. The Supreme Court remanded the case because Laroe's arguments had been inconsistent and ambiguous with respect to the damages it sought. Id.
As a preliminary matter, the Town argues that Laroe may no longer assert a claim for damages in its own right because it disavowed that position at the Second Circuit and Supreme Court. Memorandum of Law in Opposition to Laroe's Motion for Intervention ("Chester Mem.") (Doc. 87), at 12. "Statements made by an attorney during oral argument ... constitute binding judicial omissions." General Ins. Co. of Am. v. Mezzacappa Bros., Inc., No. 01 Civ. 7394 (FB), 2003 WL 22244964, at *5 (E.D.N.Y. Oct. 1, 2003) aff'd 110 F. App'x 183 (2d Cir. 2004). Laroe argues that it has never disavowed its position that it could make a claim for damages in its own name, and that its attorney's statements at oral argument were "based solely upon the state of the facts as they existed after this Court's initial ruling on Laroe's intervention motion" — in other words, counsel's statements assumed that Laroe had no standing.
The Court agrees with Laroe that it did not foreclose the possibility of filing an amended complaint seeking damages in its own right. In fact, although Laroe was not entirely clear on the damages it was seeking during the appellate review process, at one point in the Supreme Court oral argument, Laroe seemed to clarify that while it was at that point arguing that it did not need standing to intervene based on its then-existing complaint, it might bring a claim for damages in its own name at a later stage, which would require it to establish standing. See Affirmation of Joseph Haspel in Support of Laroe's Motion to Intervene (Doc. 74) Ex. I (Transcript of April 17, 2017 oral argument ("Tr.")) at 47:20-24 ("If we ourselves came in at a
Laroe argues that it has standing to assert its own claim for damages against the Town because it held equitable title to the MareBrook property. See Memorandum of Law in Support of Laroe's Motion for Intervention ("Laroe Mem.") (Doc. 75), at 16. The Town argues that Laroe did not hold equitable title to the MareBook property, see Chester Mem. at 14-18, and that even if it did, Laroe's status would be insufficient to confer standing, id. at 19-27.
As a preliminary matter, the parties dispute whether, by virtue of the 2003 agreement, Laroe was a contract vendee or merely a mortgagee of the MareBrook property. See Chester Mem. at 14-15; Laroe Reply Mem. at 5-6. "The execution of a contract for the purchase of real estate and the making of a partial payment gives the contract vendee equitable title to the property." Carnavalla v. Ferraro, 281 A.D.2d 443, 722 N.Y.S.2d 47, 48 (2d Dep't 2001) (citing Polish Nat'l Alliance of Brooklyn, U.S.A. v. White Eagle Hall Co., 98 A.D.2d 400, 470 N.Y.S.2d 642, 647 (2d Dep't 1983)). By contrast, a mortgage "creates no estate in the land, but is merely a lien on the mortgaged premises." Smith v. Andre, 43 A.D.3d 770, 772, 843 N.Y.S.2d 209 (2d Dep't 2007). Laroe argues that the fact that the 2003 agreement defines Sherman as the "Seller" and Laroe as the "Purchaser" evinces Laroe's intent "of taking title, thereby merging the money paid into the deed." Laroe Reply Mem. at 5. The Town argues that because Laroe's payment took the form of a note secured by the MareBrook property, the transaction was essentially a mortgage transaction. Chester Mem. at 14.
Under New York law, "a mere label ... will not mask a transaction which is a de facto mortgage." Blumenthal, Supplementary Practice Commentaries, N.Y. Real Prop. L. § 320 (2016). Thus, "where a deed is given as security, it becomes a mortgage by operation of law." DeMaio v. Capozello, 74 A.D.3d 864, 865, 904 N.Y.S.2d 459 (2d Dep't 2010) (quoting Corcillo v. Martut, Inc., 58 A.D.2d 617, 618, 395 N.Y.S.2d 696 (2d Dep't 1977) aff'd 45 N.Y.2d 878, 410 N.Y.S.2d 811, 383 N.E.2d 113 (1978)). "In determining whether a deed was intended as security, examination may be made not only of the deed and a written agreement executed at the same time, but also of oral testimony bearing on the intent of the parties and to a consideration of the surrounding circumstances and acts of the parties." Patmos Fifth Real Estate Inc. v. Mazl Bldg., LLC, 140 A.D.3d 527, 528, 34 N.Y.S.3d 23 (1st Dep't 2016) (quoting Bouffard v. Befese, LLC, 111 A.D.3d 866, 868, 976 N.Y.S.2d 510 (2d Dep't 2013)).
Eleftherakis Decl. Exs. B-D. If Sherman defaulted under the 2003 agreement or it was otherwise cancelled, Laroe was entitled to recover its money plus interest. If Laroe defaulted under the 2003 agreement, it was still entitled to recover its money. If Laroe and Sherman actually closed the property and set a purchase price, Laroe was entitled to credit its money against the purchase price. Laroe's status after 2003 was therefore closer to that of a lender rather than a contract vendee; although the parties anticipated and contracted for the possibility of a real estate transaction in the event of subdivision approval, in the interim, the essence of the agreement was that Laroe would lend Sherman $2.5 million secured by a mortgage. Subsequently, Laroe attempted to foreclose on one of the mortgages and sued Sherman to recover the money it paid on the other two mortgages. Id. Exs. G-I. Laroe's actions in attempting to recover on the mortgages in 2009 and 2010 evince an intent to treat the 2003 agreement and related payments as conferring a mortgage, rather than equitable title. Thus, the Court finds that Laroe has no standing to sue as equitable owner of the MareBrook property based on the 2003 agreement.
Following Laroe's attempts to recover its investments and foreclose on the mortgage notes, it entered arbitration with Sherman under a Beth Din, a rabbinical court of Judaism, and the parties amended the contract in 2013. Under the 2013 amendment, the purchase price of the
The Town argues that because the 2013 amendment "only conferred rights to Laroe if it satisfied a number of conditions," Sherman did not convey equitable title to Laroe by virtue of the amended agreement. Chester Mem. at 19.
Finally, the Town argues that even if Laroe were a contract vendee and had equitable ownership of the Property, that is still insufficient to confer standing under the Second Circuit's decision in United States Olympic Committee v. Intelicense Corp., S.A. Chester Mem. at 19-26. The Court addressed this issue in its 2015 opinion on standing:
See Sherman, 2015 WL 1473430, at *15-16 (internal citations and footnotes omitted). Neither the Second Circuit nor the Supreme Court has spoken on this issue, and Laroe has made substantially the same arguments regarding USOC, R & V Development, and Gebman that it did three years ago. Laroe still argues that courts in this Circuit have "improperly extended" the Second Circuit's holding in USOC that "only the owner of an interest in property at the time of the alleged taking has standing to assert that a taking has occurred." Laroe Mem. at 20 (quoting USOC, 737 F.2d 263, 267-68 (2d Cir. 1984)). Neither
Even if Laroe does not have standing to bring his own claim against the Town, if it meets the requirements of Rule 24(a), it is entitled to intervene as a matter of right on its first cause of action, which seeks only to join Sherman's takings claim.
"For intervention as of right under Rule 24(a)(2), the moving party must show: (1) the application is timely; (2) the applicant has a significant protectable interest relating to the property or transaction that is the subject of the action; (3) the disposition of the action may practically impair the applicant's ability to protect its interest; and (4) the existing parties may not adequately represent the applicant's interest." Kamdem-Ouaffo v. Pepsico, Inc., 314 F.R.D. 130, 134 (S.D.N.Y. 2016). A putative intervenor's failure to satisfy any one of these requirements is dispositive of his motion. See Farmland Dairies v. Comm'r of N.Y.S. Dep't of Agric. & Markets, 847 F.2d 1038, 1043 (2d Cir. 1988).
As the Court stated in its 2015 opinion, "the timeliness of an intervention motion is a matter left to the district court's discretion." Sherman II, 2015 WL 1473430, at * 16 n.20. "In determining whether a motion to intervene is timely, courts consider (1) how long the applicant had notice of the interest before it made the motion to intervene; (2) prejudice to existing parties resulting from any delay; (3) prejudice to the applicant if the motion is denied; and (4) any unusual circumstances militating for or against a finding of timeliness." Laroe, 828 F.3d at 66-67 (quoting United States v. Pitney Bowes, Inc., 25 F.3d 66, 70 (2d Cir. 1994)).
Although this Court expressed skepticism about the timeliness of Laroe's motion in Sherman II, it did not decide the issue. Sherman II, 2015 WL 1473430, at *16 n.20. On appeal, the Second Circuit also considered the timeliness of Laroe's motion without deciding the issue. See Laroe, 828 F.3d at 67. The Second Circuit concluded that although Laroe failed to explain why it did not try to intervene before this Court's 2013 motion to dismiss
The Town raises largely the same arguments about Laroe's timeliness as it did before the Court in Sherman II. See Chester Mem. at 33.
Rule 24(a) also requires that the putative intervenor show a "direct, substantial, and legally protectable" interest "relating to the property or transaction that is subject of the action." Laroe, 828 F.3d at 68 (quoting Wash. Elec. Coop., Inc. v. Mass. Mun. Wholesale Elec. Co., 922 F.2d 92, 97 (2d Cir. 1990) and MasterCard Int'l Inc. v. Visa Int'l Serv. Ass'n, 471 F.3d 377, 385 (2d Cir. 2006)). Here, the Town argues that because Laroe must have had an interest relating to the property at the time of the taking, Laroe's attempts to terminate the 2003 agreement foreclose any arguments that it had an interest relating to the property. Chester Mem. at 28-29. The Town also argues that Laroe's interest is "far too remote" to satisfy Rule 24. Id.
The Court disagrees. Neither party disputes that under the 2003 agreement, in the event of a taking, if Laroe did not elect to terminate the agreement, "then [Sherman] and [Laroe] shall be deemed to have elected to proceed with Closing, in which event [Sherman] shall assign to [Laroe] all of [Sherman's] right, title, and interest in and to any and all claims and proceeds [Sherman] may have with respect to any condemnation awards or insurance proceeds relating to the Property." See Haspel Aff. Ex. K at 203. Here, while Laroe asserted in 2010 that it had terminated the agreement and sought a judicial award in accordance with that position, at some point during or after the parties' arbitration, Laroe elected instead to maintain its interest in the MareBrook property through the 2013 amendment. Therefore, throughout the period in which the alleged taking occurred, Laroe had an interest in any condemnation award Sherman would receive based on the risk of loss provision in the 2003 agreement. The Court finds that Laroe's interest in Sherman's
The third and fourth requirements of Rule 24(a) seek to ensure that intervention is necessary because without it, the putative intervenor will be "impair[ed]" or "imped[ed]" in protecting his interest, and that his interest is not "adequately represented by the other parties" already. Laroe, 828 F.3d at 70. The Town argues that Sherman already adequately represents Laroe because the two are "allied in interest." Chester Mem. at 29 (citing Declaration of Michael Diederich ("Diederich Decl.") (Doc. 82)). "While the burden to demonstrate inadequacy of representation is generally speaking `minimal,' we have demanded a more rigorous showing of inadequacy in cases where the putative intervenor and a named party have the same ultimate objective." Butler, Fitzgerald & Potter v. Sequa Corp., 250 F.3d 171, 179 (2d Cir. 2001) (internal citations omitted). In those instances, there is a presumption of adequate representation by the party already in the action that must be rebutted. Id. at 179-80.
Laroe argues that its interests are not adequately represented because the question of how damages will be "allocated between Sherman and Laroe creates a conflict" between them. Laroe Mem. at 40. Laroe does not explain why the ultimate allocation of damages rebuts the presumption that Sherman's interest, like Laroe's, is to maximize recovery from the Town. Instead, Laroe merely states "the Court need to only ponder the question of the effect of a settlement between Sherman and [the Town]." Laroe Reply Mem. at 14. The Court does not believe Sherman's ability to settle this litigation would necessarily create a conflict between Laroe and Sherman, and Laroe cites to no authority for its proposition.
However, in support of Laroe's motion, counsel for Sherman has filed a declaration informing the Court that the Sherman Estate "is a plaintiff with very limited funds for litigation" and "will be strained to adequately fund this litigation and its need for expert witnesses and discovery." Diederich Decl. ¶¶ 18-19. "[A]n existing party's proven lack of financial resources to continue litigation may signify inadequate representation." Butler, Fitzgerald & Potter, 250 F.3d at 181 (denying the intervention motion because the putative intervenor had not proved the current party's inability to litigate the case). Here, based on Sherman's counsel's declaration, the Court finds that Sherman may be unable to adequately represent the Sherman-Laroe interest in maximizing recovery from the Town without Laroe's intervention and assistance. Therefore, for this reason, the Court finds that Laroe's motion meets the requirements of Rule 24(a)(3) and (4) and GRANTS Laroe's motion for mandatory intervention.
For the reasons set forth above, Laroe's motion for intervention is GRANTED in
It is SO ORDERED.
See Tr. at 43:6-44:1.