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The appeals court said the trial court made a mistake. Supreme Court has broad power over real property cases. This includes cases between landlords and tenants. The appeals court also noted that pandemic executive orders had blocked landlords from filing nonpayment cases in Civil Court during that period. Because of this, the landlord had no choice but to file in Supreme Court. The appeals court reinstated the complaint. It sent the case back for further proceedings, including a possible new default judgment motion.
A&L 1664 LLC, a landlord, sued Jaspar Hospitality LLC to collect unpaid rent. The landlord asked the court for a default judgment because the tenant did not respond. Instead of ruling on that request, the trial court threw out the whole case. The judge said this was really a landlord-tenant dispute. That kind of case usually belongs in Civil Court, not the higher Supreme Court. The landlord appealed this decision.
The main question was about jurisdiction. That means which court has the power to hear a case. Could the Supreme Court hear this rent dispute? Or did it have to go to Civil Court instead? The answer depended partly on pandemic-era rules that limited what Civil Court could do at the time.
This ruling clarifies that Supreme Court can hear rent disputes, especially when pandemic rules blocked Civil Court filings. It shows courts consider real-world limits like emergency orders when deciding proper jurisdiction. Landlords facing similar filing restrictions may have more flexibility in choosing where to sue.
Talk to a licensed landlord tenant lawyer in New York.