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  • Andrew Leider v. Sheila FaithTorts - Other (Defamation) document preview
  • Andrew Leider v. Sheila FaithTorts - Other (Defamation) document preview
  • Andrew Leider v. Sheila FaithTorts - Other (Defamation) document preview
  • Andrew Leider v. Sheila FaithTorts - Other (Defamation) document preview
  • Andrew Leider v. Sheila FaithTorts - Other (Defamation) document preview
  • Andrew Leider v. Sheila FaithTorts - Other (Defamation) document preview
  • Andrew Leider v. Sheila FaithTorts - Other (Defamation) document preview
  • Andrew Leider v. Sheila FaithTorts - Other (Defamation) document preview
						
                                

Preview

FILED: ORANGE COUNTY CLERK 11/28/2023 06:38 PM INDEX NO. EF006768-2023 NYSCEF DOC. NO. 21 RECEIVED NYSCEF: 11/28/2023 SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK COUNTY OF ORANGE ______________________________________________X ANDREW LEIDER, AMENDED Plaintiff, VERIFIED ANSWER WITH AFFIRMATIVE -against- DEFENSES AND COUNTERCLAIMS SHEILA FAITH, Index. No. EF006768-2023 Defendant. _____________________________________________X Defendant, SHEILA FAITH, by and through her attorneys, Gilbert & Martin LLP, as and for her Verified Answer with Affirmative Defenses to Plaintiff’s Verified Summons and Complaint filed on October 4, 2023 (NYSCEF Doc. No. 1), hereby provides as follows: 1. Defendant admits the allegations set forth in ¶¶ 2, 3, 7, 9, 11, 28, 52, 53, 59, 60, 89, 97, 107, 108, 109, 119, 124, and 125. 2. Defendant denies knowledge or information sufficient to form a belief as to the truth or falsity of the allegations contained in ¶¶ 1, 18, 20, 24, 25, 35, 40, 41, 42, 50, 54, 55, 80, 96, 98, and 103. 3. Defendant denies the allegations set forth in ¶¶ 14, 16, 17, 21, 22, 23, 27, 49, 58, 61, 65, 90, 92, 99, 100, 110, 114, 115, 116, 117, 118, and 127. 4. The allegations set forth in ¶¶ 4, 5, 19, 26, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 36, 37, 38, 39, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 51, 56, 62, 63, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 93, 94, 95, 104, 105, 106, 111, 112, 113, 120, 121, 122, 123, 126, 128, 129, 130, 131, 132 and the “Wherefore” clause state legal conclusions to which no response is required. To the extent that a response is required, Defendant denies the allegations, respectfully refers all questions of law to the Court, and leaves the Plaintiff to his proof. 1 1 of 18 FILED: ORANGE COUNTY CLERK 11/28/2023 06:38 PM INDEX NO. EF006768-2023 NYSCEF DOC. NO. 21 RECEIVED NYSCEF: 11/28/2023 5. Defendant admits the allegations set forth in paragraph 6 to the extent that she was employed by Plaintiff, but denies that the employment was part time and denies that her job duties were solely paralegal in nature. 6. Defendant admits the allegations set forth in paragraph 8 to the extent that Steven Faith did file for divorce from Defendant, but denies that Plaintiff purchased the Premises. Rather we contend it was conveyed to Plaintiff for Defendant’s benefit under a constructive trust. 7. Defendant admits the allegations set forth in paragraph 10 to the extent that M&T Bank was foreclosing and Defendant was seeking help. However, Defendant specifically denies that she begged Plaintiff for his help. Rather, Attorney Leider imposed himself on Defendant and repeatedly affirmatively offered to help her. After insisting on helping, Attorney Leider held himself out to be Defendant’s attorney to her and others. 8. Defendant admits the allegations set forth in paragraph 12 to the extent that Plaintiff did offer to pay off the existing mortgages and Mr. Faith’s interest. Defendant denies that Plaintiff originally offered to “buy” her property. Instead, Attorney Leider’s original proposal was for him to pay off the existing debts using the cash proceeds from a separate real estate transaction, and then hold a private mortgage for Defendant. This only changed at the last minute as Defendant’s house was set for auction and Attorney Leider insisted that to help her avoid foreclosure and sale, he had to temporarily take title to the Premises and apply for a mortgage because he did not have the cash he anticipated. 9. Plaintiff admits the allegations set forth in paragraph 13 to the extent that she did sign a commercial lease with Plaintiff. Plaintiff denies, however, that the lease was ever intended to be valid and enforceable, as evidenced by the non-market terms such as the twenty- year term. Instead, Attorney Leider told Defendant that the lease was only a formality he needed 2 2 of 18 FILED: ORANGE COUNTY CLERK 11/28/2023 06:38 PM INDEX NO. EF006768-2023 NYSCEF DOC. NO. 21 RECEIVED NYSCEF: 11/28/2023 to secure financing, and that Defendant Faith was, in fact, still the owner of her home, which would be later be legally re-conveyed to her when she was able to refinance the debt. 10. Defendant admits the allegations in paragraph 15 to the extent that Defendant was employed and had some experience as a paralegal. Defendant denies the allegations to the extent that she drafted any of the documents relating to her transaction. 11. Defendant admits the allegations set forth in paragraph 48 to the extent that she became acquainted with a Ms. Doreen Guiliano, but denies knowledge or information to form a belief as to the rest of the allegations. 12. Defendant denies the allegations set forth in paragraph 57 to the extent that she did not lie to Ms. Guiliano about any of Attorney Leider’s improper sexual advances and conduct. Defendant avers that anything she said regarding Plaintiff’s sexual deviance or misconduct, she believed to be true. 13. Defendant admits the allegations set forth in paragraph 64 and 66 to the extent that she did make the quoted statement, but would respectfully refers the Court to the whole Affidavit for a complete an accurate recitation of its contents. What this quote fails to include is that Ms. Faith only would have altered the document if ordered to by Attorney Leider. 14. Defendant admits the allegations set forth in paragraph 91 to the extent that she has commenced a prior action in Supreme Court and has defended herself against foreclosure by Plaintiff. Defendant explicitly denies that she was motivated by revenge, denies that she “lied to Plaintiff’s friends and business associates” and denies embarking on any “warpath to destroy Plaintiff’s character,” such as it is. 15. Defendant denies the allegations set forth in paragraphs 101 and 102 o the extent that she did not make untrue allegations. Defendant denies knowledge or information sufficient 3 3 of 18 FILED: ORANGE COUNTY CLERK 11/28/2023 06:38 PM INDEX NO. EF006768-2023 NYSCEF DOC. NO. 21 RECEIVED NYSCEF: 11/28/2023 to form a belief as to on what basis exactly the other members of the LLC make their claims against Leider. Nevertheless, a review of the docket in that case (EF003969-2023) reveals that the Petitioners in that action originally brought their petition for dissolution without any statements from Defendant Faith, and only included her affidavit in their amended pleadings after Leider vehemently denied altering documents in his original opposition. Therefore, Ms. Faith’s testimony became especially salient where the central cause of action sounds in fraud, which Leider seeks to dismiss. 16. Defendant denies any remaining allegations not specifically otherwise addressed herein. AFFIRMATIVE DEFENSES 17. Defendant, Sheila Faith, by and through her attorneys, Gilbert & Martin LLP, as and for her Affirmative Defenses to the Complaint, hereby provides as follows: 18. In addition to the defenses set forth below, Defendant expressly reserves the right to amend her Answer to assert additional defenses, counterclaims, cross-claims and/or by instituting third-party actions as additional facts are obtained in discovery and its investigation, which is ongoing. Defendant does not intend to concede or imply that any of the defenses set forth below are affirmative defenses for which Defendant necessarily bears the burden of proof. I. AS AND FOR A FIRST AFFIRMATIVE DEFENSE, DEFENDANT ALLEGES AS FOLLOWS: 19. Defendant repeats, reiterates and re alleges each and every allegation set forth in ¶¶ 1–18 inclusive, as if fully set forth at length herein. 20. Plaintiff’s complaint fails to state a claim upon which relief can be granted. 4 4 of 18 FILED: ORANGE COUNTY CLERK 11/28/2023 06:38 PM INDEX NO. EF006768-2023 NYSCEF DOC. NO. 21 RECEIVED NYSCEF: 11/28/2023 II. AS AND FOR A SECOND AFFIRMATIVE DEFENSE, DEFENDANT ALLEGES AS FOLLOWS: 21. Defendant repeats, reiterates and re alleges each and every allegation set forth in ¶¶ 1–20, inclusive, as if fully set forth at length herein. 22. Plaintiff’s harm, if any, was caused and occasioned, in part or in its entirety, by his own failures to exercise ordinary and reasonable care to avoid the contingencies he alleges to have occurred. In other words, Plaintiffs’ claim(s) are barred by his own culpable conduct. III. AS AND FOR A THIRD AFFIRMATIVE DEFENSE, DEFENDANT ALLEGES AS FOLLOWS: 23. Defendant repeats, reiterates and re alleges each and every allegation set forth in ¶¶ 1–22, inclusive, as if fully set forth at length herein. 24. Plaintiff’s recovery on his injuries, if any, is barred by Plaintiff’s own failure to mitigate damages, if any. IV. AS AND FOR A FOURTH AFFIRMATIVE DEFENSE, DEFENDANT ALLEGES AS FOLLOWS: 25. Defendant repeats, reiterates and re alleges each and every allegation set forth in ¶¶ 1–24, inclusive, as if fully set forth at length herein. 26. Plaintiff’s claim(s) are barred because the allegedly injurious statement(s) Defendant made are truthful. V. AS AND FOR A FIFTH AFFIRMATIVE DEFENSE, DEFENDANT ALLEGES AS FOLLOWS: 27. Defendant repeats, reiterates and re alleges each and every allegation set forth in ¶¶ 1–26, inclusive, as if fully set forth at length herein. 28. Plaintiff’s claims are barred because in whole or in part because Defendant was engaging in protected free speech. 5 5 of 18 FILED: ORANGE COUNTY CLERK 11/28/2023 06:38 PM INDEX NO. EF006768-2023 NYSCEF DOC. NO. 21 RECEIVED NYSCEF: 11/28/2023 VI. AS AND FOR A SIXTH AFFIRMATIVE DEFENSE, DEFENDANT ALLEGES AS FOLLOWS: 29. Defendant repeats, reiterates and re alleges each and every allegation set forth in ¶¶ 1–28, inclusive, as if fully set forth at length herein. 30. Plaintiff’s claims are barred in whole or in part because the statements were intended to solely represent Defendant’s opinion. VII. AS AND FOR A SEVENTH AFFIRMATIVE DEFENSE, DEFENDANT ALLEGES AS FOLLOWS: 31. Defendant repeats, reiterates and re alleges each and every allegation set forth in ¶¶ 1–30, inclusive, as if fully set forth at length herein. 32. Plaintiff’s claims are barred in whole or in part because the damages, if any, are speculative or de minimis in nature. VIII. AS AND FOR AN EIGHTH AFFIRMATIVE DEFENSE, DEFENDANT ALLEGES AS FOLLOWS: 33. Defendant repeats, reiterates and re alleges each and every allegation set forth in ¶¶ 1–32, inclusive, as if fully set forth at length herein. 34. Plaintiff’s claims are barred in whole or in part due to his knowledge and/or consent. IX. AS AND FOR A NINTH AFFIRMATIVE DEFENSE, DEFENDANT ALLEGES AS FOLLOWS: 35. Defendant repeats, reiterates and re alleges each and every allegation set forth in ¶¶ 1–34, inclusive, as if fully set forth at length herein. 36. Plaintiff’s claim(s) are barred by his own unclean hands. 6 6 of 18 FILED: ORANGE COUNTY CLERK 11/28/2023 06:38 PM INDEX NO. EF006768-2023 NYSCEF DOC. NO. 21 RECEIVED NYSCEF: 11/28/2023 X. AS AND FOR A TENTH AFFIRMATIVE DEFENSE, DEFENDANT ALLEGES AS FOLLOWS: 37. Defendant repeats, reiterates and re alleges each and every allegation set forth in ¶¶ 1–36, inclusive, as if fully set forth at length herein. 38. Plaintiff’s claims are barred in whole or in part due to his own fraudulent or illegal conduct. COUNTERCLAIMS STATEMENT OF FACT 1. The story begins on or about January 19, 2015 when Plaintiff/Cross-claim Defendant Andrew B. Leider, Esq., retained Defendant/Cross-claim Plaintiff as a paralegal and executive assistant for his law offices located at 2629 Route 302, Middletown, NY 10941. 2. Approximately two months prior to Defendant’s start date with Attorney Leider in January 2015, on or about October 15, 2014, Steven Faith—her husband of ten years— unexpectedly filed for divorce. This left Ms. Faith devastated and vulnerable both emotionally and financially. 3. At the time, Ms. Faith and her then-husband owned the property commonly known as 231 Celery Avenue, New Hampton, New York, 10958 (“Premises”), which was financed and titled in the name of both spouses. 4. During the Faith’s marriage, Steven Faith was responsible for making the mortgage payments, while Mrs. Faith paid for other expenses to maintain the household and their children. 7 7 of 18 FILED: ORANGE COUNTY CLERK 11/28/2023 06:38 PM INDEX NO. EF006768-2023 NYSCEF DOC. NO. 21 RECEIVED NYSCEF: 11/28/2023 5. Unbeknownst to Defendant, Steven Faith had stopped paying the mortgage in approximately June 2014. Defendant first found out that they were in default of their mortgage in early 2015 when the bank served foreclosure papers. 6. After Defendant was served, she tried everything she could to work with the bank to secure a loan modification. 7. Following many months in the loss mitigation negotiation process, the foreclosing bank finally approved Defendant for a loan modification. However, Steven Faith would not accept the terms. Instead, he insisted that Defendant buyout his interest. At that time, Defendant did not independently have the funds or credit to do that. As a result, she was left at a complete loss as to how to remedy her divorce and home situation. 8. Given the heavy toll this was taking on her, Defendant shared the details of her difficult situation with her family, friends, and also her employer, Attorney Leider. 9. After Attorney Leider became aware of Defendant’s situation in 2015, he started to pursue her, almost aggressively, in an attempt to supposedly “help” her with the divorce and housing situation. 10. For example, Attorney Leider would show up uninvited at Defendant’s house after work and on weekends to offer unsolicited advice. 11. In addition to their employee-employer relationship, Attorney Leider, became close with Defendant and her family. Therefore, he would also come to family functions such as holiday dinners and birthday parties, where he would hold himself out to Defendant’s friends and family as not just her boss, but also as her attorney who was helping with her interrelated housing and divorce issues. 8 8 of 18 FILED: ORANGE COUNTY CLERK 11/28/2023 06:38 PM INDEX NO. EF006768-2023 NYSCEF DOC. NO. 21 RECEIVED NYSCEF: 11/28/2023 12. In fact, whenever Defendant would ask Attorney Leider if I should hire an attorney to help with her divorce or foreclosure, he would respond, “I am your attorney.” 13. Defendant’s son and daughter witnessed this and would be able to testify to that effect. 14. Steven Faith also confirms that “throughout the foreclosure, Attorney Leider held himself out to me and others as Sheila’s attorney in the foreclosure and also occasionally in our divorce.” Steven Faith Aff. at ¶ 12. 15. Mr. Leider also made similar representations in front of Defendant’s sisters and other family members, who would testify to that effect. 16. In addition to his statements where he gave Defendant advice or represented himself as her attorney, there is concrete proof that he purported to be and acted as her attorney. 17. For example, he appeared for Defendant on multiple occasions in both the divorce and foreclosure proceedings. The same is reflected in court records. To date, for example, ECOURTS stills shows Attorney Leider as her representative in the foreclosure. Please see an image of the ECOURTS search results annexed hereto as Exhibit A. 18. Therefore, from Defendant’s perspective, there was never any question as to whether they had an attorney-client relationship, which is perhaps why that point wasn’t stressed in previous submissions before the Supreme Court. 19. As part of his “lawyerly advice,” Attorney Leider devised a plan to supposedly solve both Defendant’s foreclosure issue and divorce issue at the same time. More specifically, he suggested that he would use the proceeds from one of the properties he was selling to pay off 9 9 of 18 FILED: ORANGE COUNTY CLERK 11/28/2023 06:38 PM INDEX NO. EF006768-2023 NYSCEF DOC. NO. 21 RECEIVED NYSCEF: 11/28/2023 Defendant’s then-existing mortgage, pay ex-husband Steven Faith for his interest, and then hold a private mortgage so Defendant and her family could continue to remain in their home. 20. In the face of no other options, Defendant, naturally, agreed to the private mortgage plan, which kept her and family housed. 21. Ms. Faith did not explore other options such as borrowing money from other relatives out of trust that Attorney Leider’s private mortgage plan was in her best interest. 22. At the very last minute, however, as Defendant was up against her home going to auction, Attorney Leider informed her that they had to change the private mortgage plan. Specifically, instead of Defendant retaining title to the property subject to a mortgage Leider would hold, he wanted Defendant to transfer the property to himself to hold on her behalf, in trust, until she could come up with other financing. 23. When Ms. Faith questioned why they could not proceed with the original private mortgage plan, Attorney Leider insisted that Defendant could not be on the deed because Steven Faith could use that fact to bring an action against the home. 24. Faced with the mounting pressure, Defendant agreed to this new plan believing that Attorney Leider was genuinely doing this to protect her and her interests. 25. Under Attorney Leider’s new scheme, in order to pay off the mortgage on the Premises and pay Steven Faith, Attorney Leider drafted a lease that he advised Defendant was for the sole purpose of securing a commercial loan. 26. This scheme is reflected in the 20-year term of the lease, which was intended to ensure Defendant she would be able to remain in her home long-term even after title was officially changed. 10 10 of 18 FILED: ORANGE COUNTY CLERK 11/28/2023 06:38 PM INDEX NO. EF006768-2023 NYSCEF DOC. NO. 21 RECEIVED NYSCEF: 11/28/2023 27. In his capacity as Defendant’s attorney, Leider drafted a contract of sale, the lease, and all other legal documents. He then advised Defendant to sign everything for her benefit. Defendant, out of trust, acquiesced signed the “lease” he proffered on April 26, 2017. 28. Attorney Leider never demanded or asked for rent the entire time Defendant was his client nor while she was his employee. This is because he was getting compensated by impermissibly withholding a portion of Defendant’s pay. 29. Because Defendant worked full-time for and received regular pay from Attorney Leider, they decided that Attorney Leider simply would retain a portion of Defendant’s pay and apply it toward the loan. 30. Defendant did not know that withholding wages in this way was contrary to New York Labor law. 31. Indeed, it was when Defendant asked for a payoff amount giving her credit for the sums he had been withholding from my pay that he fired her summarily. 32. These withheld sums total to more than $67,000, which does not include any mandatory overtime pay. 33. These sums withheld are reflected in Defendant’s inconsistent pay history. Attached as Exhibit B is a copy of all the checks Defendant supposedly received from Attorney Leider’s operating account together with a table comparing those checks with her bank statements. Therefore, the table shows all instances either where (1) Attorney Leider did not issue Defendant a pay check at all, and (2) where Attorney Leider drafted a check to Defendant, but never gave it to her and she never cashed it. 11 11 of 18 FILED: ORANGE COUNTY CLERK 11/28/2023 06:38 PM INDEX NO. EF006768-2023 NYSCEF DOC. NO. 21 RECEIVED NYSCEF: 11/28/2023 34. The instances where she never received a paycheck at all are reflected in the table, by not having a check number or having any entry under “net pay received.” Instead, those entries just show the pay Defendant should have received, which in turn, should have been applied to her mortgage balance as shown in the “pay withheld for mortgage” column. 35. The instances where Attorney Leider cut a check that Defendant never received or cashed are indicated in the table whenever there is both a paycheck number, but the “pay withheld for mortgage” column also has an entry. 36. One particularly clear example shown by the table is that despite working for Attorney Leider during all of 2016 and 2017, Attorney Leider did not give Defendant any checks at all after October 7, 2016 until July 28, 2017. 37. Plaintiff admits that Defendant was employed from 2015. Verified Summons and Complaint, NYSCEF Doc. No. 1 at ¶ 6. 38. Similarly, despite continuing to report to the office full time, Defendant did not receive any checks between April 10, 2020 to September 17, 2021. While the office was not open to the public due to COVID-19, the office remained open during that time. 39. In total, Attorney Leider withheld approximately $67,484.66 from Defendant’s pay, which should have been applied to her mortgage, not including mandatory overtime. 40. In addition to the money withheld from her pay, Defendant made several other direct payments to Attorney Leider that total more than $47,000 between 2016 and 2018. In fact, both checks in 2018 specify in their memo that the payments are for the mortgage, not rent. Please see a copy of those checks annexed hereto as Exhibit C. 12 12 of 18 FILED: ORANGE COUNTY CLERK 11/28/2023 06:38 PM INDEX NO. EF006768-2023 NYSCEF DOC. NO. 21 RECEIVED NYSCEF: 11/28/2023 41. Note, that after the closing and finalizing the divorce, Attorney Leider said that he could not add Defendant to the deed as promised because the bank would “pull the mortgage.” She did not question him because she trusted him as her attorney, employer and friend. 42. Steven Faith also trusted Attorney Leider on the basis of his representations as Defendant’s lawyer. Steven Faith Aff. at ¶ 13. 43. Five years later, in June 2022 after Defendant asked Attorney Leider about the status of the lien on the property and how to assume the loan and/or pay it off, he fired Defendant without notice and started an eviction proceeding (bearing Index No. 22080019) against her in the Town of Goshen Court, on the basis of the fraudulent lease. 44. Despite Ms. Faith being represented in the eviction by prior counsel, and despite major procedural issues, the Town of Goshen Court inappropriately granted a judgment of possession, a monetary judgment and issued a warrant of eviction all on default. 45. In response, instant counsel filed a motion to vacate the improper default and restore the matter to the Town Court’s calendar. 46. The Town Court (Hon. Amanda Brady, Town Justice) denied that motion on October 4, 2023. 47. Instant counsel filed a Notice of Appeal of the Town Court’s decision on November 7, 2023. 48. On November 20, 2023, the Appellate Term (Hon. James P. McCormack) signed an Order to Show Cause returnable December 7, 2023 staying the impending execution of the eviction. 13 13 of 18 FILED: ORANGE COUNTY CLERK 11/28/2023 06:38 PM INDEX NO. EF006768-2023 NYSCEF DOC. NO. 21 RECEIVED NYSCEF: 11/28/2023 49. In conclusion, Defendant thought she was doing the right thing to save her home by listening to her attorney—the Plaintiff—who is now evicting her and suing her in this action. 50. Defendant thought she was saving her home by listening to Attorney Leider, but she now in much worse position than if he had not been involved. 51. Specifically, she is about to lose her home and there is a judgment that says she owes him $170,000.00 52. Attorney Leider was acting as her attorney and, therefore she trusted him and his plans implicitly. 53. She now knows that she shouldn’t have. I. AS AND FOR A FIRST CAUSE OF ACTION: QUIET TITLE/CONSTRUCTIVE TRUST 54. Defendant/Cross-claim Plaintiff repeats, reiterates, and realleges each and every allegation set forth in paragraphs “1” through “53,” inclusive, as if fully set forth at length herein. 55. Defendant brings this cause of action pursuant to N.Y. Real Prop. Acts. Law § 1515 to compel the determination of claims to the real property commonly known as 231 Celery Avenue, New Hampton, New York, 10958 and being designated as Section 21, Block 1, Lot 107 on the tax maps of Orange County. 56. Defendant alleges title should be quieted in her under a theory of constructive trust. 57. As the New York Court of Appeals laid out in its oft cited opinion in Sharp v. Kosmalski, “[g]enerally, a constructive trust may be imposed ‘[when] property has been acquired in such 14 14 of 18 FILED: ORANGE COUNTY CLERK 11/28/2023 06:38 PM INDEX NO. EF006768-2023 NYSCEF DOC. NO. 21 RECEIVED NYSCEF: 11/28/2023 circumstances that the holder of the legal title may not in good conscience retain the beneficial interest’. In the development of the doctrine of constructive trust as a remedy available to courts of equity, the following four requirements were posited: (1) a confidential or fiduciary relation, (2) a promise, (3) a transfer in reliance thereon and (4) unjust enrichment.” 40 N.Y.2d 119, 121 (1976) (internal citations omitted) (followed by Diaz v. Diaz, 130 A.D.3d 560 (App. Div. 2nd Dept. 2015). 58. In this case: (1) Attorney Leider had a confidential or fiduciary relationship by virtue of his representation to her, others and the Courts that he was acting as Defendant’s attorney. Exhibit A. 59. (2) Attorney Leider promised Defendant that he was only taking title to the premises until she could refinance the loan and that the 20-year commercial lease was ineffectual. Others also understood the same thing. See Affidavit of Steven Faith at ¶¶ 10–11 (“The entire time, my understanding was that Attorney Leider was only taking title temporarily while Sheila got back on her feet enough to pay the loan. My understanding was that Attorney Leider would eventually return the property to Sheila when she could obtain financing. This was never supposed to be an arms-length sale between Sheila and Andy. 60. (3) Defendant did transfer the Premises in reliance on Attorney Leider’s promises. 61. (4) Attorney Leider will be unjustly enriched by keeping Defendant’s equity upon and by not giving her credit for deductions from her pay. 62. Upon information and belief, pursuant to N.Y. Real Prop. Acts. Law § 1515(1)(c), Plaintiff contends that all Defendants are known and are not infants, mentally retarded, mentally ill or alcohol abusers. 15 15 of 18 FILED: ORANGE COUNTY CLERK 11/28/2023 06:38 PM INDEX NO. EF006768-2023 NYSCEF DOC. NO. 21 RECEIVED NYSCEF: 11/28/2023 63. Upon information and belief, pursuant to N.Y. Real Prop. Acts. Law § 1515(1)(d), Plaintiff contends that judgment in his favor should not affect a person or persons not in being or ascertained at the commencement of this action, who by any contingency contained in a devise or grant or otherwise, could afterward become entitled to a beneficial estate or interest in the property involved. Further, Plaintiff contends that every person in being who would have been entitled to such estate or interest if such event had happened immediately before the commencement of the action is named as a party hereto. 64. Therefore, we ask the Court to quiet title in the name of Defendant Sheila Faith, subject to repayment of the amount he refinanced for her, giving due credit for wages withheld, in an exact amount to be proven at trial. II. AS AND FOR A SECOND CAUSE OF ACTION: WAGE THEFT 65. Defendant/Cross-claim Plaintiff repeats, reiterates, and realleges each and every allegation set forth in paragraphs “1” through “63,” inclusive, as if fully set forth at length herein. 66. Defendant was employed full-time with Defendant at his law offices from at least 2016. 67. During all the years of her employment, Plaintiff did not provide Defendant with a statement or notice of her rate of pay, the basis of the her rate of pay, whether the employer intended to claim allowances as part of the minimum wage, the employees’ regular pay day, the name, address and telephone number of the employer. 68. While she was employed, Plaintiff impermissibly withheld wages from Defendant without written disclosure or authorization in violation of New York Labor Law §193 or otherwise underpaid her for her services. See Exhibit B. 16 16 of 18 FILED: ORANGE COUNTY CLERK 11/28/2023 06:38 PM INDEX NO. EF006768-2023 NYSCEF DOC. NO. 21 RECEIVED NYSCEF: 11/28/2023 WHEREFORE, Defendant/Counter-claim Plaintiff respectfully prays for: i. A JUDGMENT quieting title to the Premises commonly known as 231 Celery Avenue, New Hampton, New York, 10958 in the name of the Defendant Sheila Faith subject to loan Plaintiff incurred for Defendant’s benefit in an exact amount to be proven at trial; ii. A JUDGEMENT for the full amount of any underpayment or due credit against the loan amount Plaintiff incurred for Defendant’s benefit in an exact amount to be proven at trial together with prejudgment interest; iii. A JUDGEMENT for reasonable attorney’s fees incurred in this action; iv. A JUDGEMENT for liquidated damages equal to 100% of the wages due or due credit against the loan amount Plaintiff incurred for Defendant’s benefit in an exact amount to be proven at trial. v. DISMISSAL of the Plaintiff’s causes of action with prejudice; and vi. TOGETHER WITH any such further relief as to this Court may seem just and proper under the circumstances. Dated: November 28, 2023 Middletown, NY GILBERT & MARTIN LLP BY:____________________ TREVOR R. MARTIN, ESQ. Attorneys for Defendant 45-47 Wickham Avenue Middletown, NY 10940 (845) 342-1155 17 17 of 18 FILED: ORANGE COUNTY CLERK 11/28/2023 06:38 PM INDEX NO. EF006768-2023 NYSCEF DOC. NO. 21 RECEIVED NYSCEF: 11/28/2023 18 of 18