Case Study

A Queens Story: Uncovering a Fraud, Fixing a Building, and Making the Client Whole for Its Losses

A well-known bakery producing some of the finest breads and pastries in New York was blocked from using most of its property to bake bread and desserts. During the first meeting with the client while going over the government’s objections to the use of the building as a bakery, logic defied the explanations for the denials. The bakery resided in a district that allowed its use to make its produce without any special permits. The building complied with all standard governmental requirements. The building appeared to have been constructed in accordance with Department of Building requirements. By the Adam Leitman Bailey, P.C.ALBPC was hired, the delay had been going on for three years.

Adam Leitman Bailey, P.C. uncovered a fraud and cover-up. The architectural firm that had caused the objections had covered up the reasons. Second, this firm had been banned from doing business in New York. Third, this firm had been blaming the City for the approval delays and when our attorneys finally contacted our local representatives and the director of the department of buildings our attorneys learned that the delay did not come from the government but from our client’s representative. Meetings that were set up or were supposed to occur never happened. The client was never told the real reasons for the delay.

Adam Leitman Bailey, P.C. visited the Queens Department of Buildings many times and although the architectural firm’s excuses seemed legitimate, the more our attorneys dug into the file and interviewed relevant parties, our firm knew a fraud was amiss.

Adam Leitman Bailey, P.C. immediately had a tolling agreement signed extending the time to sue the architectural firm. Our attorneys discovered that the offices in the space had to be destroyed which had never been relayed to the client while the client could not fully operate its factory losing a large amount of money daily. The lies piled up as well as the losses for our client.

At the same time, the client was very happy that progress had been made, the building had now been shaped into compliance with new professionals and business was running at full production.

Adam Leitman Bailey, P.C. carefully documented the intentional deceit and negligence in detail and carefully calculated its losses and was in the process of working with the architectural firm’s insurance company to avoid a lawsuit and receive a proper paycheck.

Our client was in the process of opening new stores and sent our firm many thank you gifts in the form of bread and pastries.

This was one of those feel good stories where as lawyers our firm was worried we would never be able to seek justice for our client and in the end our attorneys reached a happy ending on many levels. And all of the attorneys on the case fell for the client and would not stop working until the good guys and ladies won.

Adam Leitman Bailey and Joanna C. Peck represented the bakery in this matter.