Governing Body Comm'n of the Int'l Soc'y of Krishna Consciousness v. Britten

211 A.D.3d 701

180 N.Y.S.3d 195

GOVERNING BODY COMMISSION OF the INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY OF KRISHNA CONSCIOUSNESS, et al., respondents,

v.David BRITTEN, et al., appellants, et al., defendants.

2018-14507, 2019-03410

Index No. 524895/17

Supreme Court, Appellate Division, Second Department, New York.

Argued—June 24, 2022

December 7, 2022

Blanchard & Wilson LLP, White Plains, NY (Daniel D. Angiolillo, Dennis E. Lynch, Mark W. Blanchard, James L. Virga, and Cotto Law Offices [Mark J. Weinstein], of counsel), for appellants.

Perlman & Perlman, LLP (David G. Samuels and George J. Frumkin, Brooklyn, NY, of counsel), for respondent Governing Body Commission of the International Society of Krishna Consciousness.

Edward S. Rudofsky, P.C., Melville, NY, for respondents William Tripp Suczek, Pragnesh Surti, Frank Lenna, Gita Das, Tapas Kumar Mistri, Minal Patel, Mahua Purakait, Dhruba Saha, and Bharati Center, Inc.

FRANCESCA E. CONNOLLY, J.P., PAUL WOOTEN, DEBORAH A. DOWLING, HELEN VOUTSINAS, JJ.

DECISION & ORDER

In an action, inter alia, for declaratory and injunctive relief, the defendants David Britten, Heather Britten, Arthur Cuffee, Alexis Cuffee, David Jones, Grigory Fooks, Hemwattee Singh, and Mark J. Weinstein appeal from (1) an order of the Supreme Court, Kings County (Dawn Jimenez–Salta, J.), dated October 29, 2018, and (2) an order of the same court dated January 23, 2019. The order dated October 29, 2018, granted the plaintiffs’ motion for summary judgment on the causes of action for declaratory and injunctive relief. The order dated January 23, 2019, denied those defendants’ motion for leave to renew their opposition to the plaintiffs’ motion for summary judgment on the causes of action for declaratory and injunctive relief.

ORDERED that the appeals by the defendant Mark J. Weinstein are dismissed, as he is not aggrieved by the orders appealed from (see CPLR 5511 ; Mixon v. TBV, Inc., 76 A.D.3d 144, 156–157, 904 N.Y.S.2d 132 ); and it is further,

ORDERED that the order dated October 29, 2018, is affirmed on the appeal by the defendants David Britten, Heather Britten, Arthur Cuffee, Alexis Cuffee, David Jones, Grigory Fooks, and Hemwattee Singh; and it is further,

ORDERED that the order dated January 23, 2019, is affirmed on the appeal by the defendants David Britten, Heather Britten, Arthur Cuffee, Alexis Cuffee, David Jones, Grigory Fooks, and Hemwattee Singh; and it is further,

ORDERED that the matter is remitted to the Supreme Court, Kings County, for the entry of a judgment, inter alia, declaring that "the current directors of Bharati Center, Inc. are William Tripp Suczek, Pragnesh Surti, Frank Lenna, Gita Das, Tapas Kumar Mistri, Minal Patel, Mahua Purakait, and Dhruba Saha ("Current Directors")"; that, "as of July 18, 2017, defendant David Britten (a/k/a Ramabhadra Das) is neither a director nor temple president of Bharati Center, Inc."; and that "Defendants Heather Britten (a/k/a Satya Dasi), Arthur Cuffee (a/k/a Adideva Das), Alexis Cuffee, David Jones, Grigory Fooks, Hemwattee Singh, and Shaila Trivedi, are no longer directors or officers of Bharati Center, Inc."; and it is further,

ORDERED that one bill of costs is awarded to the plaintiffs appearing separately and filing separate briefs.

This case involves a dispute between two groups affiliated with the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, Inc. (hereinafter ISKCON), over the management and control of the ISKCON Radha Govinda Temple, incorporated as Bharati Center, Inc. (hereinafter the Temple), located in Brooklyn. The individual parties are members of ISKCON, a New York religious corporation incorporated in 1966. The main point of dispute is the defendants’ attempt to sell the real property upon which the Temple is situated, which is located at 295–309 Schermerhorn Street in Brooklyn, over the objection of the plaintiffs and certain nonparty ISKCON members.

The plaintiffs commenced this action seeking, inter alia, declaratory and injunctive relief. After joinder of issue, the plaintiffs moved for summary judgment on the causes of action for declaratory and injunctive relief. The defendants David Britten, Heather Britten, Arthur Cuffee, Alexis Cuffee, David Jones, Grigory Fooks, and Hemwattee Singh (hereinafter collectively the defendants), among others, opposed the motion. In an order dated October 29, 2018, the Supreme Court granted the plaintiffs’ motion and directed that the following declarations be made: that "the current directors of Bharati Center, Inc. are William Tripp Suczek, Pragnesh Surti, Frank Lenna, Gita Das, Tapas Kumar Mistri, Minal Patel, Mahua Purakait, and Dhruba Saha ("Current Directors")"; that, "as of July 18, 2017, defendant David Britten (a/k/a Ramabhadra Das) is neither a director nor temple president of Bharati Center, Inc."; and that "Defendants Heather Britten (a/k/a Satya Dasi), Arthur Cuffee (a/k/a Adideva Das), Alexis Cuffee, David Jones, Grigory Fooks, Hemwattee Singh, and Shaila Trivedi, are no longer directors or officers of Bharati Center, Inc." The defendants then moved for leave to renew their opposition to the plaintiffs’ motion. In an order dated January 23, 2019, the court denied the defendants’ motion for leave to renew. The defendants appeal from both orders. We affirm.

"The First Amendment forbids civil courts from interfering in or determining religious disputes, because there is substantial danger that the state will become entangled in essentially religious controversies or intervene on behalf of groups espousing particular doctrines or beliefs" ( Matter of Congregation Yetev Lev D'Satmar, Inc. v. Kahana, 9 N.Y.3d 282, 286, 849 N.Y.S.2d 463, 879 N.E.2d 1282 ; see Laguerre v. Maurice, 192 A.D.3d 44, 47, 138 N.Y.S.3d 123 ). However, where, as here, the dispute may be resolved utilizing neutral principles of law, a court may "properly preside over a dispute involving a religious body" ( Russian Orthodox Convent Novo–Diveevo, Inc. v. Sukharevskaya, 166 A.D.3d 1036, 1037, 91 N.Y.S.3d 101 ; see Jones v. Wolf, 443 U.S. 595, 602–603, 99 S.Ct. 3020, 61 L.Ed.2d 775 ; Matter of Congregation Yetev Lev D'Satmar, Inc. v. Kahana, 9 N.Y.3d at 286, 849 N.Y.S.2d 463, 879 N.E.2d 1282 ; First Presbyt. Church of Schenectady v. United Presbyt. Church in U.S. of Am., 62 N.Y.2d 110, 122, 476 N.Y.S.2d 86, 464 N.E.2d 454 ; Merkos L'Inyonei Chinuch, Inc. v. Sharf, 59 A.D.3d 403, 407, 873 N.Y.S.2d 148 ; Kelley v. Garuda, 36 A.D.3d 593, 593, 827 N.Y.S.2d 293 ).

The plaintiffs demonstrated their prima facie entitlement to the foregoing declaratory relief with proof that the defendants were properly and justifiably removed as directors of the plaintiff Bharati Center, Inc., pursuant to, inter alia, the relevant certificate of incorporation and bylaws (see Episcopal Diocese of Rochester v. Harnish, 11 N.Y.3d 340, 348, 870 N.Y.S.2d 814, 899 N.E.2d 920 ; Alvarez v. Prospect Hosp., 68 N.Y.2d 320, 324, 508 N.Y.S.2d 923, 501 N.E.2d 572 ). In opposition,...