Transcript of 7/15/15 court hearing with Queens Housing Judge Clifton Nembhard

8/18/2019 Transcript of 7/15/15 court hearing with Queens Housing Judge Clifton Nembhard

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/transcript-of-71515-court-hearing-with-queens-housing-judge-clifton-nembhard 1/36

THE CI VI L COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORKCI TY OF NEW YORK, COUNTY OF QUEENSCOURT PART: Room 407- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - X

: TOWAKI KOMATSU, :

Pl ai nt i f f , : I ndex #LT: 6104- 15

- agai nst - ::

TURNBURY VI LLAGE LLC, :Def endant . :

:- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - X

Addr ess: New Yor k Ci vi l Cour89- 17 Sut phi n Bl vd

J amai ca, NY 1143

Hear i ng Date: J ul y 15, 201

Bef or e:

HON. NEMBHARD,

J udge.

Appear ance:

TURNBURY VI LLAGE LLC, Pl ai nt i f fSHARON E. COOK, At t or ney f or Pl ai nt i f f

MR. PAPAMI CHAEL, LANDLORD

TOWAKI KOMATSU, Def endant

HPD REPRESENTATI VE

Deni se Hi dal gA+ Of f i ce On Cal l , I nc Tr anscr i pt i oni s



KOMATSU v. TURNBURY VI LLAGE - 6104/ 15 2

( J ul y 15, 2015 – 10: 06: 10 AM)1

( COURT OFFI CER) : Thi s i s t he next , number 61042

of 2015, Komat su agai nst Tur nbur y Vi l l age, cont i nued3

hear i ng. Al l r i ght f ol ks, I ’ m goi ng t o ask you t o have a4

seat at t hi s t abl e [ I NAUDI BLE] st i l l has cases her e t o5

deal wi t h at t hat t abl e, so i f you al l woul d have a seat6

at t he t abl e t o my r i ght , your l ef t .7

[ OFF- MI C, CLATTER, CROSSTALK]8

THE COURT: Mr . Komat su, I t hi nk you’ r e on t he9

st and. ( I NAUDI BLE, CROSSTALK)10

( COURT OFFI CER) : Do you need mor e chai r s?11

MS. COOK: Thanks, I t hought HPD i s goi ng t o si t12

t her e.13

( I NAUDI BLE, CROSSTALK)14

THE COURT: Fol ks, t here’ s no t al ki ng i n here.15

I f you have any conver sat i ons, you’ l l have t o t ake t hem16

out si de.17

[ CROSSTALK, CHAI RS MOVI NG] [ 10: 07: 36]18

MS. COOK: We won’ t be t ouchi ng hi s back now.19

( PAUSE)20

THE COURT: Al l r i ght , f or Pet i t i oner . Your21

name and address?22

MR. KOMATSU: Towaki Komat su, 3530 81st St r eet ,23

Apar t ment 6K, J ackson Hei ght s, NY 11372.24

THE COURT: Al l r i ght , and f or Respondent ?25



KOMATSU v. TURNBURY VI LLAGE Komatsu, by The Court, Direct 3

MS. COOK: Shar on E. Cook, 214- 11 Nor t her n1

Boul evar d, Sui t e 200, Baysi de, NY. Good morni ng, Your2

Honor .3

THE COURT: Good mor ni ng, Counsel . Good mor ni n4

f ol ks. I apol ogi ze f or t he t i ght squeeze, but we do have5

a ver y [ I NAUDI BLE] cases happeni ng t hi s morni ng. Now t hi6

i s a cont i nued hear i ng f or t he, st ar t ed t he hear i ng back7

on J une 8t h. I adj our ned t he mat t er t o t oday t o cont i nue.8

The par t i es had agreed t hat t he Cour t woul d conduct i t s9

own i nspect i ons of t he subj ect pr emi ses on J ul y 10t h, t he10

Cour t di d go to the subj ect apar t ment and. . . and di d11

conduct an i nspect i on based on the Pet i t i oner ’ s12

al l egat i ons. Now, HPD had come t o t he premi ses and had13

i ssued vi ol at i ons f or l ack of smoke. . . or def ect i ve smoke14

det ect or i n t he subj ect pr emi ses, def ect i ve Car bon15

Monoxi de det ect or i n subj ect pr emi ses, and a l ocki ng16

assembl y devi ce at t he f i r st r oom. I f memor y serves,17

Pet i t i oner i s conf i r mi ng t hat t hose condi t i ons have been18

addr essed. I s t hat cor r ect , Mr . Komat su?19

MR. KOMATSU: The smoke detect or , yeah. Um. . . what wer e20

t he ot her t wo?21

THE COURT: Smoke detect or , car bon monoxi de detect or , and22

t he l ocki ng assembl y [ I NAUDI BLE] .23

A Yeah.24

Q Al l t hr ee of t hose wer e cor r ect ed?25




A Yeah.1

Q I s t hat cor r ect ?2

A But t her e wer e addi t i onal vi ol at i ons by HPD.3

Q Wel l , t her e wer e no ot her vi ol at i ons l i st ed by HPD4

[ I NAUDI BLE] t he subj ect premi ses. You had al l eged t hat5

not wi t hst andi ng t he HPD i nspect i on r epor t , t hat t her e wer e6

ot her condi t i ons i n your apar t ment . . .7

A What I ’ m. . . what I ’ m sayi ng, i s a pr evi ous HPD8

i nspect or i ssued vi ol at i ons. . .9

Q Al l r i ght , okay.10

A And i t ’ s st i l l on t he HPD’ s websi t e.11

Q Al l r i ght , but t hat i s not t he subj ect of t he Consent12

Or der t hat t he part i es ent er ed i nt o on May 4t h. So t hi s hear i n13

wi l l onl y be wi t h r espect t o t he Consent Or der ent er ed i nt o by14

t he par t i es on May 4t h

.15

A Can I see t hat Consent Or der , pl ease? Thank you.16

( PAUSE) [ PHONE] Sor r y.17

Q Coul d you t ur n t hat of f , pl ease?18

A Yeah. Sur e. ( PAUSE)19

Q I s t he phone of f ?20

A Yeah. ( PAUSE) Um, I don’ t see here wher e i t21

enumer at es t he speci f i c t ypes of vi ol at i ons t hat Respondent wa22

t o addr ess on. . . i t l ooks l i ke on May 7t h. I t j ust i ndi cat es23

t hat t hey wer e t o. . .24

Q Pass i t t o me. ( PAUSE) Al l r i ght . Par agr aph 2 of25




t he Consent Or der not es t hat t hi s Consent Or der onl y. . . i s onl y1

wi t h r espect t o condi t i ons l i st ed i n t he vi ol at i on summar y2

r epor t dat ed May 1st , 2015. I wi l l show you a copy of t hat3

r epor t .4

A That ’ s based of f of - - [ PHONE NOI SE] I t hought thi s5

was. . . I ’ m sor r y. . . I ’ m j ust goi ng t o make sur e t hi s i s shut6

of f . Okay, t her e. Okay. [ PAUSE] Um. . . [ 10: 12: 36] Okay.7

Um. . . Yeah I see i t ’ s not . . . i t ’ s not l i sted i n t hi s report ,8

but i t ’ s st i l l on HPD’ s websi t e as bei ng acti ve. Si r .9

Q Al l r i ght , so under st andi ng t he i nspect . . . t he HPD10

I nspect or ’ s r epor t t hat under yest er day’ s vi ol at i ons, you di d11

al l ege t her e wer e ext r eme l oud. . . ext r emel y l oud f l ushi ng12

noi ses spr eadi ng i nt o your apart ment f r om ot her apar t ment s i n13

t he bui l di ng, wi t h r espect t o t he t oi l et s.14

A Ri ght . And addi t i onal vi ol at i ons.15

Q And al so. . . and al so you al l ege t hat t her e ar e16

l oud. . . l oudl y squeaki ng f l oor boar ds i n t he bedr oom, l i vi ng17

r oom, and t he hal l way out si de t he bat hroom. That seems t o be18

t he [ I NAUDI BLE] of t hi s HP pr oceedi ng. I di d- -19

A But work- - I ’ m sorr y. . .20

Q - - as I sai d ear l i er , go t o your apar t ment and i nspec21

i t f or i t s sounds. You wer e i n t he mi ddl e of your t est i mony?22

A Yeah. I t hi nk I al so had r epor t ed t hat my t oi l et23

does not f ul l y f l ush when I pr ess t he handl e. So, what . . . i f24

you set asi de t hat HPD’ s i nspect or ’ s det er mi nat i ons t her e25




wer e. . .1

Q The Cour t ’ s not goi ng t o set asi de anyt hi ng. I t ’ s2

al l on t he r ecor d.3

A I under st and t hat , but my poi nt i s t hat I was al so4

r epor t i ng, t her e wer e addi t i onal pr obl ems.5

Q What ot her probl ems?6

A That wer en’ t r ef l ect ed i n t hat HPD i nspect or ’ s7

r epor t , whi ch consi st ed of t he l oudl y squeaki ng f l oor boar ds8

t hr oughout my apart ment i n t he l i vi ng r oom, i n t he hal l way9

out si de of my bat hroom, and i n t he bedroom.10

Q The Cour t noted you di d l i st t hat as one of your11

al l egat i ons. The HPD i nspect or speci f i cal l y. . . speci f i cal l y12

wr ote no vi ol at i ons recorded. However , you have. . . you have13

t he r i ght , not wi t hst andi ng, t he r esul t s of t he HPD i nspect i on,14

t o pr ove t o t he Cour t t hat t hese vi ol at i ons do i ndeed exi st .15

A Cor r ect . So, t hat was one pr obl em. The ot her t wo16

probl ems wer e [ COUGH] Excuse me. [ COUGH] Sor r y. The f act17

t hat when I pr ess t he handl e of my t oi l et , t he cont ent s of18

what ’ s i n t he t oi l et don’ t al ways f ul l y f l ush. Ther e was no19

such. . .20

Q How of t en does t hi s happen?21

A Per i odi cal l y.22

Q You say per i odi cal l y. . .23

MS. COOK: Obj ect i on, Your Honor , may I j ust24

ask, was t hi s a. . . a compl ai nt on t he i ni t i al pe. . . Or der25




t o Show Cause f i l ed by t he Pet i t i oner ?1

THE COURT: Wel l , l et me r evi ew t hat .2

MS. COOK: Because t hi s i s t he f i r st t i me I ’ m3

hear i ng about t hi s.4

Q Mr . Komat su, i t doesn’ t seem t hat you had i ndi cat ed5

t hat t hat was one of t he al l eged vi ol at i ons i n your apar t ment6

when you f i l l ed out t he r equest f or an i nspect i on on Apr i l 13t h7

A Okay. Um. . .8

Q When di d t hi s pr obl em st ar t ?9

A I t was around t he same t i me t hat t he super . . . t he10

super i nt endent of my apar t ment bui l di ng changed t he11

f l ushomet er . . .12

Q What was t he dat e?13

A I bel i eve ar ound Apr i l 7t h, i f I ’ m not mi staken.14

MS. COOK: Your Honor . . .15

Q So why di dn’ t you l i st i t as a compl ai nt i n your16

( I NAUDI BLE) ?17

A I t seemed t hat he had r esol ved t he i ssue, but t hen18

i t . . . t he pr obl em r esur f aced.19

Q Al l ri ght . As I not ed ear l i er , because t hi s HP20

act i on i s, onl y concer ns t he Consent Or der , and t he Consent21

Or der r ef er s t o t he vi ol at i on r epor t - -22

A Okay.23

Q - - and t hat was not addr essed i n t he vi ol at i on summary24

report , I ’ m goi ng t o grant . . .25




MS. COOK: Thank you ver y much, Your Honor .1

THE COURT: Respondent ’ s appl i cat i on.2

MR. KOMATSU: Okay.3

THE COURT: You can’ t t est i f y t o t hat , al l4

r i ght ? J ust t o t hose speci f i c al l egat i ons you set f or t h5

i n your i nspect i on r equest .6

MR. KOMATSU: And so. . . I ’ m sor r y, do you mi nd7

i f I see t hat . . .8

THE COURT: The r equest f or i nspect i on.9

MR. KOMATSU: Yes, j ust f or r evi ew. . . ( PAUSE)10

Okay.11

THE COURT: Do you have any mor e t est i mony?12

A I do. Um. . . you ment i oned t hat you were i n my13

apar t ment on Fr i day. Bef ore anyone came i nto my apar t ment , I14

had a. . . an audi o r ecor di ng. . . a di gi t al audi o r ecor der t hat15

was act i vel y r ecor di ng i n my bat hr oom, so when peopl e st epped16

i nsi de my apart ment , I had an audi o r ecorder t hat was act i vel y17

r ecor di ng, and at t he poi nt wher e I was i nst r uct ed t o t ur n of f18

al l r ecor di ng devi ces, I went i nsi de t he bat hr oom, shut i t of f19

but i t st i l l capt ur ed par t of t he conver sat i on t hat we had.20

Q How woul d i t capt ur e par t of t he conver sat i on- - ?21

A Because of the sensi t i vi t y of the mi cr ophone i s22

st r ong enough t o capt ur e sounds f r om out si de of t he bathr oom.23

Q So you’ r e t el l i ng me, t hat when you shut of f t he24

r ecor di ng devi ce, because t he mi cr ophone i s so sensi t i ve i t25




woul d st i l l r ecor d?1

A I t . . . no. Basi cal l y what I ’ m sayi ng i s, bef or e2

anyone came i nt o my apar t ment i t was r ecor di ng, so when. . .3

Q And you wer e i nst r uct ed by t he of f i cer to t ur n of f4

t he devi ce. . .5

A So I compl i ed [ 10: 17: 36] wi t h t hat or der , I went i nt6

t he bat hr oom, I shut i t of f , but ever yt hi ng t hat had been7

r ecorded up unt i l t hat poi nt was st ored i n t he memory of t hat8

devi ce.9

Q Uh- huh.10

A So, what I ’ m t r yi ng t o say i s, when we wer e st andi ng11

i n my l i vi ng r oom, havi ng t hat conver sat i on, t al ki ng about how12

I needed t o shut of f t he r ecor di ng devi ces, t her e was a l oud13

f l ushi ng noi se t hat t he audi o r ecor der pi cked up t hat ’ s put14

i nt o my bat hr oom, whi l e. . .15

Q So, you’ r e sayi ng t hat ther e was a l oud f l ushi ng16

noi se. . .17

A At t he same t i me we wer e t al ki ng i n t he l i vi ng r oom.18

Q When t he Cour t ent er ed your apar t ment ?19

A Wel l , whi l e we were st andi ng i n my l i vi ng r oom. And20

t hat was t he pr i mary pur pose of havi ng that r ecordi ng made, t o21

essent i al l y subst ant i at e t he cl ai m t hat t hese event s ar e22

af f ect i ng my apart ment .23

Q Can you subst ant i at e t hat cl ai m?24

A Absol ut el y. Based on t he r ecor di ng t hat i ndi cat es25




t he noi se came i nt o my apar t ment at . . . 2: 46 PM on Fr i day.1

Basi cal l y, t hi s i s a CD t hat has audi o r ecor di ngs. . . audi o2

r ecor di ngs and vi deo r ecor di ngs of l oud f l ushi ng noi ses t hat3

came i nt o my apar t ment on J ul y 10t h, at 2: 46PM.4

Q Let me ask you somet hi ng Mr . Komat su.5

A Yeah?6

Q Ar e t hese l oud f l ushi ng noi ses. . . ar e t hey7

consi st ent , or per i odi c?8

A They’ r e per i odi c, but t hey’ r e consi st ent wi t h r espec9

t o t he f act t hat t hey happen ever y day, dur i ng the day and10

ni ght .11

Q How many t i mes a day do t hey happen?12

A They var y. They can be as hi gh as l i ke 15 t i mes a13

day. They’ r e most . . . t hey’ r e most f r equent af t er 12: 30 i n t he14

mor ni ng. So basi cal l y by r evi ewi ng. . . by r evi ewi ng t hese15

r ecor di ngs I can f i nd out t he dat e and t i mes t hat t hey happen,16

and t he r el at i ve, l i ke, l oudness, and so I can put t hat dat a17

i nt o Excel , do some anal ysi s t her e, and essent i al l y pr edi ct18

when t hese t hi ngs ar e most f r equent .19

MS. COOK: J udge, I ’ m goi ng t o obj ect t o t he20

i nt r oduct i on of any CDs wi t h t hese noi ses. Appar ent l y Mr21

Komatsu i s goi ng t o t el l us t hat whi l e we wer e al l22

di scussi ng t he f act t hat . . . I t ake t hat back, whi l e you23

and Mr . Komatsu wer e di scussi ng t he f act t hat he shoul d24

not be usi ng a r ecor di ng devi ce, t hi s l oud f l ushi ng noi se25




occur r ed. Obvi ousl y i f i t occur r ed whi l e we wer e al l1

st andi ng t her e, and i t was t hat l oud, you woul d t hi nk t hat2

we woul d have hear d i t . The Cour t can determi ne f or3

i t sel f whet her i t hear d a l oud f l ushi ng noi se dur i ng t hi s4

t i me. I cer t ai nl y di d not . I t seems t o me t hat t he5

pur pose of t hi s i nspect i on was t o go and act ual l y6

physi cal l y hear , wi t h our ear s, t he sound t hat occur r ed7

when a downst ai r s t oi l et was f l ushed, as opposed t o t he8

sound t hat Mr . Komat su has managed t o r epl i cat e on a CD.9

Based upon t he i nspect i on, I woul d move f or t he di smi ssal10

of t hi s pr oceedi ng r i ght now. I t ’ s conf i r med t hat t he11

Respondent l andl or d has cor r ect ed t he vi ol at i ons t hat wer12

i ssued by HPD. We al r eady know t hat HPD and DOB have bot13

f ai l ed t o i ssue compl ai nt . . . vi ol at i ons f or t he condi t i on14

he’ s now t al ki ng about . The Cour t sai d, not wi t hst andi ng15

t he f act t hat t hey’ ve gone t her e, on t wo occasi ons, and16

have f ai l ed t o wr i t e vi ol at i ons, I wi l l al l ow you t o17

t est i f y about i t . We st ar t ed t hi s hear i ng, t he Cour t18

gr aci ousl y agr eed t o go out and l i st en f or i t sel f . Your19

Honor , based upon what we al l heard t her e, on Fr i day, I20

t hi nk i t i s so cl ear t hat t he condi t i on t hat Mr . Komat su21

i s compl ai ni ng about , si mpl y cannot possi bl y ri se t o t he22

l evel of a vi ol at i on. The sounds that we hear d i n hi s23

apar t ment were exact l y t he sounds t hat one woul d expect t24

hear i n a mul t i pl e dwel l i ng i f one wal ked t hr ough an25




apar t ment , or a nei ghbor f l ushed a t oi l et . To cont i nue t1

dr ag t hi s out f or hour s and hour s i s si mpl y a mi suse of2

j udi ci al t i me, and a subst ant i al i nj ust i ce t o t he l andl or3

who i s, of cour se, payi ng me t o be her e, t o l i st en t o al l4

of t hi s. What ever i s on t hat CD can’ t be bet t er evi dence5

t han what t hi s Cour t heard wi t h i t s own ear s.6

MR. KOMATSU: Your Honor , may I speak, pl ease?7

THE COURT: I ’ m goi ng t o ask you t o addr ess8

t hat .9

A Absol ut el y. Fi r st of al l when we had t hi s pr evi ous10

cour t hear i ng, I t hi nk t he agr eement act ual l y was t hat Your11

Honor woul d come t o the apar t ment bui l di ng, conduct an12

obj ect i ve i nspect i on, um, however [ 10: 22: 36] at no poi nt on13

Fr i day di d any member of t hi s Cour t go t o any ot her apar t ment14

but mi ne t o ver i f y what was bei ng done t o essent i al l y t r i gger15

t he condi t i on t hat woul d cause a noi se t o possi bl y spr ead i nt o16

my apar t ment . So, t her e’ s no way t o ver i f y whet her someone17

pr essed t he handl e of t he t oi l et i n apar t ment 5K, 4K, 3K. . .18

Q Mr . Komat su, wel l , how coul d we ver i f y t hat . . . t hat19

t he pr essi ng of t he t oi l et i s what t r i gger ed what ever you have20

on your r ecor di ng?21

A Sorr y?22

Q How can we ver i f y t hat whatever , t hat t he pr essi ng o23

t he t oi l et i n anot her apar t ment i s what t r i gger ed what ever you24

have on t hat r ecordi ng?25




A Ri ght . . . um. . . t hat ’ s har d. . . t hat ’ s har d t o answer .1

Q Based on t he same ar gument .2

A I under st and t hat , but t hat ’ s t he r eason why I t ook 3

separate vi deo recordi ng at t he same t i me I was r ecor di ng t he4

audi o.5

Q Of . . . of a t oi l et i n anot her apar t ment bei ng6

si mul t aneousl y f l ushed?7

A No. What I ’ m t r yi ng t o say i s. . .8

Q I mean t he argument . . . i f t hat ’ s your argument , t hen9

how can you be sure t hat what ever you have on t hat t ape was10

t r i gger ed by t he f l ushi ng of a t oi l et i n anot her apar t ment ?11

A I can’ t . . . I can’ t f ul l y say what t he par t i cul ar12

cause i s. Al l I can show by. . . on t hat vi deo r ecor di ng. . .13

Q Wel l , your . . .14

A I ’ m t r yi ng t o answer your quest i on, Your Honor .15

Q Wel l , i f you sai d t hat you can’ t say what t he16

par t i cul ar cause i s, your speci f i c al l egat i on was t hat i t17

causes ext r emel y l oud f l ushi ng noi ses spr eadi ng i nt o my18

apar t ment f r om ot her . . . f r om ot her apar t ment s.19

A What I ’ ve been t ol d pr evi ousl y by t he Respondent i s20

t hat t hey changed t he f l ushomet er i n Apar t ment 4K, t hat was21

back i n Sept ember . I had t wo i nspect ors f r om t he Depart ment o22

Envi r onment al Pr ot ect i on i n my apar t ment at 9: 00 o’ cl ock l ast23

ni ght , and t hey. . . one was a f ormer pl umber . He was tel l i ng m24

t hat . . .25




MS. COOK: Obj ect i on.1

THE COURT: Sust ai ned. Sust ai ned. You can’ t2

t el l me what a f ormer pl umber , or anyone el se who’ s not a3

par t y t o t hi s pr oceedi ng, t ol d you.4

MR. KOMATSU: I ’ m sor r y, but I can’ t . . . I can’ t5

t al k about what an i nspect or . . .6

THE COURT: No, you can’ t t el l me t hat . . . t hat ’7

hear say.8

MR. KOMATSU: Okay.9

THE COURT: I f you had brought t he pl umber i n10

t hi s mor ni ng t o t est i f y, but you can’ t t el l me what t he11

pl umber t ol d you.12

MR. KOMATSU: Ri ght . But i t ’ s my underst andi ng13

t hat , I t hi nk Sect i on 27- 2115 of t he admi ni st r at i ve code14

pr ovi des a t enant wi t h t he oppor t uni t y to sus. . . t o have 15

cour t r each a det er mi nat i on t hat vi ol at i ons exi st i n16

l i eu. . .17

THE COURT: That ’ s why we’ r e here, Mr . Komat su.18

MR. KOMATSU: And t hat ’ s why I brought evi dence19

t o subst ant i at e my cl ai ms.20

MS. COOK: But - -21

THE COURT: Wel l , t he quest i on i s t hi s. The22

r eason t hat t he Cour t went t o t he apar t ment was t o hear23

f or i t sel f .24

MR. KOMATSU: Ri ght .25




THE COURT: Not t o r el y on any r ecor di ngs t hat1

may or may not have been t r i ggered by t he f l ushi ng of t he2

t oi l et i n another apart ment . By your own admi ssi on, you3

don’ t know what t r i ggered what ever noi ses you have4

r ecorded t oday. The Cour t di d conduct an obj ect i ve5

i nspect i on of t he subj ect pr emi ses l ast Fri day.6

MR. KOMATSU: Of my apar t ment .7

THE COURT: I hear d f or mysel f t he condi t i ons8

t hat you al l eged exi st ed i n t hi s apar t ment .9

MR. KOMATSU: Al so, coul d I addr ess ot her poi nt10

t hat . . .11

THE COURT: Wel l , t hat i s t he mai n poi nt I want12

you t o addr ess. . .13

A Wel l , I ’ d l i ke t o f i ni sh addr essi ng her ar gument .14

Q Okay.15

A One of t he cl ai ms t hat Ms. Cook made was t hat t he16

peopl e i n my apar t ment on Fr i day must have. . . must cl ear l y hav17

been abl e to have hear d a f l ushi ng noi se i f i t had spr ead i nt o18

my apar t ment . But any r easonabl e person woul d nat ur al l y19

bel i eve t hat i f a gr oup of peopl e ar e havi ng a conver sat i on at20

t he same t i me, t hen t hei r at t ent i on i s f ocused on t he21

conver sat i on t hat t hey’ r e havi ng, as opposed t o some other22

noi se t hat ’ s not i n t he i mmedi at e vi ci ni t y.23

Q Wel l , l et me ask you, di d you hear t hat noi se24

whi l e. . . whi l e I was speaki ng t o you i n your apar t ment on25




Fri day?1

A I was f ocused on t he conver sat i on.2

Q I s t hat a yes or no?3

A I don’ t recal l .4

Q You don’ t recal l whet her or not you heard i t .5

A I don’ t r ec. . . no, I don’ t . The onl y t hi ng I can6

conf i rm. . .7

Q Woul d you descr i be t hese sounds as ext r emel y l oud?8

A Yes.9

Q You don’ t r ecal l hear i ng whether or not you hear d an10

ext r emel y l oud noi se emanat i ng f r om your . . . your bat hr oom,11

whi l e I was- - ?12

A Onl y because I was di st r acted by t he conver sat i on13

t hat we were havi ng.14

Q You say, you don’ t r ecal l , or . . . you di dn’ t hear15

because you were di st r act ed?16

A I . . . I bel i eve. . . I bel i eve t hat t he onl y r eason I17

di dn’ t hear t hat was because I was di st r act ed by t he18

conver sat i on t hat we wer e havi ng at t he t i me.19

Q So t he answer i s you di dn’ t hear i t , but you bel i eve20

t he r eason you di dn’ t hear i t was because of t he conver sat i on21

we were havi ng [ I NAUDI BLE]22

A I bel i eve so.23

Q Okay, I ’ m goi ng t o gr ant Respondent ’ s appl i cat i on,24

agai n, Cour t di d conduct , t o t he ext ent not f or di smi ssal of25




t he pr oceedi ng- -1

A However , t her e ar e ot her . . .2

Q But , t o t he ext ent t hat t he Cour t wi l l not al l ow you3

t o i nt r oduce a recor di ng t hat was made at t he t i me t hat t hi s4

Cour t was i n your apar t ment , speci f i cal l y t o i nspect and l i st e5

f or t he quot e- unquot e ext r emel y l oud f l ushi ng noi ses t hat wer e6

spr eadi ng i nt o your apar t ment f r om ot her apar t ment s.7

A That woul d appear t o be a cl ear vi ol at i on of CPLR8

5015, t hat per t ai ns t o uncon. . . t o unconsci onabi l i t y.9

THE COURT: Thi s Cour t di sagrees wi t h t hat .10

MR. KOMATSU: I s your deci si on subj ect t o appea11

pur suant t o [ I NAUDI BLE] 704.12

THE COURT: Every cour t ’ s deci si on i s subj ect t13

appeal , Mr . Komatsu.14

MR. KOMATSU: Okay.15

THE COURT: Al l r i ght ? You may proceed?16

A Can I pl ay ot her [ 10: 27: 36] recor di ngs t hat were mad17

on ot her dat es, t hat are on that same CD?18

Q Wel l . . . wel l agai n, as I sai d bef or e t he Cour t hear d19

f or i t sel f . Now i f i t ’ s your . . . i f i t ’ s your t est i mony t hat20

what t he Cour t hear d wasn’ t a condi t i on t hat . . . t hat you have21

[ I NAUDI BLE] compl ai ned about , I wi l l l i st en t o your t est i mony22

wi t h r egar d t o t hat .23

A Because t he poi nt I ’ m t r yi ng t o make i s t hat on J ul y24

13t h, af t er Your Honor was i n my apar t ment , I r ecor ded bot h on25




audi o and a separate vi deo recordi ng t he same t ype of f l ushi ng1

noi ses t hat were come. . . t hat were spr eadi ng t o my apar t ment ,2

whi l e t he handl e of my t oi l et was not bei ng f l ushed. So. . .3

Q Can you subst ant i at e t he f act t hat i t was emanat i ng4

because of a f l ushi ng noi se f r om ot her apar t ment s?5

A I . . . what I can substant i at e. . .6

Q . . . t he f l ushi ng of t he t oi l et i n ot her apar t ment s?7

A The t hi ng t hat I can subst ant i at e i s t he f act t hat8

t her e was a noi se, spreadi ng i nt o my apart ment whi l e my t oi l et9

was not i n use.10

Q Di d you hear t hat noi se. . .11

MS. COOK: I ’ m sor r y, I di dn’ t hear t he end of12

hi s sent ence, whi l e. . .13

Q Speak t o t he back of t he r oom.14

A Basi cal l y, t he poi nt I ’ m maki ng i s t hat I can f ul l y15

subst ant i at e t he f act t hat a noi se, a l oud noi se spr ead i nt o my16

apart ment whi l e t he t oi l et i n my bathr oom was not i n use17

what soever , and whi l e I was pr esent i n my apar t ment . And t hat18

was on J ul y 13t h.19

MS. COOK: Wel l , agai n, I t hi nk, Your Honor ,20

we’ r e back t o t he same quest i on. He heard a noi se. We21

don’ t know what caused t he noi se.22

Q Why do you bel i eve i t was a f l ushi ng noi se spreadi ng23

f r om anot her apar t ment , and. . . ?24

A Um. . . because t hat ’ s t he area i n whi ch i t ent er ed my25




apar t ment was t hat gener al . . . t hat speci f i c par t of my1

apar t ment , f r om t he bat hr oom, and f r om t he pi pe t hat connect s2

t he t oi l et i n my bat hr oom t o t he wal l .3

Q What par t of t he bui l di ng wer e you. . . what par t of4

your apar t ment were you i n?5

A I was i n t he bat hr oom at t he t i me.6

Q [ I NAUDI BLE]7

A And I had a vi deo camera poi nted at t he handl e of my8

t oi l et at t he t i me.9

Q Wer e t hose noi ses si mi l ar t o t he noi ses t hat t he10

Cour t hear d whi l e i t was i n your apar t ment on. . . on t he 10t h?11

A But i t seems t o have been t he case t hat t he Cour t , I12

guess, expr essed i t di dn’ t hear a noi se.13

Q The Cour t di dn’ t expr ess any f eel i ngs wi t h r espect t14

what i t hear d.15

A Okay. Because I ’ m not . . .16

Q What I ’ m aski ng you i s, wer e t hose noi ses si mi l ar t o17

t he noi ses t hat . . . t hat emanat ed f r om your t oi l et on J ul y 10t h?18

A Yes. Yes.19

Q Those are t he same noi ses t hat you compl ai n about i n20

t hi s Cour t ?21

A Yes. Al so, t hat vi deo r ecor di ng shows, i n22

par t i cul ar , t hat t he noi se l evel t hat was r ecor ded by a sound23

l evel met er r eached as hi gh was 72. 5 deci bel s i n my bathr oom a24

t he t i me.25




Q Those were t he same noi ses t hat t he Cour t heard, or1

t hat emanat ed f r om your apart ment - -2

A Yes.3

Q - - when t he Cour t was i n t here? [ PAUSE] Anyt hi ng4

el se?5

A Um. . . I have a separate vi deo r ecordi ng t hat was6

r ecor ded t oday, of t he l oudl y squeaki ng f l oor boar ds i n my7

apar t ment .8

Q You have a vi deo- - ?9

A Basi cal l y I wal ked. . .10

Q Of boards squeaki ng?11

A Basi cal l y I wal ked t hr ough. . . a vi deo. I wal ked12

t hr oughout my apart ment and basi cal l y was f i l mi ng on vi deo t ha13

coul d r ecord t he l ocat i on and. . . and sounds t hat wer e pr oduced14

by me si mpl y wal ki ng acr oss my apar t ment .15

MS. COOK: Wel l , Your Honor , I woul d cer t ai nl y16

obj ect t o the i nt r oduct i on of t hi s audi o and vi deo because17

agai n, we al l hear d Mr . Komat su’ s al l egat i on of t he18

squeaki ng f l oor boar ds. I don’ t see t hat t he i nt r oduct i on19

of a vi deo or an audi o r ecor di ng i s goi ng t o be at al l20

hel pf ul i n det er mi ni ng whet her or not t hi s noi se exi st s.21

We hear d i t t hat day. The quest i on f or t he Cour t i s22

whet her or not t he noi se you heard, and I t hi nk we can al23

agr ee that when he st ood t her e and moved hi s f eet back an24

f or t h, we hear d a squeak. The quest i on f or t he Cour t i s,25




does t hat squeak r i se t o t he l evel of a vi ol at i on? And I1

submi t t hat t hat squeak was so f ar f r om t he ki nd of noi se2

t hat woul d const i t ut e a noi se vi ol at i on, as t o f ul l y3

suppor t t he deci si on of t he agenci es not t o i ssue4

vi ol at i ons f or t hat .5

A HPD pr evi ousl y i ssued a vi ol at i on f or t hi s ver y6

condi t i on. . . whet her . . .7

MS. COOK: Not t he subj ect of t hi s. . .8

Q Not i n t hi s case. Not i n t hi s case.9

A I under st and t hat .10

Q Speci f i cal l y. . . he speci f i cal l y compl ai ned of l oudl y11

squeaki ng f l oor boar ds i n t he bedr oom, l i vi ng r oom and hal l way12

out si de of t he bat hr oom.13

A Exact l y.14

Q The HPD i nspect or speci f i cal l y wr ot e no vi ol at i on15

[ I NAUDI BLE] and agai n goi ng back t o Counsel ’ s poi nt , t hi s Cour t16

i ni t i al l y. . . or speci f i cal l y came t o your apar t ment t o l i st en17

t o t he noi ses emanat i ng f r om your bat hr oom. However , you di d18

al so not e to the Cour t t hat you had made t hi s speci f i c19

al l egat i on i n your vi ol at i on. . . i n your r equest f or an20

i nspecti on.21

A Ri ght .22

Q Di d have an oppor t uni t y, gave you t he oppor t uni t y23

t o. . . t o demonst r at e [ 10: 32: 36] t hese noi ses, t hese squeaki ng24

sounds emanat i ng f r om t he f l oorboar ds.25




A Cor r ect .1

Q What ’ s di f f er ent f r om what t he Cour t hear d on Fr i day2

f r om what ’ s on t hi s t ape t oday?3

A The di f f er ence i s, i t seems t hat when t he Cour t was4

i n my apar t ment on Fr i day, i t conduct ed a r ather qui ck5

i nspect i on of my apart ment t o det er mi ne whet her condi t i ons6

exi st ed. I t di dn’ t seem t o me t hat i t spent . . . I woul dn’ t say7

a si gni f i cant amount of t i me, but I woul d say a more r easonabl8

amount of t i me t o conduct a compr ehensi ve i nspect i on.9

Q Wel l , we di d not have t he oppor t uni t y t o go t hr ough10

t hose part s of t he apart ment and demonst r ate f or t he Cour t t he11

squeaky f l oor boar ds. ( I NAUDI BLE)12

A I di d. And whi l e Your Honor . . .13

Q Di d you do so?14

A I di d, however , I t hi nk I mi ssed a f ew spot s wher e15

t her e wer e al so some, what do you cal l i t . . . or wher e t he16

vol ume was hi gher . That ’ s what I was t r yi ng t o. . .17

Q You mi ssed t he spot s wher e t he vol ume was hi gher?18

A Yeah, whi l e I was wal ki ng t hrough my apar t ment on19

Fr i day. And wi t h r egar ds t o t he i nspect i on of . . . f or t he20

pur poses of det er mi ni ng whet her t her e wer e f l ushi ng noi ses21

spr eadi ng t o my apar t ment , i t ’ s pr et t y cl ear t o me t hat onl y22

t he apar t ment i n 5K or perhaps i t was 5K, I don’ t know whi ch23

apar t ment Respondent ’ s cont r act or s or empl oyees were i n when24

t hey pr essed t he handl e of t hat t oi l et , pr esumabl y, but i t ’ s25




pr et t y cl ear t hat what . . . I guess f our ot her apar t ment s i n t he1

ver t i cal l i ne, l i ke, 1K, 2K, 3K, 4K. . . t her e was no2

compr ehensi ve i nspect i on done on Fri day of al l t he. . . al l t he3

apart ment s i n t he same ver t i cal l i ne t o det er mi ne whet her4

pr essi ng t he handl e on each of t hose t oi l et s woul d t r i gger . . .5

Q Di d you speci f i cal l y t est i f y t hat . . . t hat when t he6

Apar t ment 5 wor k. . . went t o apar t ment 5K, f l ushed t he t oi l et7

and r ecorded t he audi o, or t hat t he audi o r ecorded, was8

emanat i ng f r om apar t ment 5K.9

A That ’ s my assumpt i on. I can’ t conf i r m i t because I10

don’ t have access t o t hat apar t ment .11

Q That was your t est i mony.12

A I under st and t hat .13

Q So t hat t est i mony i s pur e. . . pur e. . . pur e assumpt i on14

A No, what I sai d. . . t hat was based on t he f act t hat a15

Depart ment of Bui l di ngs i nspect or who went . . . who vi si t ed my16

apar t ment on, I t hi nk, J anuar y 22nd, t ol d me t hat he had gone t17

apar t ment 5K. . .18

Q So i t ’ s based on what you were t ol d.19

A Yeah.20

Q Not what you hear d. . .21

A I never had physi cal access t o any other apart ment22

but mi ne.23

Q I s any ot her . . . was any. . . anyt hi ng el se i n your24

t est i mony based on hearsay?25




A No. I don’ t consi der t hat t o be hear say. I had an1

of f i ci al i nspect or assi gned t o t he Depar t ment of Bui l di ngs2

conduct i ng an of f i ci al i nspect i on on or about J anuar y 22nd of3

2015, t el l i ng me t hat he went t o Apar t ment 5K, pr essed t he4

handl e of t hat t oi l et about t hr ee t i mes, and dur i ng t hat5

i nspect i on, on or about J anuar y 22nd, I was act i vel y recor di ng6

i n my bathr oom t o det er mi ne whet her t he pr essi ng of t hat handl7

i n some ot her apar t ment was causi ng noi ses t o spread i nto my8

apar t ment . And I have a separ at e audi o r ecor di ng f r om J anuar y9

22nd t hat conf i r ms t hat at about 10: 10 i n t he mor ni ng, whi l e10

t hat i nspect or was pr essi ng t hat handl e, t her e wer e noi ses that11

spr ead i nt o my apar t ment .12

Q So you. . .13

MS. COOK: And t he i nspect or di dn’ t pl ace a14

vi ol at i on t hat day, accor di ng t o Mr . Komat su’ s t est i mony.15

A I ’ m sor r y, I l i st ened t o you speak.16

Q Okay, Counsel , l et hi m f i ni sh [ I NAUDI BLE] .17

A That same i nspec- . . .18

Q Thi s Cour t has so noted.19

A That same. . . t hat same i nspect or had a compl ai nt20

f i l ed agai nst hi m by me f or aski ng me i f I ’ d ever t hought about21

movi ng short l y af t er he ent ered my apar t ment .22

Q So you’ r e r el yi ng on t hat . . . on what t hat i nspect or23

t ol d you as evi dence t hat t her e. . . t hi s noi se i s emanat i ng f r o24

apart ment 5K, but now you’ r e t el l i ng me t hat you had t o f i l e a25




compl ai nt agai nst t hi s i nspect or ?1

A Yeah. Basi cal l y what happened on t he 22nd was, I2

opened t he door t o my apar t ment , he came i n, shor t l y af t er3

comi ng i n. . .4

Q Wel l , I ’ m not i nt er est ed i n t he speci f i cs of what5

happened- -6

A Ri ght , but I mean. . .7

Q - - I j ust want t o make i t cl ear , so t hat you r el y on8

hi s ver aci t y wi t h r espect t o t he f act t hat he had, at t he9

apar t ment . . . t he t oi l et i n apar t ment 5K f l ush. . .10

A Cor r ect .11

Q And t hat ’ s when you were abl e t o r ecor d t hose noi ses?12

A Cor r ect , and wi t h r egar ds t o. . . wi t h r egar ds t o t he13

22nd of J anuary, when that i nspect or was i n my apart ment ’ s14

bathr oom, t her e was a pi pe f i t t i ng t hat was not packed nor15

seal ed, i n vi ol at i on of 27- 769 of t he admi ni st r at i ve code.16

MS. COOK: Obj ect i on, Your Honor .17

THE COURT: Sust ai ned.18

MS. COOK: Thank you.19

MR. KOMATSU: No, t he poi nt . . . t he poi nt I ’ m20

t r yi ng t o make. . .21

THE COURT: I t ’ s sust ai ned, agai n, I ’ d need som22

t ype of exper t t o t est i f y t o t hat .23

A I have a phot ogr aph.24

Q Let me ask you t hi s ot her quest i on. Bet ween t he t i m25




t hat you schedul ed t he i nspect i on, and J ul y 10t h, were any1

r epai r s done t o abate, as f ar as you know, t o abat e t he2

condi t i on you compl ai ned of ?3

A The f l ushi ng?4

Q Any of t he condi t i ons you compl ai ned of .5

A Cer t ai nl y not t he squeaki ng f l oor boar ds. I act ual l y6

asked Mr . Papami chael , who i s s i t t i ng about 10 f eet away f r om7

me, i f he woul d make r epai r s t o t he f l oor boar ds [ 10: 37: 36] and8

he t ol d me he woul d not , and. . .9

Q No, my quest i on i s, wer e any r epai r s, or anyt hi ng10

done t o abat e any of t he condi t i ons? Not whether somebody. . .11

A I don’ t bel i eve so.12

Q You don’ t bel i eve so?13

A No. Um. . . I may be. . . I may be mi st aken, but r i ght14

now my memor y escapes me, so. . .15

Q Wel l , as f ar as you know. . . ?16

A No. But j ust to be per f ect l y cl ear , when Your Honor17

was i n my apar t ment on Fr i day we t al ked about whet her a18

vi ol at i on had been i ssued f or t he f l oor boar ds. Mr .19

Papami chael , i n Your Honor ’ s presence, st at ed t hat no vi ol at i o20

had been i ssued about t he f l oorboar ds, however hi s at t or ney,21

shor t l y ther eaf t er cor r ect ed hi m by sayi ng t hat HPD di d i n f ac22

i ssue a vi ol at i on about t he f l oor boar ds.23

Q Wel l , wi t h r espect t o t hi s par t i cul ar pr oceedi ng, no24

vi ol at i ons wer e i ssued f or t he f l oor boar ds.25




A However , t hat st i l l does not di scount t he f act t hat 1

f al se st at ement was made i n your presence by Mr . Papami chael .2

Q Okay. The i ssue her e i s. . . i s t hi s Consent Or der .3

I t ’ s an or der r el at es back t o the vi ol at i ons on t he r epor t , as4

I not ed bef or e, t her e wer e no vi ol at i ons i ssued f or t he l oudl y5

squeaki ng f l oor boar ds i n t he bedr oom, l i vi ng r oom, or out si de6

t he bat hr oom [ I NAUDI BLE] .7

A And t hat may have been because t he vi ol at i on had8

al r eady been i ssued.9

Q Anyt hi ng el se?10

A Um. . . so j ust t o be cl ear can. . . I ’ m not al l owed t o,11

I guess, t al k about t he t oi l et s?12

Q You can. . . you can t al k about t he t oi l et s.13

A Okay.14

Q You can t al k about t he t oi l et s.15

A But I can’ t pl ay back any t ype of . . .16

Q Wel l , t he pur pose of t he i nspect i on was t o have t he17

Cour t hear f or i t sel f t hese noi ses you’ r e compl ai ni ng about .18

A Ri ght .19

Q So agai n. . . and you’ ve al r eady t ol d t he Cour t t hat20

t he noi ses t he Cour t hear d on J ul y 10t h, were t he same noi ses21

t hat you compl ai ned about i n your , when you wer e f i l l i ng out22

t hi s i nspect i on r equest .23

A Ri ght . But , can I pl ay back t hat vi deo r ecor di ng on24

J ul y 13t h, t hat shows t he l evel i n t er ms of deci bel s t hat t he25




noi se r eached at 12: 20 i n t he morni ng.1

Q Agai n. . .2

MS. COOK: I t hought my obj ect i on t o t hat was3

sust ai ned?4

Q That ’ s r i ght , agai n. I f i t ’ s t he same, i f i t ’ s t he5

same condi t i on t hat t he Cour t hear d f or i t sel f . . .6

A But . . .7

Q There’ s no need t o pl ay t he t ape. The Cour t hear d8

f or t he Cour t ’ s sel f .9

A The Cour t di dn’ t i ndi cat e whet her or not i n f act i t10

di d hear . . .11

Q You. . . you’ l l get t hat deci si on i n my. . . I wi l l get12

t hat i n my deci si on. You’ l l [ I NAUDI BLE] my deci si on. The13

Cour t di d not i ndi cat e whet her or not i t hear d i t , t he Cour t14

l i s tened t o hear . . . t o l i s ten f or i t sel f .15

A Al l r i ght . Um. . . ( PAUSE) So. . . I don’ t know i f you16

made t he. . . may be abl e t o answer t hi s, but i t ’ s my17

underst andi ng t hat when t he Cour t vi si t ed my apar t ment on18

Fr i day, J ul y 10t h, i t was i n my apar t ment i n an of f i ci al19

capaci ty, so i f . . .20

Q That woul d be t he onl y r eason f or my bei ng i n your21

apar t ment .22

A I under st and t hat . The poi nt I ’ m t r yi ng t o make i s23

t hat i f Mr . Papami chael made a f al se st atement dur i ng t hat24

of f i ci al f unct i on, essent i al l y st at i ng t hat t her e had been no25




vi ol at i on i ssued about t he f l oor boar ds, woul dn’ t . . .1

Q The Cour t . . . t he Cour t was. . . and agai n t hi s i s what2

I expl ai ned t o you i ni t i al l y. The Cour t was i n your apar t ment3

i n i t s of f i ci al capaci t y. Not t o engage i n di al ogue wi t h4

ei t her si de, j ust t o l i st en f or t hese noi ses, and t hat ’ s t he5

onl y of f i ci al capaci t y t he Cour t was t her e f or .6

A So Mr . Papami chael cannot be hel d i n contempt?7

[ OVERLAP]8

Q What ever st at ement s you made, or t he mi sst at ement s9

anyone el se made, t hat was not why t he Cour t was t her e.10

A I under st and t hat . But . . .11

Q And I expl ai ned t hat t o you sever al t i mes.12

A Because. . . I ’ m j ust t r yi ng t o say t hat , typi cal l y13

when a par t y makes a f al se st at ement i n t he pr esence of a14

pr esi di ng j udge, t hat i s usual l y subj ect t o cont empt . Or t he15

penal t y f or cont empt .16

Q You say t hat t o say what ?17

A I woul d be l ooki ng t o hol d Mr . Papami chael i n18

cont empt f or maki ng a f al se st atement .19

Q Wel l , agai n, t he Cour t ’ s not goi ng t o hol d anyone i n20

cont empt f or any st at ement s t hat were made i n your apar t ment o21

J ul y 10t h.22

A Okay.23

Q Nei t her par t y.24

A So, j ust t o be cl ear , I ’ m not bei ng al l owed t he25




oppor t uni t y t o pr esent any audi o or vi deo r ecor di ng t hat ’ s on1

t he CD.2

Q Not . . . not audi o or vi deo t hat woul d show t he Cour t3

what we went speci f i cal l y t o your apar t ment t o hear f or i t sel f4

Ther e’ d be no r eason t o have audi o of somet hi ng t he Cour t now5

has per sonal knowl edge of i t .6

A But when t he Cour t came t o my apar t ment on Fr i day,7

t here was no ot her apar t ment where t he handl e of t he t oi l et wa8

f l ushed, ot her t han, concei vabl y, apar t ment 5K.9

Q The apar t ment t hat you t est i f i ed t hat t hat t hese10

r ecor di ngs. . . t hat you made t hese r ecor di ngs af t er t hat t oi l et11

i n 5K was f l ushed.12

A Ri ght , but [ 10: 42: 36] I don’ t bel i eve t hat I had13

t est i f i ed that I was cer t ai n t hat t he cause was apar t ment 5K.14

Q That was your t est i mony, t hat and you speci f i cal l y15

sai d apar t ment 5K, i n my not es, t hat ’ s what I have.16

A Okay, f ai r enough, I can t ake t hi s up i n a di f f er ent17

f orum.18

Q Anyt hi ng el se, si r ?19

A Um. . . wi t h r egar ds t o, I guess t he admi ni st r at i ve20

code, t her e’ s par t s of t he admi ni st r at i ve code t hat r equi r e a21

l andl or d t o keep bot h t he pl umbi ng and t he t oi l et s i n pr oper22

r epai r . I don’ t have t he par t i cul ar sect i ons of t he23

admi ni st r at i ve code. . .24

MS. COOK: J udge, I ’ m goi ng t o obj ect t o t hi s.25




A But , but . . . t he poi nt . . .1

Q Wel l , l et me hear what he’ s goi ng t o say.2

A The exact ar ea I ’ m goi ng wi t h t hi s i s, i t ’ s been3

st at ed pr evi ousl y by Respondent ’ s at t or ney, J udge Lansden,4

t hat . . .5

Q Wel l , I ’ m not i nt erest ed i n what somebody may have6

sai d i n anot her case.7

A Okay, f i ne.8

Q Keep your comment s t o t hi s case.9

A Wi t h r egar ds t o t he act ual l aws t hat appl y t o pr oper10

mai nt enance wi t h. . . wi t hi n my apar t ment bui l di ng, t her e ar e11

sect i ons of bot h t he mul t i pl e dwel l i ng l aw and t he12

admi ni st r at i ve code, and al so Respondent ’ s mor t gage agr eement13

f or t hat bui l di ng t hat r equi r e. . .14

Q Ar e you pr i vy t o Respondent ’ s mor t gage agr eement ?15

A You mean di d I . . . am I a par t y t o i t ?16

Q Do you know what hi s mor t gage agr eement says?17

A Yeah, I . . . I downl oaded i t f r om t he ACRI S [ ??]18

websi t e.19

Q [ I NAUDI BLE] you’ r e r ef er r i ng t o t he mor t gage websi t e20

A So yeah, I r ead al l of t hose document s. I r ead t he21

mor t gage agr eement f r om st ar t t o f i ni sh. He has a $9. 5 mi l l i o22

mor t gage t hat was i ssued by Chase Bank.23

MS. COOK: Obj ect i on, Your Honor !24

Q Sust ai ned. What does t hat have t o do wi t h t hi s case25




A The cont ent s of t hat mor t gage agr eement r equi r e t he1

Respondent t o pr oper l y mai nt ai n t he bui l di ng at al l t i mes.2

Q [ I NAUDI BLE] her e. You’ r e al l egi ng t hat Respondent s3

f ai l ed t o do so. I ’ m aski ng you f or any ot her t est i mony of any4

ot her wi t nesses t hat you have t o subst ant i at e t hi s cl ai m.5

A No, I t hi nk t hat t he audi o and vi deo r ecor di ngs6

st ored on t he CD t hat t hi s Cour t has chosen t o i mpr oper l y7

ref use. . .8

Q By your own t est i mony, and on t he r ecord t oday, t he9

audi o and vi deo recor di ngs r ef l ect what t he Cour t has hear d f o10

i t sel f .11

A Not compl et el y, because one was r ecorded. . .12

Q [ OVERLAP, I NAUDI BLE]13

A One was r ecorded on a di f f erent dat e when t he Cour t14

was not pr esent .15

Q When t hi s Cour t i s speci f i cal l y aski ng t hat t hose16

noi ses or t hose sounds r ecorded were t he same sounds t hat you17

compl ai ned of and that t he Cour t heard on J ul y 10t h, you18

answer ed af f i r mat i vel y.19

A They. . . t hey’ r e not t he exact same. . . t hey’ r e20

si mi l ar , but not t he exact same noi ses.21

Q Anyt hi ng el se?22

A No. I t hi nk I ’ l l t ake i t up wi t h t he Second23

Appel l ate Ter m.24

Q Wi t h r espect t o t hi s Cour t , do you have anyt hi ng25




el se?1

A Not at t hi s t i me.2

Q Al l r i ght . Any. . . any cross- exami nat i on?3

MS. COOK: No quest i ons, Your Honor . No, Your4

Honor .5

Q Al l r i ght . You may st ep down, si r .6

A Thank you.7

THE COURT: Any wi t nesses f or Respondent ?8

Any. . . bef or e we begi n. Any wi t nesses. . . any addi t i onal9

wi t nesses, Mr . Komat su?10

MR. KOMATSU: No.11

THE COURT: Okay.12

MS. COOK: Your Honor , at t hi s poi nt , Respondent13

Landl ord moves t o di smi ss t hi s pr oceedi ng as st ated14

ear l i er , and as conf i r med by t he Pet i t i oner , t he15

vi ol at i ons whi ch wer e i ssued by HPD i n thi s pr oceedi ng16

have al l been cor r ect ed. Pet i t i oner acknowl edges t hey’ ve17

been corr ect ed, Respondent has cer t i f i ed t hem t o HPD as18

cor r ect ed. The Cour t has gone above and beyond i n19

conduct i ng t hi s hear i ng, and i n conduct i ng a physi cal20

i nspect i on of Mr . Komatsu’ s apart ment t o addr ess t he21

sounds t hat he cl ai med emanat ed f r om t oi l et s f l ushi ng,22

whi ch he sai d i nvaded hi s apart ment t o such an ext ent ,23

t hat t hi s Cour t shoul d pl ace, I bel i eve he sai d act ual l y,24

a C vi ol at i on. The Cour t al so, whi l e we wer e pr esent i n25




Mr . Komatsu’ s apart ment , l i st ened t o t he squeaki ng1

f l oor boar ds, and based upon t he i nspect i on and t he2

t est i mony pr oduced by t he Pet i t i oner her ei n I ’ m now movi n3

t hat t hi s case be di smi ssed.4

THE COURT: I . . . I wi l l i ssue a wr i t t en5

deci si on. I bel i eve i t ’ s best t hat I i ssue a wr i t t en6

deci si on on t hi s case. You’ l l each get my deci si on wi t hi7

t he next week or so.8

MS. COOK: Thank you ver y much, Your Honor .9

MR. KOMATSU: Thank you, Your Honor .10

[ PARTI CI PANTS LEAVI NG COURTROOM]11

[ HEARI NG ENDS 10: 47: 33]12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25




1



I , Deni se Hi dal go of A+ Of f i ce On Cal l ,

I nc. , cer t i f y t hat t he f or egoi ng t r anscr i pt of

pr oceedi ngs i n t he Ci vi l Cour t of t he St at e of New

Yor k, Ci t y of New Yor k, Count y of Queens, of KOMATSU

v. TURNBURY VI LLAGE, I ndex # LT 6104- 15, bef or e HON.

NEMBHARD i n Room 407 on J ul y 15, 2015, was pr epar ed

usi ng t he r equi r ed t r anscr i pt i on equi pment and i s a

t r ue and accur at e r ecor d of t he pr oceedi ngs.

Si gnat ur e:

Agency Name A+ Of f i ce On Cal l , I nc.

Addr ess: 336 East 87t h St r eet , #B1, New York, NY 10128

Dat e: November 24, 2015

Date post:	06-Jul-2018
Category:	Documents
Upload:	navy23vet
View:	213 times
Download:	0 times

Transcript of 7/15/15 court hearing with Queens Housing Judge Clifton Nembhard

Documents