Plaintiff brought this action against defendants 1802 Ocean Parkway Owners, Inc., Newport Management Company LLC and Mordechai Eissenberg, an employee of Newport, for breach of contract or warranty and to recover for property damage caused by a water leak from the apartment above his. At a nonjury trial, the proof revealed that plaintiff is a tenant in a cooperative apartment in a building owned by 1802 and managed by Newport. Plaintiff testified that, in 2005, he had discovered a leak in his ceiling that was causing damage to his apartment. It was determined that the leak had originated from the toilet in the apartment above his. In 2008, the building's management repaired damage caused by that leak, but, plaintiff contended, the damage had not been repaired properly and, thus, he had to spend an additional $4,650 to fix it. Defendants maintained, among other things, that they were not required to repair plaintiff's apartment, that any repairs{**58 Misc 3d at 86} that had been made had been done gratuitously and that plaintiff had failed to prove any negligence on their part. Following the trial, the Civil Court dismissed the complaint.
On appeal, plaintiff argues that the court erred in dismissing the complaint because he had established his right to recover as a matter of law based on defendants' breach of Multiple Dwelling Law § 78, the proprietary lease, the warranty of habitability, and an oral contract between himself and defendant Eissenberg, personally and as a representative of 1802 and Newport.