Matter of Loeb Boathouse Servs., LLC v City of New York
2020 NY Slip Op 02257 [182 AD3d 468]
April 9, 2020
Appellate Division, First Department
Published by New York State Law Reporting Bureau pursuant to Judiciary Law § 431.
As corrected through Wednesday, June 3, 2020


[*1]
 In the Matter of Loeb Boathouse Services, LLC, et al., Petitioners/Plaintiffs, and JPO Concepts, Inc., Appellant,
v
City of New York et al., Respondents.

Law Office of Nathaniel B. Smith, New York (Nathaniel B. Smith of counsel), for appellant.

Georgia M. Pestana, Acting Corporation Counsel, New York (Mackenzie Fillow of counsel), for City of New York and another, respondents.

LePatner & Associates, LLP, New York (Peter C. Dee of counsel), for Dean Poll and another, respondents.

Order, Supreme Court, New York County (Carol R. Edmead, J.), entered June 15, 2018, which, in this hybrid CPLR article 78 proceeding-plenary action, granted respondents' motions to dismiss the first amended petition and second amended verified complaint, unanimously affirmed, without costs.

Petitioner-plaintiff JPO Concepts, Inc. had standing to pursue this article 78 proceeding and plenary action (see Matter of Transactive Corp. v New York State Dept. of Social Servs., 92 NY2d 579, 587 [1998]; Maraia v Orange Regional Med. Ctr., 63 AD3d 1113, 1115 [2d Dept 2009]). Nevertheless, the court properly dismissed the petition and complaint due to JPO's failure to exhaust its administrative remedies (see Watergate II Apts. v Buffalo Sewer Auth., 46 NY2d 52, 57 [1978]). JPO did not allege that it submitted a protest which complied with the terms of 12 RCNY 1-08 (a) and contrary to its contention, an email sent by its representative to a project manager criticizing the bidder who was subsequently awarded the licensing agreement did not constitute a protest as defined by 12 RCNY 1-08 (a). JPO's email was not sent to the agency head or its designee, and was sent before the agency rendered its determination. Various individuals' appearances at a Franchise and Concession Review Committee public hearing on behalf of JPO also did not satisfy the terms of 12 RCNY 1-08 (a), and the protest was not submitted in writing to the agency head (see Matter of S & M Dev. v State Div. of Hous. & Community Renewal, 182 AD2d 995, 996 [3d Dept 1992]).

We find that JPO did not make a proper showing of futility to justify making an exception to the exhaustion of remedies requirement (see generally Mulgrew v Board of Educ. of the City School Dist. of the City of N.Y., 88 AD3d 72, 81 [1st Dept 2011]). Concur—Friedman, J.P., Kapnick, Webber, González, JJ. [Prior Case History: 2018 NY Slip Op 31210(U).]