Farash v. Sykes Datatronics, Inc.
New York Court of Appeals
452 N.E.2d 1245 (1983)
Relevant factsFree
Max Farash (plaintiff) owned an office building and, at the request of Sykes Datatronics (Sykes) (defendant), expedited renovations to space Sykes intended to lease. The parties never actually signed a written lease, and Sykes never moved in. Farash sued to enforce the oral lease and to recover the value of the renovation work Sykes had requested; the trial court denied Sykes' motion to dismiss, but the Appellate Division reversed, and Farash appealed further.
IssueFree
Whether a party that partially performs at the request of another party is entitled to recover the fair and reasonable value of the work performed, even where the underlying agreement is unenforceable.