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  • Siddarth Gupta, Linsay Villareal v. Jeffrey Schultz, Gregory Tannor, Sam Phelps, Flowerhouse Ny Llc, Michael Silverman, Ny Farm Holdco Llc Special Proceedings - CPLR Article 75 (Arbitration) - Commercial Division document preview
  • Siddarth Gupta, Linsay Villareal v. Jeffrey Schultz, Gregory Tannor, Sam Phelps, Flowerhouse Ny Llc, Michael Silverman, Ny Farm Holdco Llc Special Proceedings - CPLR Article 75 (Arbitration) - Commercial Division document preview
  • Siddarth Gupta, Linsay Villareal v. Jeffrey Schultz, Gregory Tannor, Sam Phelps, Flowerhouse Ny Llc, Michael Silverman, Ny Farm Holdco Llc Special Proceedings - CPLR Article 75 (Arbitration) - Commercial Division document preview
  • Siddarth Gupta, Linsay Villareal v. Jeffrey Schultz, Gregory Tannor, Sam Phelps, Flowerhouse Ny Llc, Michael Silverman, Ny Farm Holdco Llc Special Proceedings - CPLR Article 75 (Arbitration) - Commercial Division document preview
  • Siddarth Gupta, Linsay Villareal v. Jeffrey Schultz, Gregory Tannor, Sam Phelps, Flowerhouse Ny Llc, Michael Silverman, Ny Farm Holdco Llc Special Proceedings - CPLR Article 75 (Arbitration) - Commercial Division document preview
  • Siddarth Gupta, Linsay Villareal v. Jeffrey Schultz, Gregory Tannor, Sam Phelps, Flowerhouse Ny Llc, Michael Silverman, Ny Farm Holdco Llc Special Proceedings - CPLR Article 75 (Arbitration) - Commercial Division document preview
  • Siddarth Gupta, Linsay Villareal v. Jeffrey Schultz, Gregory Tannor, Sam Phelps, Flowerhouse Ny Llc, Michael Silverman, Ny Farm Holdco Llc Special Proceedings - CPLR Article 75 (Arbitration) - Commercial Division document preview
  • Siddarth Gupta, Linsay Villareal v. Jeffrey Schultz, Gregory Tannor, Sam Phelps, Flowerhouse Ny Llc, Michael Silverman, Ny Farm Holdco Llc Special Proceedings - CPLR Article 75 (Arbitration) - Commercial Division document preview
						
                                

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FILED: NEW YORK COUNTY CLERK 02/14/2024 04:26 PM INDEX NO. 650805/2024 NYSCEF DOC. NO. 12 RECEIVED NYSCEF: 02/14/2024 SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK COUNTY OF NEW YORK -------------------------------------------------------------------X SIDDARTH GUPTA and LINSAY VILLAREAL, Index No. _______________ Petitioners, -against- JEFFREY SCHULTZ, GREGORY TANNOR, SAM PHELPS, FLOWERHOUSE NY LLC, MICHAEL SILVERMAN, and NY FARM HOLDCO LLC, Respondents. -----------------------------------------------------------------X MEMORANDUM OF LAW IN SUPPORT OF PETITIONERS’ ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE AND PETITION FOR ORDER IN AID OF ARBITRATION PURSUANT TO CPLR § 7502(c) Don Abraham, Esq. BRONSTER LLP 156 West 56th Street, Suite 703 New York, New York 10019 Tel.: 212- 558-9300 Fax: (347) 246-4704 Email: dabraham@bronsterllp.com Attorneys for Petitioners SIDDARTH GUPTA and LINSAY VILLAREAL 1 of 15 FILED: NEW YORK COUNTY CLERK 02/14/2024 04:26 PM INDEX NO. 650805/2024 NYSCEF DOC. NO. 12 RECEIVED NYSCEF: 02/14/2024 TABLE OF CONTENTS PRELIMINARY AND FACTUAL STATEMENT ............................................................1 The Company Will be Irreparably Harmed if Respondents Continue to Breach the OA .....................................................................7 ARGUMENT .......................................................................................................................8 POINT I PETITIONERS ARE ENTITLED TO AN INTERIM ORDER IN AID OF ARBITRATION AND ENJOINING RESPONDENTS FROM VIOLATING THE OA ........................................................................................8 A. Petitioners Will Likely Succeed on the Merits Because Respondents Clearly Violated the OA ...................................................10 B. Petitioners Will Suffer Irreparable Harm Absent the Injunction ........................................................................................................10 C. The Equities Balance in Petitioners’ Favor ..........................................................11 CONCLUSION ..................................................................................................................12 i 2 of 15 FILED: NEW YORK COUNTY CLERK 02/14/2024 04:26 PM INDEX NO. 650805/2024 NYSCEF DOC. NO. 12 RECEIVED NYSCEF: 02/14/2024 TABLE OF AUTHORITIES Federal Cases Kamine/Besicorp Alleghany L.P. v. Rochester Gas & Elect. Corp., 908 F. Supp. 1180, 1187 (W.D.N.Y. 1995) ................................................................................................................ 9 State Cases Aetna Ins. Co. & Capasso, 75 N.Y.2d 860, 862 (1990) ................................................................. 9 Chernoff Diamond & Co. v. Fitzmaurice, Inc., 234 A.D.2d 200 (1st Dep’t 1996) ....................... 10 Comfort Adult Day Care Center, Inc. v. Mejia, 54 Misc.3d 121(A) (Supreme Court, Queens County 2017) .................................................................................................................. 8 Demnartini v. Chatam Green, Inc., 169 A.D.2d 689 (1st Dep’t 1991) ......................................... 10 Drexel Burnham Lambert v. Ruebsamen, 139 A.D.2d 323 [531 N.Y.S.2d 547], lv. denied 73 N.Y.2d 703 [537 N.Y.S.2d 490, 534 N.E.2d 328] ................................................................. 8 Four Times Square Assocs., LLC v. Cigna Invests., Inc., 306 A.D.2d 4, 6 (1st Dep’t 2003) ....... 11 FTI Consulting, Inc. v. PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, 8 A.D.3d 145, 146 (1st Dep’t 2004) ..... 11 Goodfarb v. Freedman, 76 A.D.2d 565, 574 (2d Dep’t 1980) ..................................................... 12 McLaughlin, Piven, Vogel, Inc. v. W.J. Nolan & Co., Inc., 114 A.D.2d 165, 174 (2d Dep’t 1986) ......................................................................................................................... 11 Paritmed Co. v. Pro-Life Counseling, Inc., 91 A.D.2d 551, 553 (1st Dep’t 1982) ....................... 10 Second On Second v. Hing Sing, 66 A.D.3d 255, 272-273 (1st Dep’t 2009) ............................... 10 Terell v. Terell, 279 A.D.2d 301, 303 (1st Dep’t 20010................................................................ 10 Statutes CPLR § 6301................................................................................................................................... 9 CPLR § 7502................................................................................................................................... 8 CPLR § 7502 (c) ............................................................................................................................. 8 CPLR § 7562(c) .............................................................................................................................. 8 ii 3 of 15 FILED: NEW YORK COUNTY CLERK 02/14/2024 04:26 PM INDEX NO. 650805/2024 NYSCEF DOC. NO. 12 RECEIVED NYSCEF: 02/14/2024 Petitioners, Siddarth Gupta (“Gupta”), the founder, CEO and Manager of Flowerhouse NY LLC (“FH” or the “Company”), and Petitioner, and Linsay Villareal, a co-founder, partner, and head of operations of FH, commenced this Petition and special proceeding to obtain a provisional order in aid of arbitration enjoining and restraining Respondents, JEFFREY SCHULTZ, GREGORY TANNOR, SAM PHELPS, and MICHAEL SILVERMAN, FLOWERHOUSE NY LLC and NY FARM HOLDCO LLC (collectively, “Respondents”) from transferring, removing, using or otherwise dispensing with any assets of FH, including any cannabis, cash, inventory, equipment or intellectual property in a manner that is not consistent with the ordinary course of the Company’s business, and precluding Respondents from interfering with authority as Manager under the Company’s Amended and Restated Operating Agreement, and removing Silverman from the Company Board because he was illegal placed on the Board without any authority under the terms of Company’s governing Operating Agreement. PRELIMINARY AND FACTUAL STATEMENT The facts upon which this motion is based are set forth in the Supporting Affirmation of Gupta, the duly appointed Manager of the Company. For the convenience of the Court, a summary of the most pertinent facts, as set forth in the Gupta Affirmation, is set forth herein. FH was created to grow and sell cannabis in New York. Gupta was the founder and is a Managing Member of the Company and runs and operates the Company’s day-to-day business. Under the management of GUPTA, the Company is one of the most successful cannabis growers and sellers in New York, with $87 million in inventory and the number one rated cannabis company in New York State. (Gupta Aff., ¶¶ 1, 5-16). Given Gupta’s unique knowledge in the cannabis industry, Gupta founded FH with a well-known cannabis attorney, Jeffrey Schultz (“Schultz”) and Schultz’s “best friend” Gregory Tannor (“Tannor”) who could contribute to the 4 of 15 FILED: NEW YORK COUNTY CLERK 02/14/2024 04:26 PM INDEX NO. 650805/2024 NYSCEF DOC. NO. 12 RECEIVED NYSCEF: 02/14/2024 Company with his real estate contacts in the cannabis industry. (Gupta Aff., ¶ 8). Because the Company needed additional funds in addition to the funds Gupta infused into the Company and given that Tannor and Schultz were unable to contribute sufficient capital, FH needed to borrow significant funds to survive. Schultz and Silverman had a pre-existing relationship, and Schultz arranged for Michael Silverman (“Silverman”) to loan money to the Company. (Gupta Aff., ¶ 11). Accordingly, on or about December 12, 2022, Schultz drafted a Convertible Promissory Grid Note where the Company borrowed money from Silverman through Silverman’s wholly owned company, NY Farm HoldCo LLC, and whereby Silverman was only named as a “Board Observer” but was deliberately not placed as a member of the Company’s management. In conjunction with the Convertible Note, Schultz also drafted an Amended and Restated Operating Agreement on or about December 12, 2022 (the “OA”), which currently governs the ownership and operating of the Company, and which entirely replaced the original February 1, 2022 operating agreement of the Company. (Gupta Aff., Ex. B). The OA delineates ownership of the Company as follows: Sid Gupta 48.515% Jeffrey Schultz 24.257% Greg Tannor 24.257% Sam Phelps 1.98% Linsay Villareal .99% Under the OA, Schedule C thereto states that are only three Managers of the Company that make up the Company’s Board as of December 2022: (1) Schultz, (2) Tannor, and (3) Gupta. Silverman was never intended to be a Manager of the Company. Section 14.8 of the OA also states that disputes arising out of the OA shall be finally settled by arbitration. 2 5 of 15 FILED: NEW YORK COUNTY CLERK 02/14/2024 04:26 PM INDEX NO. 650805/2024 NYSCEF DOC. NO. 12 RECEIVED NYSCEF: 02/14/2024 Respondents have no authority to remove GUPTA as Manager without cause, or without a proper vote of the required members of the Company or the Board as per the terms of the OA. (Gupta Aff., Ex. B). Without warning, at 2:30 pm on January 17, 2024, Respondents caused lawyers, armed security, and police to storm the Company office and escort Gupta off the Company premises. That same day, respondents stole Gupta’s laptop and phone, and downloaded Gupta’s hard drive. Respondents also cut off Gupta’s email account and email access to the Company. (Gupta Aff., ¶ 17). Respondents did all this and delivered a purported corporate resolution replacing Gupta as Manager dated January 15, 2024. (Gupta Aff., Ex. C). Gupta’s purported removal as a Manager from the Company is illegal and void because it is squarely contradicted by the OA, and because it is signed by Silverman who is not a legitimate member of the Company’s Board. Section 5.5 (b) of the OA provides that a Manager may only be removed for Cause. (Ex. B herein) Cause under the OA (in Schedule B, Ex. B herein) is defined as: (A) gross negligence, (B) willful misconduct, (C) breach of … duty of loyalty required under this Agreement, or (D) if a Manager is convicted of (1) any crime involving theft or willful destruction of a material amount of money or other property of the Company or (2) any felony (excluding a cannabis related offense under federal law that would otherwise be permitted by state law). See Id., Schedule B. Gupta has never engaged in any conduct that even comes close to satisfying this definition. Indeed, the Company sent Guta a purported “formal” written notice letter dated January 17, 2024, which stated that Gutpa was being removed as Manager in accordance Section 5.5(b) of the OA, but it fails to mention any grounds for “Cause” that would permit the “other 3 6 of 15 FILED: NEW YORK COUNTY CLERK 02/14/2024 04:26 PM INDEX NO. 650805/2024 NYSCEF DOC. NO. 12 RECEIVED NYSCEF: 02/14/2024 Board members” to actually oust Gupta as a Manager by a unanimous vote. (Gupta Aff., Ex. D). In fact, when Gupta asked Silverman the reason he was being removed as a Manager, Silverman explicitly said that there were a number of employee complaints about Gupta that had created a “hostile work environment” at the Company. Gupta denies this assertion by Silverman, but even if it were true, it does not meet any of the defined grounds of a “for Cause” removal of Gupta as a Manager. (Gupta Aff., ¶ 22). Furthermore, the purported resolution used to remove Gupta as a Manager dated January 15, 2024 (Gupta Aff., Ex. C) cites the original and replaced February 1, 2022 Operating Agreement (Gupta Aff., Ex. A), not the proper Amended and Restated OA that took effect in December 2022 (Gupta Aff., Ex. B). Moreover, the purported Company resolution is only signed by Tannor and Silverman. Silverman, as an investor and Board Observer, was not a Board Member who had a right to remove me as Manager. Silverman is not a legitimate Board member that had any authority to sign the purported resolution (Ex. C) and the purported Notice Letter (Ex. D) to remove Gupta as a Manager. Silverman’s illegal attempt to place himself on the Board can easily be demonstrated by simply reviewing the governing OA of the Company juxtaposed to the actions taken by Silverman and Tannor to illegally remove Gupta. On June 30, 2023, Schulz resigned from the Board, as is conceded in a purported Written Consent of the majority of the membership interest of the Company dated June 30, 2023 and signed by Tannor, Sam Phelps, and Schultz. (Gupta Aff. Ex. E). The purported Written Consent seeks to fill a vacancy on the Board created by Schultz’s resignation and appoint Silverman to the Board on June 30, 2023. However, as before, this Written Consent again cites the wrong originally replaced February 1, 2022 Operating Agreement as opposed to the current governing OA, and it illegally attempts to appoint 4 7 of 15 FILED: NEW YORK COUNTY CLERK 02/14/2024 04:26 PM INDEX NO. 650805/2024 NYSCEF DOC. NO. 12 RECEIVED NYSCEF: 02/14/2024 Silverman to the Board of the Company without having the requisite votes and consents that are required under the terms of the governing OA. Gupta was never made aware of this illegal appointment of Silverman to the Board on June 30, 2023, and Gupta never provided any consent to appoint Silverman to the Board. (Gupta Aff., ¶ 25). At this point in time, June 30, 2023, once Schultz resigned, that left only two other Managers on the Board, Gupta and Tannor. Accordingly, under the OA, Tannor on his own had no authority to appoint Silverman to the Board on June 30, 2023, and indeed Tannor had no authority to even remove Gupta as a Manager on January 15, 2024. Under the governing OA, Section 5.5 states: (a) Resignation. The Managers may resign at any time by giving written notice to the Company. The resignation of a Manager shall take effect upon receipt of such notice or at such later time as shall be specified in the notice; and, unless otherwise specified in the notice, the acceptance of the resignation by the Company shall not be necessary to make it effective. Upon the effectiveness of any such resignation, such Manager shall cease to be a “manager” within the meaning of the Act. Following a Manager’s resignation, death or permanent incapacitation, a replacement for the resigned Manager shall be elected or appointed by the remaining Managers. Thus, the appointment of Silverman as a replacement Manager on June 30, 2023 was invalid for several reasons. Under the correct governing OA, Gupta would have been required to be informed of this consent resolution and be given a vote given that Gupta was one of the remaining Managers on June 30, 2023 after Schultz’s resignation. Also, under Section 4.8 of the OA Gupta would have had to vote to change any process of procedure under the OA in a Supermajority vote, given that Gupta has a 48.515% ownership interest in the Company. Absent Gupta’s vote, the appointment of Silverman to the Board on June 30, 2023 was illegal and any actions taken unilaterally by Tannor at that point without Gupta’s consent should be deemed null 5 8 of 15 FILED: NEW YORK COUNTY CLERK 02/14/2024 04:26 PM INDEX NO. 650805/2024 NYSCEF DOC. NO. 12 RECEIVED NYSCEF: 02/14/2024 and void as a matter of law. Indeed, all resolutions signed by Tannor and Silverman attempting to remove Gupta as a Manager should be deemed illegal, void, and a legal nullity. Furthermore, Section 5.1 (b) of the OA states “Any vacancies created by the increase in the size of the Board shall be filled by the Members, acting by consent or vote of a Supermajority of the Percentage Interests.” Additionally, Section 5.2 of the OA states that all Major Decisions as defined under Section 5.2 of the OA also require a Supermajority approval of the Board. The term “Major Decision” defined by Section 5.2 includes “the appointment or removal of any officers of the Company or its subsidiaries.” Accordingly, based on these provisions of the OA, Silverman was illegally appointed to the Board on June 30, 2023 because it was done without Gupta’s consent, and Gupta’s attempted removal as a Manger and as an Officer of the Company (Gupta is also the Company’s CEO) required a supermajority vote, which could not occur without Gupta actually voting. The same is true for the termination of Linsay Villareal’s as she was an Officer of the Company as a Partner and Head of Operations. A Supermajority vote would have been required for her removal as well. Gupta’s illegal removal and Silverman’s surreptitious and attempted illegal appointment to the Company’s Board on June 30, 2023 is an outrageous act that abundantly demonstrates the collusion and illegality Silverman had orchestrated. The ultra vires acts and collusive fraudulent scheme by Silverman is further evidenced by a text message that Gupta sent to Tannor, Schultz, and Sam Phelps on July 23, 2023 wherein Gupta suggested that Sam Phelps be appointed to replace Schultz on the Board. In an act of clear deception, Schultz and Tannor, as well as Sam Phelps, all responded to this text message and agreed with Gupta’s suggestion, without ever telling Gupta that on June 30, 2023 they 6 9 of 15 FILED: NEW YORK COUNTY CLERK 02/14/2024 04:26 PM INDEX NO. 650805/2024 NYSCEF DOC. NO. 12 RECEIVED NYSCEF: 02/14/2024 already attempted to illegally place Silverman on the Board without Gupta’s consent or vote. (Gupta Aff.,¶ 30, Ex. F). The Company Will Be Irreparably Harmed if Respondents Continue to Breach the OA As set forth in the Gupta Affirmation, Silverman intends to divert the Company’s assets and inventory in a self-dealing scheme to starve the Company of cash so that Silverman and anyone he paid off, such as Tannor and Schultz, would exclusively benefit and it would prevent Gupta from recouping his substantial approximately $2.8 million investment in the Company and lose his equity interest in the Company. (Gupta Aff., ¶ 16). If Respondents are not immediately ordered to act in accordance with the OA, Gupta and Linsay Villareal will suffer irreparable harm and Respondents will steal all the Company’s inventory, intellectual property, cash putting the Company in a position where Gupta lose his investment and the ability to recover the substantial funds the Company owes Gupta. Without Gupta obtaining provisional relief from the Court pending arbitration, any subsequent action or award Petitioners receive from an arbitration panel would be rendered ineffectual. While the specific issues of Silverman’s improper acts and self-dealing schemes will have to be decided in an arbitration under the OA, in the interim Silverman’s illegal appointment to the Board should be nullified by this Court, and Gupta should be fully reinstated to the Board as a Manager and Officer of the Company with complete oversight rights to ensure that the status quo before Gupta’s attempted ouster continues so Petitioners will not irreparably harmed pending the arbitration hearing. (Gupta Aff., ¶ 31). 7 10 of 15 FILED: NEW YORK COUNTY CLERK 02/14/2024 04:26 PM INDEX NO. 650805/2024 NYSCEF DOC. NO. 12 RECEIVED NYSCEF: 02/14/2024 ARGUMENT POINT I PETITIONERS ARE ENTITLED TO AN INTERIM ORDER IN AID OF ARBITRATION AND ENJOINING RESPONDENTS FROM VIOLATING THE OA CPLR § 7502 (c) provides a mechanism for a litigant in an arbitration to commence an action in aid of arbitration, which includes the seeking of a court order to provide provisional remedies to ensure that that status quo pending a decision by an arbitration panel remains in place, and without which a decision or arbitration award could be made ineffectual due to the passage of time. CPLR § 7562(c) sets forth the grounds upon which the Court should issue an order in aid of arbitration: An application for an order of attachment in aid of arbitration is expressly governed by CPLR 7502(c). That statute provides that the Supreme Court may enter the provisional remedies of an order of attachment or a preliminary injunction in connection with arbitration, “but only upon the ground that the award to which the applicant may be entitled may be rendered ineffectual without such provisional relief. The provisions of articles 62 and 63 of this chapter shall apply ... except that the sole ground for the granting of the remedy shall be as stated above.” This court has held that the standard that governs in a case involving arbitration is whether the award “may be rendered ineffectual without such provisional relief”, and the standards generally applicable to attachments pursuant to CPLR 6201(3), such as sinister maneuvers or fraudulent conduct, are not required to be shown in an application pursuant to CPLR 7502(c). (Drexel Burnham Lambert v. Ruebsamen, 139 A.D.2d 323 [531 N.Y.S.2d 547], lv. denied 73 N.Y.2d 703 [537 N.Y.S.2d 490, 534 N.E.2d 328].) CPLR § 7502. In Comfort Adult Day Care Center, Inc. v. Mejia, 54 Misc.3d 121(A) (Supreme Court, Queens County 2017), the court granted interim relief in aid of arbitration pursuant to CPLR 8 11 of 15 FILED: NEW YORK COUNTY CLERK 02/14/2024 04:26 PM INDEX NO. 650805/2024 NYSCEF DOC. NO. 12 RECEIVED NYSCEF: 02/14/2024 7502 (c) because it found that without such relief any arbitration award would be rendered ineffectual, and part of that is based on the fact that a loss of the Company’s goodwill, including harm to the customer relationships, would constitute irreparable harm. With regard to the need for a temporary restraining order, the court in Kamine/Besicorp Alleghany L.P. v. Rochester Gas & Elect. Corp., 908 F. Supp. 1180, 1187 (W.D.N.Y. 1995) held that when balancing of the hardships tips decidedly in favor of the movant, the movant need not demonstrate a likelihood of success on the merits for a TRO). The Court is empowered to grant a TRO “pending a hearing for a preliminary injunction where it appears that immediate and irreparable injury, loss or damage will result unless the defendant is restrained before the hearing can be had.” CPLR § 6301. Here, if Silverman, Schultz, and Tannor are permitted to continue in their self-dealing as illegally orchestrated by Silverman by improperly depleting the Company’s assets and inventory for their own personal business projects., it will starve the Company of cash, irreparably harm the goodwill of the Company, and prevent Gupta from being able to recover his substantial financial investment in the Company. (Gupta Aff., ¶ 30) Without a TRO, Gupta is danger of losing his investment equity in the Company and the significant funds he invested in the Company over the years. This would result in the Company being starved of cash and it may be forced shut its business operations, causing irreparable harm to Gupta. Thus, to maintain the status quo, and ensure that the arbitral award is not rendered ineffective, the Court should grant the requested order in aid of arbitration. Further, a party is entitled to preliminary injunctive relief upon a showing of (1) a probability of success on the merits; (2) the danger of irreparable injury absent the issuance of the injunction; and (3) a balancing of the equities in favor of the movant. See Aetna Ins. Co. & 9 12 of 15 FILED: NEW YORK COUNTY CLERK 02/14/2024 04:26 PM INDEX NO. 650805/2024 NYSCEF DOC. NO. 12 RECEIVED NYSCEF: 02/14/2024 Capasso, 75 N.Y.2d 860, 862 (1990); Chernoff Diamond & Co. v. Fitzmaurice, Inc., 234 A.D.2d 200 (1st Dep’t 1996). Petitioners clearly demonstrate that the arbitral award will likely be ineffective without an order in aid of arbitration. Further, they meet all three criteria for general injunctive relief and granting the requested order will preserve the status quo. A. Petitioners Will Likely Succeed on the Merits Because Respondents Clearly Violated the OA On a motion for preliminary injunctive relief, a petitioner need only show a likelihood of success on the merits and need not demonstrate certainty of success. Paritmed Co. v. Pro-Life Counseling, Inc., 91 A.D.2d 551, 553 (1st Dep’t 1982); Terell v. Terell, 279 A.D.2d 301, 303 (1st Dep’t 2001); Demnartini v. Chatam Green, Inc., 169 A.D.2d 689 (1st Dep’t 1991). As demonstrated in the Affirmation of Gupta, Respondents acted contrary to the OA and acted in an unauthorized and unilateral way when they purportedly removed and replaced GUPTA as Manager, and illegally appointed Silverman to replace Schultz as a Manger. As demonstrated in the Gupta Affirmation and under the terms of the governing OA, Silverman was never intended to be a member of the Company’s Board, and Silverman had no legal authority to remove me as a Manager and place himself on the Board. There was also no basis to remove Gupta from the Board without a proper vote, and Tannor, the only legitimate member of the Board had no authority to unilaterally remove Gupta from the Board or as the only other legitimate Manager on June 15, 2024. There are also no purported grounds to remove Gupta from the Board for Cause as defined under the OA. Based on these facts, Petitioners have demonstrated a likelihood of success on the merits. B. Petitioners Will Suffer Irreparable Harm Absent the Injunction The loss of goodwill of a “viable, ongoing business” constitutes irreparable harm. See Second On Second v. Hing Sing, 66 A.D.3d 255, 272-273 (1st Dep’t 2009) (“We reject HST’s 10 13 of 15 FILED: NEW YORK COUNTY CLERK 02/14/2024 04:26 PM INDEX NO. 650805/2024 NYSCEF DOC. NO. 12 RECEIVED NYSCEF: 02/14/2024 argument that the loss of the goodwill of a viable, ongoing business does not constitute irreparable harm warranting the grant of preliminary injunctive relief.”); FTI Consulting, Inc. v. PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, 8 A.D.3d 145, 146 (1st Dep’t 2004) (“[T]he agreement’s breach entailed irreparable harm, the loss of goodwill not being readily quantifiable.”); Four Times Square Assocs., LLC v. Cigna Invests., Inc., 306 A.D.2d 4, 6 (1st Dep’t 2003) (“Similarly, the threat to Four Times Square’s good will and creditworthiness is sufficient to establish irreparable injury warranting the grant of injunctive relief.”). Here, the Company is in danger of losing its relationships and shutting down if Silverman is permitted to continue his self-dealing scheme with Schultz and Tannor, especially with no oversight by Gupta who was clearly illegally removed as a Manger and where Silverman was illegally appointed to the Board. This will have a direct irreparable impact on Gupta personally as stated in his supporting Affirmation. (Gupta Aff., ¶ 31). C. The Equities Balance in Petitioners’ Favor In reviewing a request for a preliminary injunction, “a court must balance the equities. [I]t must be shown that the irreparable injury to be sustained . . . is more burdensome [to the plaintiff] than the harm caused to defendant through imposition of the injunction.” McLaughlin, Piven, Vogel, Inc. v. W.J. Nolan & Co., Inc., 114 A.D.2d 165, 174 (2d Dep’t 1986). If an injunction is not granted, the ability to operate FH is in danger, and the likely result will be the closing of the Company and injury to the company’s goodwill and successful reputation. In addition, the allowance of Silverman’s illegal scheme will likely cause irreparable harm to Gupta in that he will permanently lose his entire substantial investment in the Company and his entire equity interest in the Company. (Gupta Aff., ¶¶ 12, 16, 31). By contrast, if the injunction is granted, the Court can always set parameters to address any concerns about 11 14 of 15 FILED: NEW YORK COUNTY CLERK 02/14/2024 04:26 PM INDEX NO. 650805/2024 NYSCEF DOC. NO. 12 RECEIVED NYSCEF: 02/14/2024 operations in the ordinary course of its business and the Court will be doing nothing other than restoring Gupta to his rightful place as Manager, and remove Silverman as a Manager, both actions which were clearly illegal under the terms of the OA. Moreover, in assessing the equities, the Court should give due consideration to Respondents’ intentional violation of the OA by acting unilaterally and without any authority. See Goodfarb v. Freedman, 76 A.D.2d 565, 574 (2d Dep’t 1980) (“But, where the wrong was unwarranted or where the defendant acted with full knowledge and planned his violation of plaintiff’s rights, his position does not appeal to the equitable conscience and an injunction should issue.”). Here, the equities clearly favor Petitioners. CONCLUSION For the reasons set forth above, the Court should grant Petitioners an order in aid of arbitration, enjoining and restraining Respondents from transferring, removing, using or otherwise dispensing with any assets of FH, including any cannabis, cash, inventory, equipment or intellectual property, precluding Respondents from interfering with GUPTA’S authority as Manager under the OA, removing Silverman as a Manger and from the Company’s Board, and granting Petitioners further relief as may be just, proper and equitable. Dated: February 14, 2024 Respectfully submitted, BRONSTER LLP By: /s/ Don Abraham Don Abraham Attorneys for Petitioners FLOWERHOUSE NY LLC, SIDDARTH GUPTA and LINSAY VILLAREAL 156 West 56th Street, Suite 703 New York, New York 10019 Tel: (212) 558-9300 Email: donabraham@bronsterllp.com 12 15 of 15