Greenwald v. H & P 29th Street Associates

• Decision Date: 01 July 1997
• Citation: 659 N.Y.S.2d 473,241 A.D.2d 307
• Court: New York Supreme Court — Appellate Division
• Parties: Glenn GREENWALD, et al., Plaintiffs-Appellants, v. H & P 29th STREET ASSOCIATES, et al., Defendants-Respondents.

Page 473

659 N.Y.S.2d 473

241 A.D.2d 307

Glenn GREENWALD, et al., Plaintiffs-Appellants, v.H & P 29th STREET ASSOCIATES, et al., Defendants-Respondents.

Supreme Court, Appellate Division First Department.

July 1, 1997.

Glenn Greenwald, Pro Se.

Robert J. Apfel, for Defendants-Respondents.

Before MURPHY, P.J., and MILONAS, ELLERIN, ANDRIAS and COLABELLA, JJ.

MEMORANDUM DECISION.

Order, Supreme Court, New York County (David Saxe, J.), entered September 30, 1996, which in an action to recover damages for discrimination based upon defendants apartment building owner's and managing agent's refusal to aggregate plaintiffs' incomes for purposes of defendants' minimum income guidelines, inter alia, denied plaintiffs' motion for a protective order limiting disclosure to matters not privileged under CPLR 4502(b), unanimously affirmed, with costs.

The IAS court correctly held that the spousal privilege of CPLR 4502(b), which, by its terms, protects confidential communications between a "husband" and "wife""during marriage", does not extend, in plaintiffs' words, "to homosexuals in a spousal relationship"(see, People v. Suarez, 148 Misc.2d 95, 560 N.Y.S.2d 68).Matter of Jacob, 86 N.Y.2d 651, 636 N.Y.S.2d 716, 660 N.E.2d 397 is distinguishable in that the adoption statute there in issue was "open to two differing interpretations"(at 667, 636 N.Y.S.2d 716, 660 N.E.2d 397).Braschi v. Stahl Assocs. Co., 74 N.Y.2d 201, 544 N.Y.S.2d 784, 543 N.E.2d 49 is distinguishable in that the rent regulation there in issue did not define the operative term "family"(at 208, 544 N.Y.S.2d 784, 543 N.E.2d 49).Plaintiffs'...