Extell’s 70-story condominium at 50 West 66th Street, now the tallest building on the Upper West Side, has landed the developer in yet another contentious lawsuit.
Freedman Norman Friedland, a Midtown-based law firm, has filed a lawsuit against Extell Development, led by Gary Barnett, for approximately $500,000 in unpaid legal fees. The charges are related to the developer’s legal battle with the City Club of New York over the initial approval to build the tower, according to Crain’s New York Business.
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The lawsuit alleges that Freedman Norman Friedland represented Extell from January 2020 to March 2021 in its effort to advance the 775-foot residential skyscraper planned at the site. The firm initially sought to dismiss a petition against the high-rise filed by the City Club of New York, a neighborhood preservation group, but the New York State Supreme Court denied the motion. Extell, along with the city’s Board of Standards and Appeals—which had approved the project—appealed the decision, and a higher court later reversed it, according to the lawsuit.
Freedman Norman Friedland billed Extell approximately $1 million in fees and expenses. The lawsuit claims that the developer never raised any concerns about the charges but has only paid about half of what is owed and has not made any payments since February 2021. The law firm is now suing Extell for breach of contract and unjust enrichment, seeking to recover the outstanding payments along with interest.
Representatives from Extell and Freedman did not respond to requests for comment, Crain’s reported.
In May 2024, Extell announced the building would begin welcoming residents by the end of the year, with more than half of the available residences already sold. A press release from the developer stated, “These homes all include five bedrooms and five-and-a-half bathrooms that span nearly 7,000 square feet with two loggias and were asking between $42.75 million and $46.75 million.”
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The building has faced a lengthy journey to reach its current status. The review process with the city took four years, during which Exell was accused of exploiting a mechanical void loophole. Critics argued that this loophole allows developers to artificially increase the height of their buildings by making floors designated for mechanical equipment significantly larger than necessary. In 2019, The City Council passed legislation to limit the size of these floors, just one month after the Department of Buildings approved Extell’s plans.
In total, 50 West 66th Street has 127 units, according to Extell and The Cocoran Group, the brokerage managing sales at the site.
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extell IS DISGUSTING AND THEY KNOW IT.
The rich get richer, and the poor get pushed out. Is this the New York you want, @extell? ? #NYC #BlameGaryForIt #Luxuryhomes
Extell leeches on the affordable housing crisis in order to turn a profit. Shameful behavior. #NYC #BlameGaryForIt
“More skyscrapers, more New Yorkers without homes. This has to stop, @extell! ? #HousingCrisis #evillandlords #Homelessness”