Sterling National Bank had a lease which provided that its space would be restored to a "rentable condition" at the end of its tenancy.
When it later feuded with Fashion Associates (the landlord) over the work that needed to get done, the parties asked a New York County Supreme Court referee to decide the dispute. And after the bank was ordered to fork over $197,773.48 in damages, an appeal followed.
While the tenant argued it had been relieved of its restoration obligations, the Appellate Division, First Department, thought that change applied to a different property. It also didn't find the term "rentable condition" ambiguous. (It thought the bank needed to provide the landlord with "the barest, but legal, necessities essential for letting the space.")
Someone was clearly into Fashion.
To view a copy of the Appellate Division's decision, please use this link: Sterling Natl. Bank v. Fashion Assoc.