Extell Development is facing yet another lawsuit attached to its Lincoln Square project.
Law firm Freedman Normand Friedland sued the developer for unpaid bills for legal battles over 50 West 66th Street, the Commercial Observer reported.
Nonprofit City Club of New York sued Extell in 2019 to halt construction, citing zoning violations and safety concerns. After two years of court proceedings, including a 2021 appeal, the developer won the right to complete the project.
The law firm is claiming in the suit it billed Extell for about $1 million in fees and expenses — only half of which the developer has repaid so far, with no payments since Feb. 2021.
Freedman is charging Extell with breach of contract and unjust enrichment, and is seeking the remaining repayment plus interest.
Extell did not immediately respond to the Observer’s request for comment.
The nearly 800-foot-tall property has found success since emerging from the legal tangles with the nonprofit. After topping out in May, the property became the tallest tower on the Upper West Side, and was more than 50 percent sold, according to 6sqft.
The tower has since claimed some of Manhattan’s priciest signed contracts since launching sales, including kicking off 2024 with a 2,800-square-foot condo trading after asking $16.5 million.
Extell in July secured a $1.2 billion loan from JVP Management to refinance the property. That funding came two years after the developer snagged $800 million in construction financing from Bank OZK, along with a $207 million mezzanine loan from JVP Management. The July funding marked at least $840 million of that loan being transferred to JVP Management.
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