Amerada Hess Corp. v. Garabedian

The plaintiff corporation (Amerada) seeks specific performance of an agreement to sell real estate following its exercise of an option to purchase contained in a written lease of which it is successor lessee and the defendant (Garabedian), as trustee of Vestt Realty Trust, is successor lessor. In response to Amerada’s complaint, Garabedian first filed a motion to dismiss for improper venue or, in the alternative, to remove the action to Essex County. After that motion was denied, Garabedian filed an answer to the complaint and a counterclaim containing eight counts. The counterclaim made…