Co-ops—Plaintiffs Sought 'Injunction Akin to Specific Performance of Proprietary Lease To Allow Plaintiffs To Install Their Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) Equipment On the Roof or the Facade of the … Building'—Court Rejected Attorney's Excuses and Denied Motion To Vacate Default—Active Negotiations Alone Is Not Sufficient Excuse—Failures To Communicate With Adversary, Heavy Deposition Schedule, COVID-19, Personal Illness and Personal Crises Also Insufficient Excuses When Other Attorneys In the Firm Could Have Provided Assistance—Plaintiffs Had Sought Permission Since 2016—Court Ordered Co-op To Consent to at Least One of Plaintiffs' Proposals and To Apply For Necessary Work Permit

The plaintiffs had entered into a proprietary lease (lease) with the defendant co-op for a lower floor apartment and basement in the subject building. The plaintiffs had moved for a default judgment against all defendants, seeking "an injunction akin to specific performance of the proprietary lease to allow plaintiffs to install their (HVAC) equipment on the roof or the facade of defendants' building."

The defendants cross moved for an extension of time to answer the complaint. The court granted the plaintiffs' motion against the co-op and its board of directors, (board) but denied the plaintiffs' motion against the board's officers individually and denied defendants' cross motion."