Zere of Zere Real Estate Services wins lawsuit

Marie Zere, president and CEO of Zere Real Estate Services, achieved what she called a "moral victory" as well as a legal victory when the State Supreme Court ruled that she had won her legal case to collect a professional fee from a general contractor for helping arrange one of the largest real estate deals on L.I. in the last decade. State Supreme Court judge Emily Pines awarded Zere a brokers fee, plus interest, for her role in bringing about the construction contract under which the defendant was retained as general contractor to build the $33 million law center in Central Islip that was completed in 2007. "This ruling is a victory for all commercial real estate brokers who regularly get short-changed by landlords and developers. The high cost of litigation is a deterrent to brokers who have commission issues. Unscrupulous landlords, contractors and developers know this and avoid payment and eventually manipulate the legal system to offer a miniscule settlement instead of the original amount the brokers earned." Zere said. "The fact is that brokers make things happen and provide a real service to the community improving the economic climate through development and deals. In this case, there is no question that I played a key role in the creation of that law school. I suspected early on that I would have a problem when (the contractor) did not sign my commission agreement but gave me a letter instead. So I armed myself creating a paper trail going back to 1992." Zere started the ball rolling for the development of the law center in January of 1993, when she introduced the school's dean to the contractor. But despite years of correspondence and active participation to make the deal happen, the contractor ignored Zere's request for a commission agreement and payment requests. She filed suit in 2007. Judge Pines ruled that, "Marie Zere demonstrated, by a fair preponderance of the credible evidence, at trial, that she provided the introduction of (the contractor) to Touro College, for the ultimate construction of its state of the art law school facility." The ruling continued that Zere proved that her involvement "did not terminate with the introduction. She stayed involved for years through her research... her meetings... and her extensive correspondence with (the defendant)." The judge found that Zere's testimony was supported by her "well kept records." Zere is recognized as a trailblazer in her industry - as a woman professional, and as an innovator. Her client roster includes such names as Northrop Grumman Corp., RJ Reynolds, Super Stop & Shop, Home Depot, NY Life Insurance Co., Metropolitan Life, Northwestern Mutual, Capital One, Suffolk County Federal Savings, Brookhaven Hospital and many more. Her career spans more than 30 years, and includes many notable honors, including being the president of the Commercial Industrial Real Estate Society of Long Island (CIBS), named to the "Hall of Fame" for the Top 50 Most Prominent Women on Long Island and served on the Board of the Long Island Association (LIA) and the board of governors of the New York State Commercial Association of Realtors. Zere said, "This case shows how important it is to keep meticulous records of your work and correspondence. It also highlights the vital role brokers play, and recognizes the validity of our compensation. It has been a long battle, but I am gratified for the outcome on behalf of my firm and all of the brokerage professionals who face challenges to their just compensation."