A landlord seeking over $186,000 in unpaid rent from a Manhattan Indian restaurant will have to find a different way to serve his tenant with a lawsuit if he wants to recover the funds, a judge said in a ruling that could have implications for how limited liability corporations in the state can be sued.

New York Civil Court Judge Allison Greenfield dismissed a suit filed by landlords UNG 3 Realty and 36 East 20th Street Realty’s against Indian restaurant Passerine LLC, finding that, because the restaurant is registered as an LLC, the landlords improperly served it by simply dropping off service papers to a person on the primesis, rather than a manager or stakeholding member of the business.

Under the state’s Real Property Actions and Proceedings Law § 735, which dictates how entities can

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