§ 5-330 Instruments assigning or pledging awards.

In case of the pledge, sale, transfer or assignment of an award by the person entitled to receive the same by virtue of the final decree of the court, or by other order of the court, the instrument evidencing such pledge, sale, transfer or assignment, acknowledged or proved as instruments are required to be acknowledged or proved for the recording of transfers of real property, shall be filed in the office of the comptroller, who shall endorse on such instrument its number and the hour, day, month and year of its receipt. If an assignment of an award be contained in an instrument recorded in an office in which instruments affecting real property are by law required to be recorded, a certified copy thereof may be filed in the office of the comptroller in place of the original. An alphabetical index shall be kept under the names of the pledgor or assignor, and of the pledgee or assignee, stating the title of the proceeding, the time of the filing of the instrument, the file number thereof, and what part of the award is assigned thereby. A memorandum of the file number of the instrument shall be made by the comptroller on the duplicate decree of the court opposite the place where the amount of the award so assigned is set forth. Every such instrument not so filed shall be void as against any subsequent pledgee or assignee in good faith and for a valuable consideration from the same pledgor or assignor, his or her heirs, administrators or assigns, of the same award or any portion thereof, the assignment of which is first duly filed in the office of the comptroller. Payment to the assignee or pledgee shown to be entitled to the award by such record in the office of the comptroller shall protect the city from liability to any other person or persons.

§ 5-331 Correction of defects.

The court at any time may correct any defect or informality in any notice, petition, pleading, order or decree in the proceeding, or cause real property affected by such defect, informality or lack of jurisdiction to be excluded therefrom, or other real property affected by such defect, informality or lack of jurisdiction to be included therein by amendment, upon ten days' notice, published and posted as provided for the institution of the proceeding, and may direct such further notices to be given to any party in interest as it shall deem proper.

§ 5-332 Order to expedite proceeding.

At any time after the date of entry of the order granting the application to condemn, the corporation counsel, or any owner may apply to the court for an order directing any owner or owners, or the corporation counsel, as the case may be, to show cause why further proceedings under this subchapter on the part of such owner or owners or of the corporation counsel should not be expedited. Upon the hearing directed by such order to show cause, the court in its discretion may make an order directing that such proceedings be expedited in the manner stated therein and also making such further directions with respect to the particulars shown upon the application as shall be just and proper in the premises.

§ 5-333 Discontinuance of proceedings by the mayor.

The mayor may effect a discontinuance of any proceeding as to the whole or a part of the lands to be acquired in such proceeding, at any time before title to the real property to be thereby acquired shall have vested in the city, and may cause new proceedings to be taken for the condemnation of such real property. In case of such discontinuance, however, the city shall adhere to the provisions of section seven hundred two of the eminent domain procedure law and the reasonable actual cash disbursements, necessarily incurred and made in good faith by any party interested, shall be paid by the city, after the same shall have been taxed by a justice of the supreme court, upon ten days' notice of such taxation being previously given to the corporation counsel, provided the application to have such disbursements taxed shall be made and presented to the court within one year after the action of the mayor. For the purposes of this section, the fair and reasonable value of the services of an attorney retained by any interested party to represent such party's interests in said condemnation proceedings, whether on a contingent fee basis or otherwise, if such retainer be made in good faith, shall be deemed to be an actual cash disbursement, necessarily incurred by such interested party and shall be taxable in the same manner as other disbursements. The amounts taxed as disbursements shall be due and payable thirty days after written demand for payment thereof shall have been filed with the comptroller.

§ 5-334 Vesting of title; date of; seizing; possession.

   a.   The title to any piece or parcel of the real property authorized to be acquired hereunder for any public improvement or for any public purpose shall be vested in the city upon the entry of the order granting the application to condemn, in a capital project proceeding, in accordance with section four hundred two of the eminent domain procedure law.

   b.   Upon the date when title to the real property shall have vested as provided in subdivision a of this section, the city, in a capital project proceeding shall become and be seized in fee of or of an easement in, over, upon, or under such real property as the mayor may have determined, the same to be held, appropriated, converted and used for the purposes for which the proceeding was instituted.

   c.   The city or any person acting under its authority, or the agency which upon the acquisition of title to such real property will have jurisdiction thereof, shall immediately or any time thereafter take possession of such property without suit or other judicial proceedings in accordance with the provisions of the eminent domain procedure law pertaining to possession.