A business jet owned by a White Plains charter company has been grounded in a dispute over cabinetry refurbishing.
Black Diamond Aviation Group accused Global Aircraft Interiors Inc. of refusing to return its cabinets, in a complaint filed on May 12 in Westchester Supreme Court, thus rendering the jet inoperable under Federal Aviation Authority regulations.
Global Aircraft began refurbishing the cabinetry “unilaterally and without authorization,” the complaint states, and “refused Black Diamond’s repeated requests  … to retrieve the cabinets.”
Black Diamond Aviation is owned by Stephen Deckoff, founder of Black Diamond Capital Management, a $l0 billion asset management firm. The aviation group was originally based in Greenwich, Connecticut, according to a FAA record, and is based now in a White Plains apartment building, according to the lawsuit.
Global Aircraft is based at Long Island McArthur Airport, in Ronkonkoma, Suffolk County, and is run by Robert Roth.
Last year, Mark Woinicki, Black Diamond’s aviation director, asked Roth to submit a quote for refurbishing cabinets in a 2009 Dassault Falcon 7X business jet. Woinicki, according to the complaint, delivered the cabinets to Global Aircraft so that Roth could inspect them and determine the scope and price of the proposed project.
Woinicki made it clear that Black Diamond was seeking multiple bids and that Deckoff would have to approve a deal, the complaint states.
Global Aircraft proposed refurbishing and re-installing the cabinets in accordance with FAA regulations, for $292,411.
But Global Aircraft began working on the cabinets without authorization, Black Diamond alleges, and belatedly sought approval for the work.
On Feb. 9, for instance, Roth notified Woinicki that the “wood looks great already, as we are just starting to apply the basic sealer coats.”
Woinicki says he reminded Roth that no agreement had been reached. Roth allegedly replied that “a large percentage of my clients I do work without a contract.”
Woinicki says Global Aircraft has refused to return the cabinets, claiming it has a lien on them.
Under FAA regulations, the complaint states, the jet may not be returned to service until the work is certified and the cabinets are reinstalled, or until the cabinets are replaced.
Black Diamond is asking the court to direct Global Aircraft to allow retrieval of the cabinets or to pay for new FAA-compliant cabinets.
Global Aircraft did not reply to a message submitted through its website that asked for its side of the story.
