When seeking a default judgment, parties often assume that an unanswered complaint puts them in the driver’s seat for a quick and early victory. But as practitioners in the Commercial Division are well aware, courts retain discretion to deny a motion for default judgment if the record raises questions about service or if the defendant
I have a soft spot for civil RICO: treble damages, enterprise allegations, the chance to elevate ordinary fraud into something operatic. But, as many of us have learned, civil RICO is not meant to transform ordinary commercial disputes into racketeering cases. Courts routinely dismiss such claims when plaintiffs fail to meet the statute’s strict pleading
A recent decision from Suffolk County Justice Linda Kevins in Cassata v Michael Macrina Architect, P.C. serves as yet another warning to practitioners concerning the risks and ethical considerations implicated by the use of generative artificial intelligence (“AI”) in the legal profession, and the Court’s inclusion of a sanctions chart for AI-related errors offers a
Fiduciary duty claims between closely-held business owners are commonplace in litigation before the Commercial Division. A decision last fall from Suffolk County Commercial Division Justice James C. Hudson in Matter of Lehan v Montgomery serves as a professorial primer on the meaning and importance of fiduciary obligations between business partners.
The Dispute
Dix Hills Car
In settlement agreements, a valid release serves as a critical mechanism for resolving disputes between parties. By its terms, a release is intended to extinguish all claims, both those that are known and unknown to the parties at the time of execution of the agreement. When parties are represented by counsel and agree to a
A recent decision from Monroe County Commercial Division Justice Daniel J. Doyle in Stuver v Greenlight Parent, L.P. demonstrates that arbitration clauses cannot be used as an automatic “get-out-of-court-free” card at the pre-answer, motion-to-dismiss stage. While arbitration clauses are enforceable contractual tools, courts still have the authority to determine whether a dispute falls within the