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One of the ongoing goals of the New York State Office of Court Administration (“OCA”) is to periodically update and refine the jurisdictional criteria for the Commercial Division to ensure that it exclusively handles complex commercial matters. As part of this effort, OCA has proposed an important change aimed at establishing a monetary threshold for cases seeking equitable or declaratory relief.

Currently, a case that is presumptively considered “commercial” and seeks equitable or declaratory relief is not required to meet any monetary threshold. However, on September 20, 2024, the OCA issued a Request for Public Comment on a proposal to amend 22 NYCRR § 202.70 (a) and (b), based on recommendations from the Commercial Division Advisory Council (“CDAC”). These proposed amendments would introduce a monetary threshold specifically for cases seeking equitable or declaratory relief within the Commercial Division. While the change may seem small, its implications for practitioners and litigants would be substantial.Continue Reading The Commercial Division Proposes a Monetary Threshold for Equitable and Declaratory Relief: Implications and Insights

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Tingey Injury Law Firm, Unsplash

As any practitioner litigating a case before the Commercial Division knows, and as we have mentioned time and again on this blog, it is critical to know the Part Rules of the particular judge assigned to your case.  But getting to know your judge – including the judge’s individual preferences and style – may be…

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The Commercial Division in Bronx County hasn’t been around all that long, opening its doors for adjudication in September 2019 with its very first case, Manhattan Beer Distributers LLC v Biagio Cru and Estate Wines, LLC.  Justice Eddie McShan was the first to preside over the ComDiv in Bronx County and remained in that…

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It’s no secret to anyone litigating in the Commercial Division over the past couple years during the COVID era that the judges of the Commercial Division have been particularly keen on lightening their dockets by encouraging, and even participating in, the settlement of cases that come before them.  That trend is sure to continue in…

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Much ink has been spilled over the last couple of years, including here at New York Commercial Division Practice, on the topic of practicing law remotely in the COVID (and likely post-COVID) era.  As we all brace for the coming wave of Omicron, which may well be the fastest spreading virus in human history,…

As we all are acutely aware, during the last 21+ months, the normally slow-to-change practice of law has been thrust into overdrive, forcing lawyers and courts to quickly pivot from a largely in-person practice to virtual.

New York courts in particular have done an incredible job expanding access to litigants online by, among other things,…

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Aficionados of Commercial Division practice know that the ComDiv rules originally were — and, as evidenced by an Administrative Order earlier this month, continue to be — modeled after the federal rules.  Efficiency begets efficiency.

Earlier this month, on October 4, Chief Administrative Judge Lawrence K. Marks promulgated new ComDiv Rule 35, which, as of…

As we’ve mentioned time and again on this blog, since its inception in 1995, New York’s Commercial Division has continued to not only be a leader in developing and shaping commercial law, but it is also on the forefront of instituting rules with the goals of fostering litigation efficiency, cost reduction, and implementation of technology…