It works the same way in small businesses as it does in major investment firms: the executives reach agreement on the terms of a deal, then leave the lawyers to paper things accordingly. But sometimes the papered deal differs from the agreement the parties actually reached, and neither side notices the differences until long after
Legal Malpractice: Attorneys Cannot Be Blamed for Client’s Bad Decisions
Winning at the blame game is difficult to do. This holds e
specially true where the “blame game” is actually a claim for legal malpractice.
In a recent decision, the First Department affirmed Justice Sherwood’s Orders, which granted defendants’ motions to dismiss the complaint against them. In Binn v. Muchnick, Golieb & Golieb, P.C.,
Equitable Tolling: “Estopping” the Clock from Running on Your Claims
Generally speaking, a court does not have the discretion to extend a statute of limitations. A court can, however, consistent with its inherent equitable powers, preclude a defendant from asserting a statute of limitations defense where the defendant’s own intentional misconduct prevented the plaintiff from timely filing suit. This equitable doctrine, known as equitable
Courts and Coronavirus: Temporary Rules and Procedures of New York’s Appellate and Commercial Divisions
As a result of the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic, court systems throughout the United States have had to rapidly adapt and issue temporary rules and procedures in order to keep court personnel, litigants and attorneys safe while continuing to serve their important societal function of administration of justice.
We wanted to provide a resource to readily
Plaintiffs Cannot Rely on the Doctrine of Anticipatory Repudiation As Plaintiffs Are Already in Material Breach of the Contract
A life lesson you likely heard growing up applies to contracts: take a hard look at yourself before criticizing others. By the same token, a party who is in material breach of a contract cannot succeed on a claim alleging an anticipatory breach by the other party.
Court Finds No Admissible Evidence of Collusive “Mary Carter Agreement,” Suggests Parties Stop “Flogging” Each Other
Ordinarily, a defendant will not actively try to help the plaintiff prove her case. But even this fundamental principle of the adversarial litigation process has limits. For example, in the criminal context, a defendant may cooperate with the prosecution in exchange for immunity or preferential sentencing. Thus, the internet’s recent fascination with the overeager Tekashi
No Home Court Advantage for US Tennis Association: Court Finds Violation of Restraining Notice
Looks like the United States Tennis Association (“USTA”) met its match, but this time not on its own court, but rather in another, the Appellate Division, Second Department. The court in Matter of Bravado Intl. Group Merchandising Servs., Inc. v United States Tennis Assn. Inc., recently affirmed the judgment of Westchester Commercial Division Justice
Note to ComDiv Practitioners: There’s Teeth Behind Them Thar Rules
As readers of this blog know by now, we here at New York Commercial Division Practice frequently post on new, proposed, and/or amended rules of practice in the Commercial Division. Just last month, for example, my colleague Viktoriya Liberchuk posted on the Advisory Council’s recent proposal to amend ComDiv Rule 6 (“Form of Papers”) to
First Department Protective of High-Frequency Trading Algorithm: Considerations in Handling Discovery Requests for Propriety Code, Software, and Algorithms
As we continue to see increased litigation over electronic programs, apps, and algorithms, courts are increasingly called to consider discovery requests for the coding behind that technology. These requests highlight the tension between the need for broad discovery and the litigant’s proprietary interest in secret, commercially valuable source code. And as a recent First Department
Think Before You Speak: Words and Actions Can Bind You Beyond The Terms of a Previously Agreed Upon Subcontract Agreement
Our parents taught us to think before we speak. That lesson is especially important when words or conduct could cost you hundreds of thousands of dollars beyond what was previously agreed upon in a subcontract agreement.
In a recent case before Justice Andrea Masley, Corporate Electrical Technologies, Inc. v. Structure Tone, Inc. et al.