The New York Commercial Division was founded in 1993 “to test whether it would be possible, by concentrating on commercial litigation, to improve the efficiency with which such matters were addressed by the court and, at the same time, to enhance the quality of judicial treatment of those cases.” Among other things, its continual adoption
Another Reminder That Unsigned Agreements Can Be Binding
In commercial litigation, it is not at all unusual for courts to be called upon to determine whether an unsigned agreement is binding. The federal courts have a long line of cases dealing with this very issue, and perhaps the seminal one in this area is the Second Circuit’s decision in Winston v Mediafare Enter.
Default Judgment Entered on a Promissory Note Even Though Claim Likely Violated Criminal Usury Laws
So a plaintiff obtains a default judgment against a defendant on a promissory note case. Defendant fails to appear or defend. On a motion to enter the default pursuant to CPLR 3215, one would assume that without opposition, judgment would be entered for the amount of the loans. Interestingly, t
hat’s not quite what happened
Fugitive Tycoon Guo Wengui, Seeking Asylum in United States, Denied Protection from Creditors’ New York Lawyers
In 2015, Guo Wengui, a/k/a Kwok Ho Wan, a Chinese citizen, billionaire investor and political provocateur, fled China for the United States amid reported investigations by the Chinese government involving several of his businesses and business partners. Mr. Guo reportedly left behind approximately $17 billion in Chinese assets, which have been frozen. Despite living
Fox News Executive Not a Faithless Servant, Despite Allegations of Sexual Harassment
In a recent Commercial Division decision, Pozner v Fox Broadcasting Company, (2018 NY Slip Op 28102 [Sup Ct, NY County Apr. 2, 2018]), Justice Saliann Scarpulla declined to extend the application of the faithless servant doctrine to a circumstance where no New York court has applied it before.
Cliff Pozner (“Pozner”), a former
Blue Man Group Member’s Fiduciary Duty Claim Drummed Out of Court
Ian Pai was an early participant in the 
Blue Man Group (“BMG”). Between 1989 and 1991, he met and began collaborating with the founders of BMG, namely, Chris Wink, Phillip Stanton and Matt Goldman. Pai claims to have made significant contributions to BMG’s creative and musical aspects over the decades-long relationship he had with the
Check the Rules Part VI – Recent Rule-Change Proposal Asks Lawyers To Curb Their Brief-Writing Enthusiasm
Perhaps I’m revealing too much about my abilities in a prior life to balance academic and social priorities, but does anyone else remember the “not less than X pages” page requirements for high-school and college term papers and the corresponding font, margin, and line-spacing tricks for getting the assignment over the finish line?
Well,
Lawyers Must Continue to Dot Their I’s and Cross Their T’s To Avoid Legal Malpractice Claims
In a legal malpractice claim brought by Plaintiff, an Australian investment bank against Morrison & Foester, claiming that the law firm did not conduct due diligence in uncovering material misrepresentations pertaining to Plaintiff’s underwriting of a public stock offering of Puda Coal, Inc., Justice Scarpulla, in the New York County Supreme Court (Index No.: 650988/15)
Separate Duty to Notify Revives Untimely Subprime Mortgage Claims
In a thorough opinion last week by Justice Marcy Friedman in Bank of N.Y. Mellon v WMC Mtge., LLC, the New York County Supreme Court upheld the timeliness of “Failure to Notify” claims arising from subprime mortgage-backed securities formed into a trust in 2007. To put it mildly, the mortgages were problematic (go see
When Is A Fraud Claim Duplicative Of A Breach Of Contract Claim?
Generally speaking, a fraud claim that is “duplicative” of a breach of contract claim will be dismissed. But when is a fraud claim sufficiently duplicative of a breach of contract claim so as to warrant its dismissal? The New York County Commercial Division (Sherwood, J.) recently answered this question in xLon Beauty, LLC v Day