Several weeks ago, we reported on some recent updates to Manhattan Commercial Division Justice Bransten’s individual practice rules. New York commercial litigators should take note of some recent changes in the Queens County Commercial Division as well.

According to an official announcement from the Queens County Commercial Division, as of April 3, 2017, all Commercial

CPLR 3211(a)(1) provides for the dismissal of a claim so long as the defense is based upon “documentary evidence”.  We’ve seen this used successfully in mortgage note cases, (e.g., Bronxville Knolls, Inc. v. Webster Town Center Partnership, [1st Dep’t 1995]), as well as lease litigation (e.g., 150 Broadway N.Y. Assocs., L.P. v. Bodner

The Second Department recently handed down a harsh reminder of the importance of obtaining an executed broker’s agreement.  Oral agreements for broker fees are apt to run afoul of the statute of frauds, and personal jurisdiction cannot be conferred by the mere insertion of a forum selection clause in the brokered sale agreement.

In Ausch

If you commence an action by way of summons with notice, you must bear in mind the strict time limitations imposed by CPLR 3012(b). When the other party timely serves a written demand for a complaint, you have exactly twenty (20) days from service of the demand to serve the complaint. This is a strict,

New Rules Shutterstock_317335106One aspect of the Commercial Division that makes it a highly desirable forum for litigators and litigants alike is its focus on the efficient administration of justice. The Commercial Division Advisory Council (the “Advisory Council”), established by New York’s Chief Judge to make recommendations to improve and enhance the Commercial Division, recently proposed three amendments

You’re a commercial litigator in New York. You’ve just been brought in on a case pending in the Commercial Division before a particular Commercial Division judge.  Or maybe you’ve just received an administrative bounce to a Commercial Division RJI Addendum, assigning your case to a particular Commercial Division judge sitting in the county where

In an action for breach of contract, Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs star Harvey Keitel sued E*Trade based upon a Term Sheet entered into between Keitel and advertising agency Ogilvey & Mather NY (“Ogilvey”) for the actor to do three commercials.   The case, Keitel v E*Trade Fin. Corp. (Sup Ct, NY County, Apr. 17, 2017)