2021

The Court of Appeals’ decision in Pappas v. Tzolis was one of three opinions by that court in 2011-12 that reset the bargaining table when controlling owners of closely held companies buy out minority equity holders. A ruling earlier this year by the Appellate Division, First Department, involved a shareholder dispute with an interesting twist on the fact pattern in Pappas. Find out more in this week’s New York Business Divorce.
Continue Reading Appellate Ruling Puts Pappas v. Tzolis to the Test

Special Purpose Acquisition Companies or “SPACs” have become all the rage over the last two years, so it was inevitable that we’d see litigation between members of the LLCs that serve as SPAC sponsors. This week’s New York Business Divorce looks at a case stemming from a dispute over whether the sponsor’s operating agreement gave members an ongoing right to participate in future SPACs.
Continue Reading It Was Only a Matter of Time: SPAC Meets Business Divorce

A decision last week by the Appellate Division, First Department, highlights the relatively precarious position of LLC minority members versus minority shareholders of close corporations when it comes to seeking remedies for alleged abuse by the LLC’s controlling member. Learn more in this week’s New York Business Divorce.
Continue Reading The Money’s There But Out of Reach for the Minority LLC Member

In this week’s New York Business Divorce, we tackle two important legal issues for LLC owners. First, the circumstances in which an upon-death membership interest transfer provision in an unsigned, non-final operating agreement may be enforced. Second, whether a membership interest transfer provision in an operating agreement trumps a conflicting bequest in a last will and testament.
Continue Reading Unsigned, Non-Final Operating Agreement Trumps Conflicting Testamentary Bequest of LLC Interest

This week’s New York Business Divorce examines a recently decided case granting a petition for “equitable dissolution” by means of a forced buy-out of the respondent 50% shareholders of the close corporation that owns the famous Delmonico’s steak house in downtown Manhattan.
Continue Reading On the Menu: Steak and Equitable Dissolution

A recent decision by the Eleventh Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals has created a split among the Circuits on the question whether federal District Courts should decline to adjudicate corporate dissolution actions under the Burford abstention doctrine. Learn more in this week’s New York Business Divorce.
Continue Reading U.S. Circuit Courts Split on Abstention Doctrine in Dissolution Cases