Photo of Peter A. Mahler

Peter A. Mahler is a litigator focusing on business divorce cases involving dissolution and other disputes among co-­owners of closely held business entities, such as limited liability companies, corporations, and partnerships. Peter represents both control and non-control owners, often involving family-owned businesses. Frequently counseling business owners prior to litigation, he advises them of their rights and also assists in designing and negotiating an amicable separation between parties. Peter’s counsel helps avoid litigation by means of a buy-out, sale, or division of business assets.

 

 

The Appellate Division, Second Department’s ruling last month in Berhend v. New Windsor Group, LLC illustrates the disastrous results when care is not taken by the assignee of an LLC interest to determine the validity of the assignor’s interest and the existence of transfer restrictions in the LLC’s operating agreement. Get the full story in this week’s New York Business Divorce.
Continue Reading Always Check Provenance Before Taking an Assignment of LLC Interest

Shapiro v Ettenson, known as the case that made it extra dangerous for minority members of New York LLCs without written operating agreements, reappears in this week’s New York Business Divorce on the occasion of a recent decision concerning member expulsion.
Continue Reading The Curious Case of the Expelled LLC Member Bound by Operating Agreement He Never Signed

Statutory judicial dissolution claims are not welcome in federal courts which have been using the Burford abstention doctrine to divert them to state court. This week’s New York Business Divorce examines a first impression federal court decision giving the same treatment to a common-law dissolution claim.
Continue Reading Another Door Closes to Federal Court in Judicial Dissolution Cases

This week’s New York Business Divorce features Part One of a two-part interview of Professor Peter Molk, one of the foremost academic authorities on LLC law, on the subject of his recent law review article, Protecting LLC Owners While Preserving LLC Flexibility.
Continue Reading The Two Worlds of LLCs: A Conversation With Professor Peter Molk (Part One)