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.

 

 

Can a 49% shareholder who has co-equal control rights per the shareholders agreement bring an action for deadlock dissolution? Get the answer in this week’s New York Business Divorce.
Continue Reading 49% Shareholder Can’t Seek Deadlock Dissolution Despite Shareholders’ Agreement Granting Co-Equal Control

Intellectual property rights can be the lifeblood of a business. This week’s New York Business Divorce highlights a pair of recent cases involving disputes among the co-owners of closely held firms over the ownership of IP critical to the firms’ prosperity or even existence.
Continue Reading Dissension Follows When Business Owners Don’t Put Their IP House in Order

This week’s New York Business Divorce revisits the Kassab case on the occasion of the latest decision in its five-year litigation journey, denying for the second time the minority member’s bid to dissolve a realty holding LLC co-owned with his brother in the wake of having successfully dissolved their related realty holding corporation.
Continue Reading Court Denies Second Bite at Dissolution Cherry in Kassab Brothers Business Divorce

In Hammad v Al-Lid Food Corp., decided last month by Justice Sylvia Ash, the court denied the minority shareholder’s application for various interim remedies sought after the company elected to purchase his shares. Find out more in this week’s New York Business Divorce.
Continue Reading You Sued for Dissolution, They Elected to Buy You Out, What Else Do You Want?

In this week’s New York Business Divorce, find out what happened when the majority shareholder petitioned to rescind the minority shareholder’s unauthorized sale of the corporation’s realty to a third party purchaser in violation of the court’s restraining order.
Continue Reading Bona Fide Purchaser Avoids Rescission of Minority Shareholder’s Unauthorized Sale of Corporation’s Realty

An appellate ruling last week in a dispute between a putative 50% LLC member and the other party claiming to be the sole member raises the issue whether a written operating agreement, to be enforceable, requires signatures. Read more in this week’s New York Business Divorce.
Continue Reading If LLC Agreement Must Be in Writing, Must it Be Signed?