Shareholders considering exercising their right to inspect the corporation’s books and records–particularly in the context of a valuation proceeding under BCL 1118 or 623–would be wise to consider Justice Platkin’s recent primer on different inspection rights and their correspondingly different scopes, conditions precedent, and required justifications.
Continue Reading Justice Platkin’s Primer on Shareholders’ Inspection Rights
Earlier this month the Connecticut Supreme Court handed down an important, first impression decision construing RULLCA’s provision granting members of manager-managed LLCs the right to inspect books and records. Read more in this week’s New York Business Divorce.
Continue Reading The Nutmeg State Out Front on Member Inspection Rights Under RULLCA
A corporation and a dissident shareholder enter into agreement where the dissident shareholder agrees to receive regular payments in exchange for staying away from the Company’s business. What happens when the outspoken shareholder dies? In Stile v C-Air Customhouse Brokers-Forwards, Inc., Index No. 656575/2020 [Sup Ct, New York County 2021], the New York County Supreme Court declined to dismiss a suit by the estate of a shareholder subject to a stay away settlement agreement on the grounds that the stay away obligations did not expressly apply to the shareholder’s successors.
Continue Reading Stay Away Settlement Between Closely-Held Corporation and Dissident Shareholder Goes Away Upon Shareholder’s Death
A bidding war 20 years ago over the purchase of maid’s quarters in a ritzy Park Avenue co-op. A series of co-op board rejections of a shareholder’s proposed sale of his apartment. A recent court decision denying a books-and-records petition. What’s the connection? Find out in this week’s New York Business Divorce.
Continue Reading Court Bounces Books-and-Records Petition in Feud Over Park Avenue Co-op Board’s Rejection of Prospective Purchasers
This 10th annual edition of Summer Shorts presents brief commentary on four recent decisions of interest in business divorce cases in the New York courts along with a recent decision by the Mississippi Supreme Court upholding an unusual freeze-out remedy.
Continue Reading Summer Shorts: For-Cause Termination of LLC Member and Other Decisions of Interest
This week’s New York Business Divorce offers its annual Winter Case Notes with synopses of half a dozen recent decisions in business divorce cases involving minority shareholder oppression, books and records proceedings, and more.
Continue Reading Winter Case Notes: Oppression of the “Gifted” Minority Shareholder and Other Recent Decisions of Interest
In litigation between co-owners of private business entities, a claim against the controllers for an equitable accounting is different from a claim seeking access to books and records — or is it? Get the answer in this week’s New York Business Divorce.
Continue Reading Equitable Accounting vs. Access to Books and Records: Don’t Confuse Them
Ill-fated hardly begins to describe the legislatively doomed LLC involved in the lawsuit featured in this week’s New York Business Divorce. You won’t want to miss it.
Continue Reading Outlawing of LLC’s Short-Term Rental Business Brings Long-Term Litigation
In this week’s New York Business Divorce, we focus on the oft-overlooked accounting cause of action, recently reinvigorated by an appellate decision referring to the claim as an “absolute right.” What does that mean for business divorce litigants? Read on.
Continue Reading Accounting Unchained: Is the Closely Held Business Owner’s Right to an Accounting Absolute?
Over the last several years, the books-and-records proceeding and its corresponding shareholder rights of inspection seem to have entered a bit of renaissance period in the courts. We here at New York Business Divorce have reported on at least nine decisions primarily addressing the topic since September 2014, going on record to proclaim the phenomenon as a “boost” for the summary proceeding, by which minority owners in closely-held businesses can get a window into the management and operation of the companies from which they’ve been shut out. We’ve even gone so far as to suggest that books-and-records proceedings may be “on a roll” of late, both in terms of an expansion what constitutes a “proper purpose” for bringing the proceeding, as well as in terms of the scope of information attainable.
That trend, at least with respect to the frequency with which issues related to inspection rights are being litigated, appears to be continuing into 2018. What follows are summaries of three of this year’s more notable decisions addressing inspection rights – all from Manhattan Supreme Court, as it happens.
But first, a quick refresher on the subject matter at hand…
Continue Reading Inspection Rights, Oral Operating Agreements, and Other Pop-Diva Delights