This week’s New York Business Divorce looks at two recent decisions by appellate courts in New York and Massachusetts in which dissident shareholder/directors sought access to the other directors’ communications with corporate counsel. Did they succeed? Read on to find out.
Continue Reading Can “Adverse” Shareholder/Director Access Privileged Communications With Corporate Counsel?

The historic Bulova watchcase factory in picturesque Sag Harbor, NY, is the focus of a legal battle between co-developers that led to a decision earlier this month upholding a merger that left one of the developers in the cold, holding a check for $465.60 for its interest. Read more in this week’s New York Business Divorce.
Continue Reading Too Late Gets Too Little: LLC Minority Member Fails to Block Merger, Must Accept $465 Buy-Out

Freeze-out mergers are well known in the corporate venue, but did you know they can also be used for limited liability companies, and that they can trigger appraisal rights? This week’s New York Business Divorce examines a decision by Manhattan Commercial Division Justice Charles Ramos in a rare lawsuit prompted by an LLC freeze-out merger.

Continue Reading Freeze-Out Merger and the Limited Liability Company

A decision earlier this month by Manhattan Commercial Division Justice Bernard Fried in Barasch v. Williams Real Estate Co. analyzes dissenting shareholder appraisal rights in a complex corporate reorganization that resulted in a new majority owner of a major real estate brokerage firm. This week’s New York Business Divorce has the story.
DON’T MISS TOMORROW MORNING’S CLE PROGRAM AT THE LONG ISLAND MARRIOTT ON DRAFTING ORGANIZATIONAL DOCUMENTS FOR LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANIES, AT WHICH I’LL BE PRESENTING ON “LESSONS FROM THE LITIGATION TRENCHES”. FOR MORE INFORMATION, SEE TODAY’S POSTING OR CALL 1-800-582-2452.

Continue Reading Corporate Reorganization to Bring in New Majority Owner Triggers Dissenting Shareholder Appraisal Rights

Stock valuation aficionados will not want to miss the report in this week’s New York Business Divorce on the recent decision in Matter of Harlem River Yard Ventures, Inc. It’s a dissenting shareholder case triggered by a squeeze-out merger in which the court was faced with widely disparate expert valuations of a company holding a 99-year lease on the Bronx site of the former Penn Central rail yards, now serving as an industrial park.

Continue Reading Court Endorses Discounted Cash Flow Method, Rejects Post-Merger Tax Benefits, in Determining Fair Value Award to Dissenting Shareholder

It’s summertime, the livin’ is easy and the fare is lighter in this week’s New York Business Divorce featuring short summaries of a few decisions on diverse issues in shareholder disputes decided by Nassau County Justice Stephen Bucaria and Manhattan Justices Jane Solomon and Debra James.

Continue Reading A Few Dissolution Case Tidbits

The Appellate Division, Second Department last week affirmed the key rulings by Justice Ira Warshawsky in the Murphy v. U.S. Dredging valuation case, including his application of a marketability discount to entire enterprise value rather than limiting it to good will. Learn more in this week’s New York Business Divorce.

Continue Reading Ruling on Valuation Discounts for Marketability, Built-In Gains Tax Ends Rift Among New York Appellate Courts

Stock valuation junkies can get their fix in this week’s New York Business Divorce, as it revisits the issue of discounts for BIG — as in built-in capital gains taxes — in the appraisal of C corporation shares under the fair value standard, prompted by a decision last week by a Manhattan appeals court in a case called Matter of Mandelbaum.

Continue Reading Dissenting Shareholder Stock Appraisal Triggered by Freeze-Out Merger Raises Issue of Post-Merger Tax Consequences for C Corporation with Built-In Gains

A one-of-a-kind, high-stakes dissenting shareholder appraisal proceeding is the subject of a fascinating decision by Justice Ira Warshawsky, in which he tackles disputes over trapped-in capital gains, marketability and minority discounts, widely disparate expert valuations, and entitlement to attorney’s fees and interest. Read about it in this week’s New York Business Divorce.

Continue Reading Court Determines Fair Value in Dissenting Shareholder Case Triggered by REIT Conversion

An Illinois appellate court recently ruled in an unusual dissenting shareholder case on the valuation of shares in a single asset, real estate “C” corporation. It’s a highly interesting decision, pitting equitable considerations against valuation orthodoxy. You can either guess which prevailed, or you can read this week’s New York Business Divorce.

Continue Reading In Unusual Case, Illinois Appellate Court Reduces Fair Value Award to Dissenting Shareholder