The death in 2007 of Claudia Cohen, a well-known gossip columnist and socialite who married and divorced billionaire Ronald Perelman, led to a high-stakes litigation between her estate and her surviving brother over the valuation of the estate’s 50% share in a family partnership that directly or indirectly owned real estate interests with a market value over $20 million. A recent court decision ruled against the estate’s $11.5 million claim and, instead, enforced a $178,000 “net book value” buyout under the partnership agreement’s formula, also rejecting the estate’s argument that such a drastically below-market buyout was unconscionable. Read this week’s New York Business Divorce to get the full story.

Continue Reading Court Rejects Unconscionability Argument in Family Partnership Valuation Case, Concludes that “Full and True Value” Equals “Net Book Value” as Defined by Agreement

Professional service corporations are “interesting” and “strange creatures”, says Justice Ira B. Warshawsky in a recent decision rejecting a claim for statutory buyout in a suit brought by a terminated partner in a law firm organized as a professional corporation. Get the story in this week’s New York Business Divorce.

Continue Reading Terminated Member of Professional Corporation is Not Entitled to Statutory Stock Redemption

Is there a difference in determining the “value” of a partnership interest under Partnership Law Section 73 and the “fair value” of a stock interest under the Business Corporation Law? This week’s New York Business Divorce looks at a recent New York appellate decision that answers the question in a dispute over application of discounts for lack of control and lack of marketability.

Continue Reading Court Refuses to Apply Marketability and Minority Discounts in Valuing Deceased Partner’s Interest

The verdict is in: Limited partners may not assert claims seeking damages or rescission for fraud or illegal acts by the general partner relating to a merger transaction, and may only look to their statutory appraisal rights for relief. Read about it in this week’s New York Business Divorce.

Continue Reading High Court Restricts Remedies of Limited Partner Alleging Fraud by General Partner in Merger Transaction

Individuals and companies have a choice of entities – some requiring more formalities than others – through which to pool their resources and efforts in pursuit of a common business goal. Joint ventures and general partnerships are on the less formal side of the spectrum and are often used in the early stages of a