The doctrine of “unclean hands” played a decisive role in a recent decision by Justice Emily Pines in Kimelstein v. Kimelstein, in which the court dismissed a dissolution petition brought by someone who admitted that he never formalized his stock interest to keep it hidden from his ex-wives and the government. It’s in this week’s New York Business Divorce.
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Standing
Woe Unto the Undocumented LLC Member Seeking Judicial Dissolution
A tattoo parlor business is the unusual setting for a decision last week by the Appellate Division, Second Department, affirming the lower court’s post-trial dismissal of an LLC dissolution case brought by a member claiming denial of her co-equal management rights. It’s “inked” in this week’s New York Business Divorce.
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Court Orders In Camera Review of Corporate Records in Fraternal Dispute Over Stock Ownership
A recent decision by Justice Paul Feinman in Ng v. Ng illustrates the dilemma faced by a putative, undocumented shareholder in a close corporation who needs access to the corporate kit, tax and financial records — which generally only recognized shareholders are given — to establish his ownership claim. See how the court resolved the issue, in this week’s New York Business Divorce.
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Can a Member of a Member of an LLC Sue to Dissolve the LLC?
By statute a member can seek judicial dissolution of an LLC, but can a member of a member seek dissolution by way of a derivative claim under Tzolis v. Wolff? Find out in this week’s New York Business Divorce featuring Justice Kornreich’s recent decision in JG Club Holdings, LLC v. Jacaranda Holdings, LLC.
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Inconsistent Documents and Conflicting Testimony Cloud Stock Ownership Issue in Corporate Dissolution Case
When it comes to documenting ownership of closely held corporations, as Art Linkletter would have said, shareholders do the darndest things. There’s no better illustration of this than Matter of Sunburst Associates, Inc. decided last week by the Appellate Division, Third Department, in a judicial dissolution proceeding brought by a putative 50% shareholder. This week’s New York Business Divorce has the story.
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Continue Reading Inconsistent Documents and Conflicting Testimony Cloud Stock Ownership Issue in Corporate Dissolution Case
A Toxic Mix of Family and Business
Dissension between members of a family-owned business can present especially difficult issues when litigation erupts. This week’s New York Business Divorce highlights recent decisions by Justices Timothy Driscoll (Nassau County), Emily Pines (Suffolk County) and Deborah Kaplan (Manhattan) involving dissolution and related claims among warring family members.
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Father May Not Know Best: Appeals Court Grants Injunction in Son’s Bid to Establish Majority Ownership of LLC
Earlier this month, in a case called Reichman v. Reichman, the Brooklyn-based Appellate Division, Second Department, reversed a lower court’s decision and granted a preliminary injunction in a bitter feud between father and son over the ownership of a dot-com business organized as an LLC. Don’t miss it in this week’s New York Business Divorce.
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Summer Shorts: Stock Sale Under Duress and Other Recent Decisions of Interest
This week’s New York Business Divorce offers some “summer shorts” consisting of summaries of three recent decisions of interest including two by Justice Carolyn E. Demarest and a split decision by the Appellate Division, First Department.
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Continue Reading Summer Shorts: Stock Sale Under Duress and Other Recent Decisions of Interest
Member of Real Estate LLC Never Withdrew, Held Entitled to Share of Sale Proceeds
It’s one thing to claim that someone never became a member of an LLC, it’s another to claim that an admitted LLC member later withdrew. Justice Stephen Bucaria addresses the latter claim in his recent decision in Gitlin v. Chirinkin, featured in this week’s New York Business Divorce.
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Case Illustrates How Not to Plan for the Death of a Shareholder in a Professional Corporation
Matter of Bernfeld, decided last week by a Brooklyn appellate panel in a signed opinion authored by Justice John Leventhal, offers a rare and fascinating encounter with an ultimately unsuccessful attempt to obtain judicial dissolution of a professional corporation under Section 1103 of the Business Corporation Law, brought by the widow of the deceased majority shareholder. If you are, or have a client who is, a co-owner of a professional corporation, do yourself a favor and read this week’s New York Business Divorce.
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Continue Reading Case Illustrates How Not to Plan for the Death of a Shareholder in a Professional Corporation