A must-read decision last week by Justice Elizabeth Emerson in Federico v Brancato highlights the unique attributes and challenges of resolving conflicts within family-owned businesses. You won’t want to miss it in this week’s New York Business Divorce.
Continue Reading When Parents Have to Choose: Succession Planning and the Family-Owned Business

This week’s New York Business Divorce features an important decision last month by Justice Vito DeStefano in which he upheld a claim for advancement of legal fees incurred by a close corporation minority shareholder, director and former officer, who initiated suit against the controlling shareholder, in defending counterclaims asserted in the name and right of the company. …
Continue Reading Court Upholds Former Officer’s Right to Seek Indemnity and Advancement in Intra-Company Dispute

Pappas v. Schatz, recently decided by Justice Melvin Schweitzer, is a postscript to the more famous Pappas v. Tzolis case decided by New York’s highest court in late 2012 concerning a disputed buy-out of LLC membership interests. Get the story in this week’s New York Business Divorce. …
Continue Reading Pappas v. Tzolis: A Revealing Epilogue

A Manhattan appellate panel recently ordered a trial in a suit between the estate of a deceased law firm partner and the surviving partner over whether the latter’s post-death admission of a new partner was part of an alleged “sham” transaction designed to defeat the estate’s entitlement to receive half the firm’s assets upon dissolution and liquidation. You won’t want to miss it in this week’s New York Business Divorce.
Continue Reading Court in Law Firm Dissolution Suit Must Decide, Was Partnership a “Sham”?

This week’s New York Business Divorce highlights a fascinating case involving a chain of walk-in airport spas known as XpresSpa, in which Justice Melvin Schweitzer recently ruled that the structuring of a capital investment by a private equity firm triggered a dissolution of XpresSpa’s parent company under the terms of its operating agreement. …
Continue Reading Transfer of LLC’s Assets to Subsidiary Triggers Unintended Dissolution

Justice Emily Pines’ decision last month in Matter of Bianchi, dismissing for lack of subject matter jurisdiction a petition to dissolve a New York-based Delaware corporation, raises anew the conflicting decisions on the issue among New York’s several Appellate Divisions. This week’s New York Business Divorce has the story.
Continue Reading The Conflict Continues Over Judicial Dissolution of Foreign Corporations

Insurance-funded buy-sell agreements among owners of closely held companies, when done right, provide financial security for the family of a deceased owner and continuity for the surviving owners. When done wrong, well, that’s another story, as illustrated in a case recently decided by Justice Timothy Driscoll highlighted in this week’s New York Business Divorce. …
Continue Reading How Not to Create an Insurance-Funded Buy-Sell Agreement

In a two-member, 50/50 LLC, can Member #1 as sole managing member assert a fiduciary breach claim against non-managing Member #2? Justice Vito DeStefano recently tackled the question in Kalikow v. Shalik, highlighted in this week’s New York Business Divorce. …
Continue Reading Court Dismisses Fiduciary Breach, Contribution Claims Against Non-Managing LLC Member

You won’t want to miss the discussion of Justice Charles Ramos’ recent decision in Serota v. Scimone in this week’s New York Business Divorce involving a family feud triggered by a management agreement given by the late founder of a real estate empire organized as a series of LLCs, that left his two sons with ownership and the title of managing member but with no authority to control or sell the business. …
Continue Reading Father’s Dead-Hand Control of LLCs Frustrates Sons’ Takeover of Realty Empire