In a split 3-2 decision last week, the Appellate Division, First Department, affirmed an order dismissing a claim to enforce an oral buy-out agreement involving a Delaware LLC as barred by the merger clause in a subsequently amended operating agreement that the plaintiff never signed. Read about it in this week’s New York Business Divorce.
Continue Reading New York Appellate Court’s Split Decision Involving Delaware LLC Pits “Harsh” Contractarianism Against “Fundamental Fairness”

Statutes and caselaw have imposed several limitations on shareholders’ ability to enter into enforceable voting agreements. But those limitations apply in the corporate context—few have migrated over to LLC member voting agreements. And as a recent decision from the First Department demonstrates, LLC member voting agreements may have fewer formality requirements than one might expect.
Continue Reading First Department Recognizes Cause of Action for Specific Performance of LLC Member Voting Agreement

In the wild west of LLC derivative lawsuits, the First Department’s recent decision in Bd. of Managers of 28 Cliff St. Condominium v Maguire, 2020 NY Slip Op 06844 [1st Dept Nov. 19, 2020] offers—albeit indirectly—an additional foothold for a successful plaintiff to assert his right to recover his fees from an award in favor of the LLC.
Continue Reading Fee Sharing in LLC Derivative Suits: A Common Law Right and a One Way Street 

Can an LLC member with a put option–the right to sell his interest back to the LLC–exercise that option when doing so will render the LLC insolvent? This week’s New York Business Divorce post highlights a recent decision by Justice Masley of the New York County Commercial Division considering this issue.
Continue Reading Departing LLC Members: Exercise Your Put Option Before Insolvency Approaches

Entering its fifth year of litigation featuring two rulings by the Appellate Division in 2017 and last week, the case of Rubin v Baumann is another example of LLCs that suffer from inadequate operating agreements. Learn more in this week’s New York Business Divorce.
Continue Reading Operating Agreement Spawns Multiple Disputes Between 50/50 Members of Realty Holding LLC