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Getting sued by your client’s adversary is an occasional occupational hazard for attorneys in any field, but perhaps more so for attorneys who represent closely held companies that fall into the business divorce maelstrom, as evidenced by Nassau County Justice Denise Sher’s recent decision in Aranki v. Goldman & Associates. It’s in this week’s New York Business Divorce.
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Continue Reading Lawyers Caught in the Crossfire of Shareholder Disputes

What are the powers of the president of a close corporation to make major decisions in the ordinary course of business, such as entering leases, without obtaining board approval? Does it matter if the president knows he or she cannot obtain board approval for the proposed action? Read this week’s New York Business Divorce to see how these questions were answered by Rochester Commercial Division Justice Kenneth Fisher in a fascinating case pitting brother against brother in Hellman v. Hellman.
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Continue Reading Court in Hellman Case Re-Affirms Close Corporation President’s Authority to Sign Lease Without Board Approval

This week’s New York Business Divorce revisits an important topic, involving mandatory stock buybacks triggered by the filing of a dissolution petition, prompted by a recent decision by an upstate appellate court in Matter of Stevens (Allied Builders, Inc.).
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Continue Reading Appellate Court Rejects Mandatory Stock Buyback Triggered by Dissolution Petition

On January 26th, in a case called Matter of 1545 Ocean Avenue, LLC, the Appellate Division, Second Department, became the first New York appellate court since the LLC Law’s enactment in 1994 to articulate a standard for judicial dissolution of limited liability companies. Read about Justice Leonard Austin’s scholarly opinion for the court, from which two justices dissented in part, in this week’s New York Business Divorce.
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Continue Reading It Only Took 16 Years: New York Appellate Court Defines Standard for Judicial Dissolution of Limited Liability Companies

The hiring by one 50% business owner of legal counsel to take action in the company’s name against the other 50% owner is a frequent source of litigation. This week’s New York Business Divorce revisits the Caplash case, which involved this issue in the LLC context, on the occasion of a new decision by the Appellate Division, Fourth Department, affirming rulings by Justice Kenneth Fisher.
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Continue Reading Appellate Court Affirms Caplash Ruling Rejecting Authority of 50% LLC Member to Hire Company Counsel in Proceedings Against Other 50% Member

A pair of recent decisions by New Jersey courts permits corporate dissolution petitions under that state’s law for foreign corporations based in New Jersey. Would such a petition succeed in New York? Discover the answer in this week’s New York Business Divorce.
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Continue Reading New Jersey Courts Apply State’s Dissolution Statute to Foreign Corporations: Can it Happen in New York?

If you think you’ve seen it all when it comes to corporate dissolution contests, think again as you read this week’s New York Business Divorce which looks at a case in which one LLC member opposed the other’s dissolution petition based on the latter’s alleged mental disability.
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Continue Reading Poorly Drafted Disability Clause in Operating Agreement Provides Novel Defense to LLC Dissolution Proceeding

There’s been a spate of recent court decisions concerning the authority of one 50% business owner to hire counsel to represent the company adverse to the other 50% owner. This week’s New York Business Divorce looks at two new decisions, one from New York and one from Delaware.
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Continue Reading Delaware and New York Courts Agree that 50% LLC Member May Not Hire Lawyer to Represent Company Adverse to Other 50% Member

When 50-50 business partners have a falling out, the ensuing battle for the high ground can lead one of them to take hostile action in the company’s name without the other’s consent. A new decision on the subject by Justice Kenneth Fisher launches this week’s New York Business Divorce.
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Continue Reading Caplash Redux: 50% Member Cannot Hire Lawyer to Represent LLC in Dispute with Other 50% Member

A fascinating opinion by Justice Kenneth Fisher is the focus of this week’s posting about a classic corporate governance dispute between 50/50 shareholders who also happen to be brothers, when one of them signs a company lease over the other’s objection.
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Continue Reading Court Upholds Authority of 50% Shareholder/President to Sign Lease Without Co-Owner’s Approval