By Jonathan H. Freiberger Today’s BLOG article addresses the circumstances pursuant to which the buyer under a real estate sales contract is entitled to prejudgment statutory interest pursuant to CPLR 5001(a) on the return of its down payment upon seller’s breach of that contract. CPLR 5001(a) provides that “ nterest shall be recovered upon a sum awarded because of a breach of performance of a contract, or because of an act or omission depriving or otherwise interfering with

By: Jeffrey M. Haber A common theme in commercial litigation is the assertion of a breach of contract claim and a fraudulent inducement claim. A plaintiff claiming a breach of contract must show (1) the existence of a contract; (2) the plaintiff’s performance under that agreement; (3) the defendant’s breach of its obligations; and (4) damages resulting from the breach. One of the provisions parties often include in their contract is a merger clause. A merger clause is a provi

By Jonathan H. Freiberger Today’s Blog relates to extensions of time to serve a defendant under CPLR 306-b, a topic previously addressed by this Blog < HERE =">HERE</a>"> , < HERE =">HERE</a>"> and < HERE =">HERE</a>"> . The background discussion in today’s Blog was taken from the linked prior Blogs. Under the present “commencement by filing” system, an action (or proceeding) (collectively, an “Action”) is commenced by filing (CPLR 304(a)) the initiatory paper(s) with the “

By: Jeffrey M. Haber In many of the fraud cases that we examine, the plaintiff alleges that the defendant made an affirmative misrepresentation of fact upon which he/she relied. As we have often noted, fraud does not, however, always concern an affirmative statement. Sometimes a person can perpetrate a fraud through the omission of a material fact. Where fraud by omission is claimed, the plaintiff must allege that the defendant had a duty to disclose the omitted fact. A du

By: Jeffrey M. Haber It is often said that a fiduciary owes the duties of care, loyalty and candor to the person with whom the fiduciary has a relationship. The duty of care requires the fiduciary to act as a reasonable and prudent person would act in a similar circumstance. The duty of loyalty requires the fiduciary to act in good faith and with the best interests of the person or entity with whom the fiduciary relationship exists. This means that the fiduciary must put the

By Jonathan H. Freiberger This BLOG has written numerous times on issues related to contract formation. See, e.g., < here =">here</a>"> , < here =">here</a>"> , < here =">here</a>"> , < here =">here</a>"> and < here =">here</a>"> . Briefly stated, “ o create a binding contract, there must be a manifestation of mutual assent sufficiently definite to assure that the parties are truly in agreement with all material terms.” Total Telcom Group Corp. v. Kendal on Hudson , 157

By: Jeffrey M. Haber In past articles, we have examined a motion under CPLR § 3213 ( see , e.g. , here , here , here , here , and here ). CPLR § 3213 is a procedural mechanism that allows a party to make a motion for summary judgment before filing a complaint in actions based upon “an instrument for the payment of money only or a judgment.” The purpose of the statute “is to provide an accelerated procedure where liability for a certain sum is clearly established by the instru

By: Jeffrey M. Haber In today’s article, we examine Eva Chen Fine Jewelry, Inc. v. Recovery Racing IX, LLC , 2023 N.Y. Slip Op. 06511 (2d Dept. Dec. 20, 2023) ( here ), a case involving common law fraud, New York’s lemon law and Section 349 of New York’s General Business Law (“GBL”). In May 2014, plaintiff purchased a 2014 Maserati Ghibli from Maserati of Bergen County, an authorized Maserati dealership owned at the time by defendant Recovery Racing IX, LLC. The subject vehic

By Jonathan H. Freiberger This BLOG has written numerous times on statutes of limitation issues in mortgage foreclosure actions. See, e.g., < here =">here</a>"> , < here =">here</a>"> , < here =">here</a>"> , < here =">here</a>"> , < here =">here</a>"> , < here =">here</a>"> and < here =">here</a>"> . Briefly stated, and as has been stated previously in this BLOG, an action to foreclose a mortgage is governed by a six-year statute of limitations. CPLR 213(4) . See also ,

By: Jeffrey M. Haber A recurring question that courts and litigants often encounter is how to apply the continuing wrong doctrine to a statute of limitations. Statutes of limitations restrict the time within which a defendant can be held liability for all types of alleged wrongdoing. Plaintiffs who do not pursue their rights within the limitations period will find the courthouse doors closed to their claims. For this reason, whether the statute of limitations has run is an

By: Jeffrey M. Haber In Columbia Consultants, LLC v. Danucht Entertainment, LLC , 2023 N.Y. Slip Op. 06439 (1st Dept. Dec. 14, 2023) ( here ), the Appellate Division, First Department addressed the issues in the title of this article: fraudulent inducement claims in the context of settlement agreements, broad releases and no reliance clauses. As discussed below, the Court found that the release at issue was broad enough to cover the alleged fraud claim and that the no relianc

By Jonathan H. Freiberger A court can award sanctions to any party or attorney in any civil action or proceeding before the court, except where prohibited by law, costs in the form of reimbursement for actual expenses reasonably incurred and reasonable attorney's fees, resulting from frivolous conduct as defined in this Part. 22 NYCRR 130-1.1 ; see also Conregation Ahavas Moische, Inc. v. Katzoff , 134 A.D.3d 934 (2 nd Dep’t 2015). “In addition to or in lieu of awarding co

By Jonathan H. Freiberger Among the problems resulting from COVID-19, is the pandemic’s effect on business. Numerous businesses were forced to close due to lock downs and supply chain issues. The economic slowdowns and business closures caused by the pandemic has generated much litigation; a great deal of which has occurred in the landlord/tenant arena. [This BLOG has addressed landlord/tenant COVID-19 related litigation < here =">here</a>"> , < here =">here</a>"> , < here

By: Jeffrey M. Haber In TD Bank, N.A. v. Keenan , 2023 N.Y. Slip Op. 06158 (2d Dept. Nov. 29, 2023) ( here ), the Appellate Division, Second Department examined the often “nettlesome” question of whether a plaintiff claiming fraud has satisfied the justifiable reliance element of the claim. As readers of this Blog know, we often write about fraud cases where the primary issue for the court to consider is the justifiable reliance element of the claim. We do so because of the i

By Jonathan H. Freiberger Many times, remedies for the breach of a contract other than monetary damages are necessary to make a plaintiff whole. One such remedy is specific performance [a topic previously addressed by this BLOG, inter alia , < here =">here</a>"> , < here =">here</a>"> , < here =">here</a>"> < here =">here</a>"> and < here =">here</a>"> ]. The remedy of specific performance “will not be ordered where money damages would be adequate to protect the expectat

In Stagen v. Neu , 2023 N.Y. Slip Op. 06105 (1st Dept. Nov. 28, 2023) ( here ), the Appellate Division, First Department addressed an issue of contract interpretation involving a word in a settlement agreement that most readers would think has a distinct and undisputed meaning – “employ”. As discussed below, the Court found an issue of fact as to what it means to be “employed” in the context of the record before it. The Court also touched upon the law surrounding third-party

By: Jeffrey M. Haber As we have often explained in the articles in which we have examined fraud claims, to withstand a motion to dismiss, the plaintiff must plead fraud with particularity as required under CPLR § 3106(b), cannot lump all the defendants together so that the plaintiff runs afoul of the group pleading prohibition, and cannot duplicate a breach of contract claim with the fraud claim. Lerman v. 2211 Third Ave. Mazal Holdings LLC , 2023 N.Y. Slip Op. 34092(U) (Sup.

By: Jeffrey M. Haber In Barlow v. Skroupa , 2023 N.Y. Slip Op. 05786 (1st Dept. Nov. 16, 2023) ( here ), the Appellate Division, First Department affirmed the dismissal of a fraud claim because the plaintiffs failed to plead fraud with particularity, as required under CPLR § 3016(b), and identify any specific misrepresentations of material fact. We examine Barlow below. Plaintiffs, who were employees and consultants of Inspire Summits LLC (“Inspire”), doing business as Skyt

By Jonathan H. Freiberger Today’s Blog article is about usury, a topic that has previously been covered. See, e.g., < here =">here</a>"> , < here =">here</a>"> , < here =">here</a>"> , < here =">here</a>"> . Society’s disdain for usury was recently articulated by the Court of Appeals in Adar Bays, LLC v. GeneSYS ID, Inc. , 37 N.Y.3d 320 (2021), where the Court stated: Although the ancient laws relating to usury had religious and moral underpinnings, some of which may have

By: Jeffrey M. Haber Document discovery is an integral part of any litigation. Documents form the foundation of discovery plans and strategies, and, more significantly, proof at trial. Consequently, litigants must search for, collect, and preserve their documents, particularly electronically stored information (“ESI”), from the moment they are aware of their involvement, or potential involvement, in a lawsuit ( i.e. , when there is a reasonable anticipation that a lawsuit may