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Commercial Litigation


Appellate Division, Third Department, Issues Monetary Sanctions against Attorney for Misuse of GenAI in the “First Appellate Level Case In New York” To Do So
Artificial Intelligence (“AI”) and Generative Artificial Intelligence (“GenAI”) are all the rage these days.

Jonathan Freiberger
Jan 165 min read


Res Judicata: Whether a Nonparty to a Prior Action is In Privity with The Prior Action
In Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. v. PEI Global Partners Holdings LLC, 2026 N.Y. Slip Op. 00080 (1st Dept. Jan. 13, 2026), the Appellate Division, First Department, affirmed the dismissal of a complaint under CPLR 3211(a)(5) based on res judicata.

Jeffrey Haber
Jan 148 min read


Court Affirms Reformation of a Settlement Agreement Based on Clear and Convincing Evidence of Mutual Mistake
In Romano v. Kelly, the Appellate Division, Third Department, affirmed reformation of a settlement agreement based on clear and convincing evidence of mutual mistake.

Jeffrey Haber
Jan 129 min read


Court Denies Motion for Summary Judgment in Lieu of Complaint Because Note and Related Asset Purchase Agreement Were “Inextricably intertwined”
By: Jonathan H. Freiberger In today’s BLOG article, we again discuss summary judgment in lieu of complaint pursuant to CPLR 3213, which provides, in relevant part: When an action is based upon an instrument for the payment of money only or upon any judgment, the plaintiff may serve with the summons a notice of motion for summary judgment and the supporting papers in lieu of a complaint. The summons served with such motion papers shall require the defendant to submit answering

Jonathan Freiberger
Jan 95 min read


Court Rejects Plaintiff’s Attempt to Void Release Based on Fraud
“[A] release that, by its terms, extinguishes liability on any and all claims arising in connection with specified matters is deemed to encompass claims of fraud relating to those matters, even if the release does not specifically refer to fraud and was not granted in settlement of an actually asserted fraud claim.

Jeffrey Haber
Jan 59 min read


The Second Department Holds, as a matter of First Impression, that a Party’s Attendance at a Mandatory Settlement Conference Pursuant to CPLR 3408 Does Not Constitute an Appearance for Purposes of ...
This BLOG has previously addressed the issue of a defendant’s appearance in an action – both formal and informal.

Jonathan Freiberger
Jan 25 min read


Summary Judgment Sought Even Though Summary Judgment in Lieu of Complaint at Plaintiff’s Disposal
New York’s CPLR 3213 allows a plaintiff to seek summary judgment in lieu of a complaint when liability for a sum certain is evident from an instrument for the payment of money only, such as a promissory note or unconditional guaranty. This expedited procedure avoids delays inherent in filing and answering a complaint.

Jeffrey Haber
Dec 31, 20256 min read


Defendants Fail to Demonstrate That Indiana Mortgage Loan Servicer Regularly and Continuously Conducts Business in New York
By: Jeffrey M. Haber In New York, foreign business entities – e.g. , corporations, limited liability companies, and partnerships authorized to do business in another jurisdiction or country – are required to register to do business with the Secretary of State. The failure to receive such authority deprives the foreign entity of the ability to affirmatively access the courts of New York and subjects any action commenced by the foreign entity to dismissal. The purpose of the r

Jeffrey Haber
Dec 28, 20257 min read


Interesting Twist on Lien Law Trust Funds
NY Lien Law Art. 3 A creates owner and contractor trusts to ensure payment to project participants; trust assets must be used for costs of improvement, and diversions carry civil/criminal penalties. Trustees may commingle but must keep detailed §75 records.

Jonathan Freiberger
Dec 19, 20256 min read


It’s The Terms of the Contract That Control
In any contract dispute, “it is necessary to consider the language in the contract, for that is what controls the parties’ rights and responsibilities.” For this reason, New York courts “are guided by the standard rules of contractual interpretation, which provide that ‘a written agreement that is complete, clear and unambiguous on its face must be enforced according to the plain meaning of its terms.’”

Jeffrey Haber
Dec 15, 20259 min read


Fraud Notes: Opinions Based on Flimsy Information Can Be Fraudulent, Privity, and Duplication
In today’s Fraud Notes, we examine two cases involving different issues impacting a fraud claim. In RSD857, LLC v. Wright, 2025 N.Y. Slip Op. 06833 (1st Dept. Dec. 09, 2025), we examine the actionability of appraisals. In Olshan Frome Wolosky, LLP v. Kestenbaum, 2025 N.Y. Slip Op. 06816 (Dec. 09, 2025), we examine the duplication doctrine.

Jeffrey Haber
Dec 10, 202512 min read


Salt and Vinegar Flavored Potato Chips and GBL §§ 349 and 350
In Brearly v. Weis Mkts., Inc., 2025 N.Y. Slip Op. 34485(U) (Sup. Ct., Broome County Oct. 31, 2025), the motion court was asked to consider the viability of claims for violations of General Business Law (“GBL”) §§ 349 and 350, which prohibit false advertising and deceptive acts or practices in the conduct of any business, trade, or commerce.

Jeffrey Haber
Dec 8, 20257 min read


Just When You Thought It Could Not Get More Unanimous, The Court of Appeals Determines that FAPA’s Retroactive Application Does Not Violate the Due Process or Contract Clauses of the United States ...
By: Jonathan H. Freiberger Last Week in our BLOG article: “ It’s Unanimous – The Fourth Department Joins the Other Departments and Confirms the Retroactive Application of FAPA ,” we again discussed FAPA and noted that on November 25, 2025, the New York Court of Appeals decided two cases: Article 13 LLC v. Ponce De Leon Fed. Bank , and Van Dyke v. U.S. Bank, N. A. , in which the Court determined that retroactive application of FAPA’s provisions passes constitutional muster und

Jonathan Freiberger
Dec 5, 20257 min read


Assignment of Membership Interests . . . Always Check the Operating Agreement and The LLC Law
In Kober v. Nestampower, 2025 N.Y. Slip Op. 06609 (2d Dept. Nov. 26, 2025), the Appellate Division, Second Department, decided an appeal involving disputes over membership interests in a limited liability company.

Jeffrey Haber
Dec 1, 20256 min read


It’s Unanimous – The Fourth Department Joins the Other Departments and Confirms the Retroactive Application of FAPA
Today’s article is about MCLP Asset Co. v. Zaveri, an action that involves numerous areas of the law about which we frequently write -- mortgage foreclosure, FAPA, CPLR 205(a), CPLR 205-A and statutes of limitation.

Jonathan Freiberger
Nov 28, 20257 min read


Defamation Per Se and Defamation by Implication: Meeting the Heightened Pleading Standard
In today’s article, we explore New York’s heightened pleading standard for defamation per se and defamation by implication.

Jeffrey Haber
Nov 24, 20257 min read


Supreme Court, Kings County, Holds That A Settlement Conference RJI Fails to Satisfy the “Take Proceedings” Requirement of CPLR 3215(c) Necessary to Avoid Dismissal
On October 31, 2025, the Supreme Court, Kings County, decided loanDepot.com LLC v. Ortner, a case addressing the meaning of the “taking proceedings” requirement of CPLR 3215(c).

Jonathan Freiberger
Nov 21, 20255 min read


Proposed Amendment to Prayer for Relief Based on Unrealized Profits Incurred as a Result of Alleged Fraud Violates the Out-Of-Pocket Damages Rule
In Sire Spirits, LLC v. Beam Suntory, Inc., 2025 N.Y. Slip Op. 06297 (1st Dept. Nov. 18, 2025), the Appellate Division, First Department affirmed the denial of a motion to amend a complaint seeking damages for “diminution of enterprise value” due to the alleged fraud.

Jeffrey Haber
Nov 19, 20258 min read


The Second Department Holds, in a Case of First Impression in The Department, That the Failure to Comply with the Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Relief Act When Seeking a Default Judgment ...
In Tri-Rail, the Court decided a “question which has not been directly addressed” in the Second Department involving the impact of non-compliance with the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (f/k/a the Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Civil Relief Act) (the “Act”) on obtaining a default judgment.

Jonathan Freiberger
Nov 14, 20254 min read
“Variety is the Spice of Life” -- Service of Process under CPLR 308(4)
By: Jonathan H. Freiberger William Cowper, in his Eighteenth-Century poem “The Task,” coined the phrase “Variety’s the very spice of life.” Today, this phrase is used in many contexts; albeit not so frequently when discussing service of process under CPLR 308(4) – the subject of today’s BLOG. In our recent BLOG article: “ Primer – Personal Jurisdiction and Service of Process ” we explored various process service issues. As discussed therein, obtaining personal jurisdiction
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Nov 7, 20257 min read
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