By Jonathan H. Freiberger Regular readers of this Blog are familiar with Bank of America, N.A. v. Kessler , 202 A.D.3d 10 (2021)(“ Kessler ”), a case about which we have previously written < here ,=">here</a>," here=">here</a>"> and which addresses the pre-foreclosure notice requirements of RPAPL 1304 (a topic that is a frequent subject of this Blog – see < here =">here</a>"> and the articles linked therein). Briefly, as noted in prior Blog articles, RPAPL 1304 requires

By Jonathan H. Freiberger Section 3025 of the CPLR permits litigants to amend their pleadings. Without leave of court, a party can amend a pleading once, as of right, “within twenty days after its service, or at any time before the period for responding to it expires, or within twenty days after service of a pleading responding to it.” CPLR 3025(a). After the expiration of the “as of right” time to amend pleadings, a party can seek the court’s permission (or all parties

By: Jeffrey M. Haber New York “favors and encourages arbitration as a means of conserving the time and resources of the courts and the contracting parties”. 1 Under the Federal Arbitration Act, “‘questions of arbitrability must be addressed with a healthy regard for the federal policy ... any doubts concerning the scope of arbitrable issues should be resolved in favor of arbitration.’” 2 Thus, “where the contract contains an arbitration clause, there is a presumption of a

By: Jeffrey M. Haber It is common to include a notice provision in commercial contracts and instruments, such as a loan, promissory note or guaranty. Notice provisions identify the party to whom written notice is to be given and specify the required method and means for delivery of written notice under the contract or instrument. Sometimes, the provision will require the parties to update the provision to account for changes to his or her contact information. As shown in Huds

By: Jeffrey M. Haber The disclosure of related-party transactions is an important part of a company’s corporate governance and financial statements. It provides transparency as to how the entity’s financial position and financial performance may be affected by transactions with related parties.1 The definition of a related party is not limited. A related party may be someone who has direct or indirect control (including common control), joint control or significant influence

By: Jeffrey M. Haber It is not often that a defendant can defeat a motion for summary judgment under CPLR § 3213. In Landa v. Friedman , 2022 N.Y. Slip Op. 32673(U) (Sup. Ct. N.Y. County Aug. 5, 2022) (here), however, that is exactly what happened. See, e.g. ,="<em>See</em>,&nbsp;<em>e.g.</em>," here, here and here.=">here</a>."> Under CPLR § 3213, a plaintiff may seek summary judgment in lieu of a complaint “ hen action is based upon an instrument for the payment of mone

By: Jeffrey M. Haber “Understanding what investors value and look for in a financial adviser is critical to both the client’s and adviser’s success.”1 One factor investors consider is reputation. For an adviser, a good reputation can be a valuable tool. It can be used to attract new clients and generate revenue. But, it can also undermine an advisor’s business in complex litigation. Indeed, there are many circumstances that can negatively impact an adviser’s reputation (e.g.,

By: Jeffrey M. Haber Arbitration is an alternative form of dispute resolution where the parties voluntarily agree that a neutral, private person will resolve any legal disputes between them, instead of a judge or jury in a court of law. 1 In business and commercial transactions, arbitration is the preferred means of resolving disputes. It is encouraged and recognized as the public policy of the State of New York. 2 For this reason, “New York courts interfere as little as p

By: Jeffrey M. Haber Previously, this Blog examined the doctrines of frustration of purpose and impossibility of performance in the context of Covid-19 ( See here , here , and here ). Because the Covid-19 pandemic and these doctrines continue to work their way through the courts, we do so again today. In McLearen Square Shopping Center Herndon, Va. L.P. v. BadaNara, LLC , the plaintiff, a commercial landlord, brought suit against defendant BadaNara, LLC (“BadaNara”) 1 an

By: Jeffrey M. Haber It is axiomatic that a plaintiff cannot succeed on his or her cause of action if there are no provable damages. It is, therefore, important that the plaintiff plead and prove each element of the claim, including the damages element. After all, damages are “an essential element” 1 of any tort cause of action. 2 This basic tenant of law was at the heart of Mohinani v. Charney , 3 a case in which plaintiff failed to prove damages resulting from defendants’

By: Jeffrey M. Haber The growth of information technology and electronic communication over the past few decades has made it increasingly easy to collect, maintain, and transfer personal information.1 With the advancement of technology, the public faces repeated threats to the integrity and privacy of their personal information. The federal government has taken steps to help protect individuals, and to help individuals protect themselves, from the risks of theft, loss, and ab

By Jonathan H. Freiberger This Blog frequently covers the pre-foreclosure notice requirements of RPAPL 1304 . See, e.g. , < here =">here</a>"> , < here =">here</a>"> , < here =">here</a>"> , < here =">here</a>"> , < here =">here</a>"> , < here =">here</a>"> , < here =">here</a>"> , < here =">here</a>"> , < here =">here</a>"> , < here =">here</a>"> , < here =">here</a>"> and < here =">here</a>"> . While this stuff is interesting, it also happens to be the subject of frequen

By Jonathan H. Freiberger Laborers and material suppliers (collectively, “Providers”) that add value to construction projects should be paid for their work by the owner, general contractor or whoever else brought them to the project in the first instance. If Providers do not receive payment despite their own performance, several remedies are available. For example, a simple claim for breach of contract may be brought by an unpaid Provider. Such remedies, however, may be in

By: Jeffrey M. Haber It is well-settled that the arbitration provisions of the Civil Practice Law and Rules (CPLR § 7501 et seq .) evidence a legislative intent to encourage arbitration. 1 In fact, arbitration is a preferred means for the settlement of disputes between parties. 2 In light of the foregoing, (1) when parties to a contract have clearly and unambiguously agreed to arbitrate their disputes, the courts will enforce that agreement, as they would any other agreement

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 i

By Jonathan H. Freiberger I say it all the time and I’m going to say it again, the readers of this Blog know that we frequently discuss numerous aspects of residential mortgage litigation. S ee, e.g., < here =">here</a>"> and the articles linked therein. A related subtopic that gets much attention in this Blog is the pre-foreclosure notice requirements of RPAPL 1304 . See, e.g. , < here =">here</a>"> , < here =">here</a>"> , < here =">here</a>"> , < here =">here</a>"> ,

By: Jeffrey M. Haber In Yunjie Yang v. Knights Genesis Group , 2022 N.Y. Slip Op. 32126(U) (Sup. Ct., N.Y. County July 6, 2022) ( here ), the court was asked to consider various matters associated with the particularity requirement for pleading fraud. In this regard, by the court examined the group pleading doctrine and the specificity needed to maintain a fraud claim. The motion court was also asked to consider alter ego liability and the factual bases for piercing the corpo

By: Jeffrey M. Haber It has been more than two years since the start of the global pandemic. In the early days of the pandemic, many states imposed emergency measures to address the health crisis – measures that had the effect of reducing business operations or shutting down the business. New York was no different. Among the measures implemented were government-mandated closures. For retailers this meant the loss of business. With business shutdown, or substantially curtailed