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In an Apparent Case of First Impression, First Department Holds That a Board of Directors Cannot Be Sued as a Collective Entity
Today, we consider Tahari v. 860 Fifth Ave. Corp., 2025 N.Y. Slip Op. 05584 (1st Dept. Oct. 9, 2025), an apparent case of first impression in the Appellate Division, First Department, involving the suability of a board of directors under New York law.

Jeffrey Haber
Oct 13, 20258 min read


Fraud Notes: Alleging a Misrepresentation and Duplicative Damages
In today’s Fraud Notes, we examine two cases involving principles familiar to readers of this Blog: the duplication doctrine and the requirement that plaintiffs plead sufficient facts to satisfy each element of a fraud claim.

Jeffrey Haber
Oct 10, 20257 min read


Participation in Arbitration Despite Earlier Litigation Waives Right To Contest Arbitration Award
By: Jeffrey M. Haber As we have noted in prior articles, New York has a “long and strong public policy favoring arbitration”. Indeed, New York “favors and encourages arbitration as a means of conserving the time and resources of the courts and the contracting parties.” “Therefore, New York courts interfere as little as possible with the freedom of consenting parties to submit disputes to arbitration.” “Nonetheless, ‘ ike contract rights generally, a right to arbitration

Jeffrey Haber
Oct 8, 20255 min read


Enforcement News: Company That Purchases Distressed Retail Companies Charged With Conducting Fraudulent Securities Offerings, Misusing Investor Funds, and Making Ponzi-Like Payments to Investors
By: Jeffrey M. Haber On September 25, 2025, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) announced (here) that it charged the co-founders of Retail Ecommerce Ventures LLC (“REV”), and REV’s Chief Operating Officer (collectively, “Defendants”), with conducting a series of fraudulent securities offerings, misusing investor funds, and making Ponzi-like payments to investors. According to the SEC’s complaint, REV’s primary business was purchasing distressed retail companies wi

Jeffrey Haber
Oct 5, 20252 min read


Fraud in the Execution and The Two-Year Discovery Rule
In Dodobayeva v. Rubinoff, 2025 N.Y. Slip Op. 05219 (2d Dept. Oct. 1, 2025), we explore the legal concept of fraud in the execution. Fraud in the execution, or fraud in the factum, occurs when a person is misled into signing a document without understanding its nature.

Jeffrey Haber
Oct 3, 20257 min read


Failure to Satisfy Condition Precedent Bars Breach of Contract Claim
In Macklowe Inv. Props. LLC v. MIP 57th Dev. Acquisition LLC, 2025 N.Y. Slip Op. 05192 (1st Dept. Sept. 30, 2025), the plaintiff, a real estate brokerage, sued pursuant to a letter agreement for a leasing commission after securing a tenant for defendants’ property. The letter agreement required satisfaction of a condition precedent before payment of the commission: execution of a leasing commission agreement. Plaintiff never fulfilled this condition.

Jeffrey Haber
Sep 30, 20256 min read


Plaintiff Pleads Scheme to Defraud Sufficient to Put Defendants on Notice of the Conduct of Which They are Accused, But Nevertheless Fails to Plead The Elements of Fraud with Particularity
In CJS Indus. Inc. v. Dolce, 2025 N.Y. Slip Op. 05037 (1st Dept. Sept. 23, 2025, plaintiff sued RS Custom Woodworking and its representatives for fraud after winning an arbitration award. Both the motion court and the Appellate Division, First Department, found that plaintiff failed to plead fraud with the required particularity in compliance with CPLR 3016(b).

Jeffrey Haber
Sep 28, 20255 min read


Court Decides Gateway Issue of Arbitrability
Under the Federal Arbitration Act (“FAA”) and Article 75 of New York’s Civil Practice Law and Rules (“CPLR”), an action should be dismissed or stayed, and the claims referred to arbitration when they are subject to a broad, mandatory arbitration provision in the parties’ governing agreement.

Jeffrey Haber
Sep 24, 20257 min read


Court Holds Investment Banking Services Engagement Letter is Not "an Instrument for The Payment of Money Only"
In Jefferies LLC v. Blaize Holdings, Inc., 2025 N.Y. Slip Op. 33272(U) (Sup. Ct., N.Y. County Sept. 3, 2025 (here), the New York Supreme Court held that an engagement letter concerning the provision of investment banking services did not qualify as an “instrument for the payment of money only” under CPLR 3213, which allows for expedited summary judgment.

Jeffrey Haber
Sep 22, 20255 min read


Timing is Everything – CPLR 205(a), CPLR 205-A and FAPA
Today’s article is about Nuruzzaman v. Deutsche Bank Natl. Trust Co., an action that involves numerous areas of the law about which we frequently write -- mortgage foreclosure, FAPA, RPAPL 1501(4), CPLR 205(a), CPLR 205-A and statutes of limitation.

Jonathan Freiberger
Sep 19, 20256 min read


Breach of Fiduciary Claim Dismissed on Pleading and Statute of Limitations Grounds
In Celauro v. Celauro, 2025 N.Y. Slip Op. 04870 (Sept. 10, 2025), a minority shareholder of a family-owned business alleged that company executives operated an illicit cash business, diverted profits and deprived shareholders of distributions/dividends. The motion court dismissed most of the breach of fiduciary duty claim, finding many of the allegations to be time-barred under the six-year statute of limitations and the surviving claims too speculative.

Jeffrey Haber
Sep 17, 20255 min read


Business Dispute Between Sisters Dismissed on Statute of Limitations Grounds
In New York, as in most jurisdictions, statutes of limitation serve as a cutoff point for initiating legal action. In business litigation, parties often encounter statutes of limitation issues involving, inter alia, breach of fiduciary duty and fraud claims.

Jeffrey Haber
Sep 15, 20258 min read


Primer – Personal Jurisdiction and Service of Process
Obtaining personal jurisdiction over a defendant is a critical aspect of litigation. There are two components of personal jurisdiction.

Jonathan Freiberger
Sep 12, 20255 min read


Settlement Term Sheet Constitutes Instrument for the Payment of Money Only
Pursuant to CPLR 3213, a plaintiff may commence an action “based upon an instrument for the payment of money only or upon any judgment” by filing a summons and motion for summary judgment in lieu of complaint.

Jeffrey Haber
Sep 10, 20258 min read


Enforcement News: Affinity Fraud and Ponzi Schemes in the News Again
Ponzi schemes and affinity fraud frequently overlap because both exploit trust and social interactions to operate effectively.

Jeffrey Haber
Sep 8, 20254 min read


Consequential Damages: Are They Foreseeable?
In today’s article, we examine BLDG 44 Developers LLC v. Pace Companies N.Y., LLC, a case involving consequential damages.

Jeffrey Haber
Aug 27, 20257 min read


Conflicts of Interest and No-Action Clauses
In Finkelstein v. U.S. Bank, N.A., 2025 N.Y. Slip Op 32882(U) (Sup. Ct., July 30, 2025) (here), plaintiff alleged that he was underpaid on his investment in a residential mortgage-backed securities (“RMBS”) trust due to the improper exercise of termination rights by the trust’s servicers. The servicers argued that the governing agreement barred the action because it included a “no action” clause.

Jeffrey Haber
Aug 25, 20256 min read


Second Department Affirms Denial of Summary Judgment in Mortgage Foreclosure Action For Failure to Demonstrate Compliance with RPAPL 1304
The Second Department has stated that an “RPAPL 1304 notice is a notice pursuant to the Home Equity Theft Prevention Act (Real Property Law § 265-a), the underlying purpose of which is to afford greater protections to homeowners confronted with foreclosure.”

Jonathan Freiberger
Aug 22, 20255 min read
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