In Greer v. FAM Networks, LLC, 2026 N.Y. Slip Op. 04039 (1st Dept. June 25, 2026), the Appellate Division, First Department, held that a complaint alleging breach of a media exploitation agreement sufficiently pleaded the elements of a contract claim by identifying the agreement, claiming performance, alleging nonpayment and failure to account, and asserting resulting damages.

Contract interpretation principles require courts to give effect to the parties’ intent as expressed in the plain language of their agreement, while reading the contract as a whole and avoiding constructions that render provisions meaningless.

In 1995 Cam LLC v. West Side Advisors, LLC, the Court of Appeals held that a “good guy” guarantor’s liability under a commercial lease ends when the tenant vacates and surrenders possession, not when the landlord accepts the surrender.

Generally speaking, a party is bound by the terms of a contract[1] to which it is a party. Thus, contracts should be enforced according to their terms when they are “clear and unambiguous”.This is so even when a party fails to read the contract prior to executing same (Id. at 5,*7 and 11) or if the signer does not understand the English language.