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Business Disputes Business Divorce

Farrell Fritz, P.C.

Recent Appellate Rulings Address Novel Issues in General Partnership Disputes

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The era of the old-fashioned general partnership long ago petered out, largely displaced by subchapter S corporations and, in the last few decades, limited liability companies, both of which allow pass-through taxation...more

Farrell Fritz, P.C.

A Gift Horse with Rotten Teeth: When Equity Bequests Violate Transfer Restrictions or Buy-Sell Agreements

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How often do hopeful beneficiaries of a last will and testament expect to receive what they think will be a valuable bequest of a business interest, only to find their joy turn to despair when they discover the bequest...more

Farrell Fritz, P.C.

Conditional Grants of Membership Interests Are a Roadway to Courtroom Conflict

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In the world of business divorce litigation, this summer saw everything but a slowdown.  We witnessed (and blogged about) Justice Crane cap a long-running fair value proceeding with helpful guidance on appraisals and...more

Farrell Fritz, P.C.

Freedom (But with Consequences): In Delaware, Absolute Litigation Privilege Inapplicable to Nullify Contractual Non-Disparagement...

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The absolute litigation privilege is a long-standing legal principle that statements made during the course of a judicial proceeding by participants in the proceeding (whether parties, attorneys, witnesses, or judges) are...more

Farrell Fritz, P.C.

Prudent Management or Financial Starvation: Can Minority Members Compel the Majority to Make Distributions?

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“It all started when the distributions stopped.”  In my travels as a business divorce litigator, I’ve seen many disputes between LLC co-owners that begin with that message.  A minority owner is content to remain a “silent...more

Farrell Fritz, P.C.

Summer Shorts: An Unusual Application of LLC Law § 608 and Other Decisions of Interest

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Welcome to this 14th annual edition of Summer Shorts. This year’s edition features brief commentary on three recent decisions by New York courts in business divorce cases. The featured cases involve a suit pitting three...more

Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP

My Partner Just Sued Me: Strategies Majority Owners Should Consider in Defending Claims Filed by Private Company Investors

Conflicts between co-owners in private companies are common, but the vast majority are worked out through dialogue and negotiation. When these internal conflicts cannot be resolved, however, minority investors may file suit...more

Lowenstein Sandler LLP

All in the Family: Succession Issues in Family-Owned Businesses

Lowenstein Sandler LLP on

On this episode of “Splitting Heirs,” Warren K. Racusin talks with Lowenstein partner Nick San Filippo IV, Chair of the firm’s Business Divorce practice, and Jeff Savlov, a partner in the family business and wealth consulting...more

Farrell Fritz, P.C.

Did Chancery Court Just Crack Open the Door to Equitable Dissolution of LLCs?

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Delaware Chancery Court’s contractarian approach to all things LLC, embedded statutorily in Section 18-1101(b) of the Delaware LLC Act (“It is the policy of this chapter to give the maximum effect to the principle of freedom...more

Farrell Fritz, P.C.

Special Considerations for Law Firm Breakups

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Just a few weeks ago, I commented on a recent uptick in disputes centered on the breakup of professional services firms. In those disputes, we expect that the demands of the legal, accounting, and medical professions draw...more

Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP

Opening Up the Business Partner Time Capsule: Partnership Lessons Shared by Owners and Investors

Hindsight can be a wonderful thing, especially if hard-earned lessons are adopted by others who are willing to learn from past mistakes. When private company owners and investors share with me some of the wisdom they have...more

Farrell Fritz, P.C.

It Takes More Than a Litigation Tsunami Between Hostile Members to Obtain Judicial Dissolution of a Realty-Holding LLC

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Count ’em: At the time A sued B for judicial dissolution of one of their several jointly owned companies, there are not one, not two, not three, but eight pending lawsuits between the two 50/50 business partners who first...more

Farrell Fritz, P.C.

Oral Joint Ventures: The Wild West of Business Associations

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The lion’s share of cases we write about on New York Business Divorce involve consummated business relationships where the warring parties have clearly chosen the particular entity form governing their relations, whether it...more

Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP

I Need to Sue My Longtime Business Partner(s): What Pitfalls Should I Consider Before Filing Suit

As a business trial lawyer representing private company owners and investors in business divorce disputes and civil litigation for many years, my experience teaches that business partners should approach litigation with...more

Farrell Fritz, P.C.

When Law Firms Break Bad: The Valuation Battle Over Contingency Fees and Crypto Tokens

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As both a practitioner and a close follower of New York business divorce caselaw, I’ve seen a recent uptick in disputes centered on the breakup of professional services firms and cryptocurrency businesses. Perhaps the crypto...more

Farrell Fritz, P.C.

You Get What You Get, and You Don’t Get Upset: First Department Boots Limited Partner’s Claims Based on Plain Terms of Limited...

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Posts about limited partnerships on this blog are far eclipsed by discussions on just about any other form of business entity because, as we’ve noted in the past, limited partnerships are generally on the decline....more

Farrell Fritz, P.C.

Your Business Appraiser Relied on What!? Lessons from a Mostly-Decided Motion to Preclude

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One of the best parts of being a business litigator is the frequent opportunity it affords to work with (and against) expert witnesses of all stripes. And perhaps because there are so many ways that a business divorce can...more

Farrell Fritz, P.C.

Your Business Appraiser Relied on What!?  Lessons from a Mostly-Decided Motion to Preclude

Farrell Fritz, P.C. on

One of the best parts of being a business litigator is the frequent opportunity it affords to work with (and against) expert witnesses of all stripes. And perhaps because there are so many ways that a business divorce can...more

Farrell Fritz, P.C.

Battle for Company Control Turns on Conflicting Copies of Operating Agreement Amid Accusations of “Old-Fashioned Forgery”

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“This case (and its many state-court siblings) has a tortured history,” is the opening line in Judge Subramanian’s decision. The “siblings” are five or so related lawsuits filed in New York State Supreme Court beginning in...more

Farrell Fritz, P.C.

Termination, Adequate Alternative Remedies Sends Dissolution Proceeding Packing

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There are plenty of advantages to practicing business divorce litigation in New York.  The diversity of businesses and clients, complexity of agreements and transactions, and excellence of judges and attorneys make New York,...more

Farrell Fritz, P.C.

Crossing the Hudson: Recent Business Divorce Decisions from Yonder States

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Folks who’ve been following this blog for years know that periodically I like to venture beyond New York’s borders to find and report on interesting decisions from other states in business divorce cases....more

Farrell Fritz, P.C.

Two Cases. Two Mammoth Fee Awards. Coup de Grâce or Pyrrhic Victory?

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Under a common-law doctrine successful litigants love to hate – the “American Rule” – a party to litigation cannot recover its legal fees unless a contract, statute, or court rule expressly authorizes fee-shifting to the...more

Farrell Fritz, P.C.

The Legal Ramen-ifications of Dissolving a New York LLC Over Noodle Choices

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The last time we featured a notable decision on a claim for dissolution of a restaurant-operating LLC was in 2017, with a post by Frank McRoberts titled, “LLC’s Purpose Being Achieved?  Business Doing Fine?  Good Luck Getting...more

Farrell Fritz, P.C.

New York Appellate Court’s Split Decision Involving Delaware LLC Pits “Harsh” Contractarianism Against “Fundamental Fairness”

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Last week, the Manhattan-based Appellate Division, First Department, handed down one of the more intriguing decisions by a New York court I’ve seen in a long time involving a dispute between LLC members....more

Farrell Fritz, P.C.

Rare as a Dodo: Bifurcation in Business Divorce Trials

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Jury trials in business divorce litigation are uncommon. Bifurcated business divorce jury trials are all but nonexistent. But in Aronov v Khavinson (81 Misc3d 1242(A) [Sup Ct, Kings County Feb. 9, 2024]), we encounter the...more

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