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Business Litigation Operating Agreements

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.

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

Farrell Fritz, P.C. on

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.

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

Farrell Fritz, P.C. on

“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.

Crossing the Hudson: Recent Business Divorce Decisions from Yonder States

Farrell Fritz, P.C. on

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.

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

Farrell Fritz, P.C. on

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.

Rare as a Dodo: Bifurcation in Business Divorce Trials

Farrell Fritz, P.C. on

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

Farrell Fritz, P.C.

Enforcing the Guardrails on Transactions Involving Interested Directors of Close Corporations

Farrell Fritz, P.C. on

In my business divorce practice I deal with many closely held corporations that have only a few or perhaps just two shareholders, each of whom is actively involved in running the business. Within that category are many...more

Farrell Fritz, P.C.

The Perils of Indeterminate LLC Membership Interests, Redux

Farrell Fritz, P.C. on

Capital contributions by business owners are the lifeblood of any newly formed business entity. Typically the lifeblood consists of cash, but not always. In many instances the contribution may consist of tangible (e.g., real...more

Farrell Fritz, P.C.

Top 10 Business Divorce Cases of 2023

Farrell Fritz, P.C. on

Some years are easier than others to select the most significant business divorce cases. In this, the 16th year I’ve published this top-10 list, the task is made especially difficult by a veritable flood of court decisions...more

Farrell Fritz, P.C.

A Lifeline for the Stale “Schedule A”

Farrell Fritz, P.C. on

One need not peruse the pages of this blog for long to learn that its authors strongly advise against entering into an owners’ agreement that calls on the members to “annually” (or worse, “regularly”) update a critical aspect...more

Allen Barron, Inc.

The Importance of Year-End Corporate Governance Work

Allen Barron, Inc. on

What is the importance of year-end corporate governance work? I know. I can see and hear it now: most businesspeople just roll their eyes and ask, “why do I have to go through this hassle?” What is the purpose of a corporate...more

Stradling Yocca Carlson & Rauth

California Business Divorce Blog: Your LLC Can Run, But It Probably Cannot Hide From California Jurisdiction

In some cases, owners of an LLC provide in their Operating Agreements that any disputes involving the LLC or arising out of the Operating Agreement, including a business divorce, must be litigated in a private arbitration...more

Farrell Fritz, P.C.

Judicially Expelled Member Pays Heavy Price For Abandoning LLC

Farrell Fritz, P.C. on

Last month, in Flor v Greenberg Farrow Architectural Inc., a three-judge panel of the New Jersey Appellate Division handed down an opinion with important lessons for business owners and practitioners in states that have...more

Farrell Fritz, P.C.

The Magnolia State Wins the Prize for Novel Alternative Remedies in LLC Dissolution Cases

Farrell Fritz, P.C. on

New York courts are not in the vanguard when it comes to devising less drastic, alternative remedies in LLC judicial dissolution cases. In their defense, there’s nothing in Article 7 of New York’s LLC Law that expressly...more

Farrell Fritz, P.C.

Dissolution Defined: The First Department’s Recent Guidance on Interpreting Operating Agreements

Farrell Fritz, P.C. on

The owners’ agreement is the backbone of the closely-held business.  In intracompany LLC disputes, few things are more important than what the operating agreement has to say on the subject.  As a consequence, the pages of...more

Farrell Fritz, P.C.

Use Caution When Amending Your Operating Agreement Without Unanimous Consent

Farrell Fritz, P.C. on

In my experience, most operating agreements of New York LLCs include a provision barring amendments unless made in writing and executed by all members. Such provisions are especially prevalent with smaller, member-managed...more

Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler LLP

Commercial Division Denies Car Dealership Owner’s Motion to Dismiss Suit Brought by Dealership’s Operating Companies, Puts...

Judge Richard Platkin of Albany County recently handed down a stark reminder to Defendant Walid Darwish: everyone has to follow the rules of the road, even the person who writes the rules and owns all the cars. On April 26,...more

Farrell Fritz, P.C.

Recent Decisions Enforce LLC Member’s Right of First Refusal, Restrict Partnership Accounting, and Allow Damages Claim for Breach...

Farrell Fritz, P.C. on

Someday, perhaps, I’ll find the comedic inspiration to come up with a joke that begins, “An LLC, a partnership, and a close corporation walk into a bar . . ..” Until then, I’ll have to satisfy myself with writing about an...more

Robson & Robson, P.C.

Waiving Judicial Dissolution in Pennsylvania: Not Happening, But That May Be Okay.

Robson & Robson, P.C. on

When two or more people become owners of a limited liability company and embody their relationship in an operating agreement, they usually see sunshine and rainbows in their future. They have an idea, they have a corporate...more

Robson & Robson, P.C.

Claiming Ownership Of A Company? You Better Have The Receipts

Robson & Robson, P.C. on

Over the past few years, the term “receipts” has entered the pop culture lexicon to mean something broader than its traditional definition of a document that acknowledges either the receiving of a product or service, or money...more

Farrell Fritz, P.C.

Top 10 Business Divorce Cases of 2022

Farrell Fritz, P.C. on

I’m delighted to present our 15th annual list of the past year’s ten most significant business divorce cases. This year’s list includes decisions by New York’s trial and appellate courts concerning a smorgasbord of...more

Farrell Fritz, P.C.

Scrivener’s Error Keeps Sailboat-Owning LLC Afloat

Farrell Fritz, P.C. on

The members of Nite Cap’s owner, Bull-Poet, LLC, recently traded the full sheets and gentle seas of the Hudson for the strum and drang of litigation in New York’s Supreme Court.  But the squall has passed; thanks to New York...more

Farrell Fritz, P.C.

The Art of Manager Removal

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If there’s anything more contentious than a business divorce between co-owners of closely held firms, it’s a business divorce between a couple also going through or following a marital divorce....more

Farrell Fritz, P.C.

LLC Forced Buy-Out Pits Fair Value Against Fair Market Value Against Power to Amend Operating Agreement

Farrell Fritz, P.C. on

Let’s see how good you are at predicting the outcome and its rationale in a recently decided case involving the following facts: The controller of a Delaware LLC has supermajority voting rights under the initial LLC...more

Farrell Fritz, P.C.

And a Time to Every Purpose Under . . . the Operating Agreement?

Farrell Fritz, P.C. on

It’s a bit of a stretch to suggest that King Solomon prophesied the standard for judicial dissolution of LLCs, but there it is: under New York’s judicially construed standard for involuntary dissolution under Section 702 of...more

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