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As a general principle, where parties have a contractual relationship, the terms of the agreement will govern any disputes. While there may be other laws that apply to the relationship, they may only be applicable where the contract is silent, invalid or some exception exists. The importance of the parties’ agreement in resolving conflicts also … Read more
Malpractice arises when a professional (doctor, lawyer, etc.) with a duty of care to a party acts in a negligent manner that causes harm to that party. Typically, the duty of care arises because there is a direct contractual relationship between the parties – that is, the plaintiff hired the defendant. However, in a recent … Read more
On May 26, 2020, New York City Mayor Bill DeBlasio signed a new law addressing the liability of personal guarantors for the debts of commercial tenants that defaulted due to COVID-19. Governor Andrew Cuomo had previously issued Executive Orders which prohibited the imposition of late charges and temporarily halted evictions of commercial tenants. As a … Read more
Before a party can sue in court for anything, he or she must have the standing to bring the lawsuit. To establish standing, a party must demonstrate a sufficient personal connection to and harm from the law or action challenged to support that party’s participation in the case. Essentially, courts want to know that a … Read more
When a debtor defaults on a mortgage, the lender must commence an action for foreclosure within the statute of limitations. In New York, the statute of limitations is six years and it starts running upon the acceleration of the debt following a default in payment. Essentially, when a debtor defaults, the lender “accelerates” the mortgage … Read more
Generally, New York law provides that a company that buys the assets of another business is not liable for the seller’s pre-existing liabilities. However, there are several important exceptions to this rule. One of them is known as the de facto merger doctrine and it creates successor liability when the transaction between the purchasing and … Read more
In certain types of cases, a party may be able to sue in either state or federal court. That is because both courts may have “subject matter jurisdiction” over the case. There are requirements for suing in federal court. Subject matter jurisdiction refers to the requirement that a given court has the power to hear … Read more
Generally, courts will respect and enforce the terms of a contract. However, one exception to that rule involves situations where one party was coerced into signing a contract by the other party. Economic duress occurs when one side threatens to breach the agreement if the other party doesn’t accept the new terms. When it occurs, … Read more
Effective January 1, 2020, employers will have to pay any employee who does not make at least $35,568 per year overtime for any hours in excess of 40 hours worked in a particular workweek. This is because there will be new overtime rules in 2020. As a result of this change, employers must review how … Read more
If you plan to object to services of process in New York, you need to make sure you do it in a timely and proper manner. This blog post will teach you how