In 2019, the New York State Legislature enacted the “Uniform Partition of Heirs Property Act” (UPHPA), also known as RPAPL § 993. It is intended to prevent families from losing “heirs property” through forced sales by imposing certain requirements. This situation arises when a non-family member buys an interest in property co-owned by family members. … Read more
New York’s “Good Cause Eviction” Law was enacted in April 2024 and was intended to protect tenants from evictions or non-renewals of their leases of unregulated rental housing. The law is codified in New York’s Real Property Law (RPL) and the most relevant portions are found at Article 6-A and between sections 231-c and 232-c … Read more
In the last few years, business owners have brought several lawsuits against banks and credit card companies over their high swipe fees. In May of 2025, we advised our clients that the In re Payment Card Interchange Fee and Merchant Discount Antitrust Litigation, or “Swipeopoly” case had settled and business owners could make a claim … Read more
Over the last one and a half years, business owners have faced regularly changing information regarding whether they were required to comply with the Federal Corporate Transparency Act (the “CTA”) and disclose their beneficial owners. Our firm published its first post on the CTA on February 29, 2024. Since then, we’ve published numerous updates that … Read more
The legalization of Electronic Wills or “E-Wills” is coming closer to happening in New York. On April 11, 2025, a bill was proposed by Chantel Jackson, Nader Sayegh, Mary Jane Shimsky and Karen McMahon of the New York State Assembly to implement the integration of E-Wills into New York Law. The bill is Assembly Bill … Read more
The latest development in a lawsuit against Visa, Mastercard and other major credit card issuers regarding their credit card fees involves Staples. In May of 2024, we reported that the Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit approved a $5.5 billion settlement in the case of In re Payment Card Interchange Fee and Merchant Discount … Read more
On January 1, 2024, the federal Corporate Transparency Act (“the CTA”) went into effect mandating that “reporting companies,” which include most corporations and limited liability companies disclose their beneficial owners to the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN). The law was challenged in multiple jurisdictions and found unconstitutional by one court in early 2024. Most recently, … Read more
Most people think that for a sale of real property to be valid and enforceable, there needs to be a formal contract of sale. While this is generally true, the courts in New York have long held that so long as any written instrument includes sufficient material terms, the agreement will be enforceable. What constitutes … Read more
On August 5, 2024, the New York Department of Taxation and Finance’s Office of Counsel published Advisory Opinion: TSB-A-24(26)S. addressing an important sales tax issue for residential landlords. The opinion was issued in response to a petition by a landlord asking the Department whether purchases of electricity and natural gas used by his residential tenants … Read more
Generally, attorneys have the witnesses to a will’s execution sign an affidavit attesting to witnessing the execution. While this isn’t a requirement, in New York and many other jurisdictions, this affidavit can be submitted in lieu of the court hearing the witness’s testimony. This accommodation saves the estate time and money by not requiring hearings … Read more