New York law requires that certain contracts must be in writing to be enforceable. The law, known as the Statute of Frauds, also has several well-recognized exceptions. In a recent decision, the New York Court of Appeals officially adopted the promissory estoppel exception, but made clear it only applies in limited circumstances. As a result, individuals and businesses that don’t insist on written contracts still take a big risk that they won’t be able to enforce their agreements.
Obtaining Disclosure of Tax Returns in Litigation
Information contained in income tax returns can be relevant to various types of disputes. Therefore, parties may seek to “discover” the other party’s tax returns. However, courts generally do not require the disclosure of tax returns —even when the returns may be relevant—due to their private and confidential nature. Instead, courts apply a strict standard to … Read more
Local zoning codes established by a town, village, or city control and establish what you can do with your property, as well as the size and boundaries of structures. Those codes can change over time, resulting in potential problems for property owners. This is increasingly an issue for many owners as localities look to prohibit certain uses of property because of growing concerns of conservation, exposure risks, etc. However, owners are often protected from a change that makes a pre-existing use illegal because they are considered to have a “prior non-conforming use.”