New York Business Litigation Lawyer Blog

October 10, 2013

Corporation Permitted to Sell its Sole Real Estate Holding as Being in the Regular Course of Business

The stated purpose of the corporation, owned by two shareholders in a 55%-45% split, was to lease residential and commercial space. The corporation owned one building and the majority holder wanted to sell it as part of a §1031 Exchange. The expected return was expected to be 300% over a three year period. The minority shareholder refused, and claimed that a super-majority vote was required to allow the sale.

The court noted that under the Business Corporation Law a super-majority was not required if the corporation was making the sale in the ordinary course of its business as “actually conducted by the corporation in furtherance of the objectives of its existence.” Because both parties agreed that the corporation’s business was to lease property, the court had to determine how the proposed sale fit into the corporation’s ordinary business.

The court held that the corporation was proposing a sale, not an exchange. The minority shareholder argued that the sale of the sole asset was not in the regular business of the corporation. The court disagreed. Because the purpose of the sale was not to liquidate the corporation but to reinvest the sale proceeds in a different property, and to then engage in the corporation’s ordinary business with that new property, no super-majority consent was required.

September 9, 2013

New Jersey Court Creates Liability for Sending Text Message

by The Silber Law Firm LLC

A recent decision by a New Jersey appellate court has held that one sending a text to someone that is known or should be known to be driving, and in some way encourages a response to that message, may be liable for injuries sustained in a resulting accident. That said, the applicability of this rule seems rather limited.

In this case, Kyle Best hit and injured two bikers. During the resulting litigation, it became obvious that he was exchanging texts with Shannon Colonna immediately before the accident. Upon learning that, the plaintiffs included Colonna in the lawsuit. Colonna moved for dismissal arguing that she owed no duty to the plaintiffs and was in no way involved in the accident.

The court was clearly sympathetic to the plaintiffs, not surprising given the serious injuries, but refused to hold Colonna liable. However, the court did find that “a person sending text messages has a duty not to text someone who is driving if the texter knows, or has special reason to know, [that] the recipient will view the text while driving.” The court explained that because “Colonna did not have a special relationship with Best by which she could control his conduct [… n]or is there evidence that she actively encouraged him to text her while he was driving,” Colonna could not be found liable for Best’s accident. The court added that despite what Colonna might have known, and “[e]ven if a reasonable inference can be drawn that she sent messages requiring responses, the act of sending such messages, by itself, is not active encouragement that the recipient read the text and respond immediately, that is, while driving and in violation of the law.” Explaining that culpable conduct by the texter would involve something beyond sending the text, the court found that “[p]laintiffs produced no evidence tending to show that Colonna urged Best to read and respond to her text while he was driving.”

September 3, 2013

Is “Dirty” Defamatory?

by The Silber Law Firm LLC

The owner of “America’s Dirtiest Restaurant” cannot recover on its claim that the restaurant was defamed. No surprise there. Have a read here.

August 27, 2013

Client Sues His Lawyer–for Copyright Infringement

by The Silber Law Firm LLC

This case presents an interesting discussion of copyright law, but not only based on a court decision, but on a disgruntled ex-client’s claim against his lawyer.

Bernard Gelb and his company hired an attorney, Norman Kaplan, to file a class action lawsuit. After that lawsuit was dismissed, Gelb and Kaplan filed an appeal on behalf of the class members. Before that appeal was decided Gelb and Kaplan parted ways. However, the other members of the class kept Kaplan as counsel. Gelb withdrew from the appeal (he initially tried to withdraw the entire appeal, which he was not allowed to do, so he withdrew his participation in that appeal). Thereafter, Gelb, claiming that he had a role in drafting the initial court papers, filed for copyright protection of those court papers. After the appellate court reversed the dismissal and reinstated the case, Kaplan proceeded with the case on behalf of the remaining class, using and amending the initial court papers that had been filed before dismissal was ordered.

Gelb sued Kaplan claiming that Kaplan’s continued use of the initial court papers, including the complaint, infringed on Gelb’s copyright. Kaplan’s motion to dismiss Gelb’s claims was granted and Gelb appealed.

On appeal, the Second Circuit, after noting Gelb’s “sharp litigation practices,” upheld the dismissal of Gelb’s claims. The court agreed with the lower court’s reasoning and explained further that when Gelb directed Kaplan to file the complaint, Gelb issued to Kaplan an irrevocable implied license to use those papers in the lawsuit, without limitation. Key to that finding was the court’s discussion that when a copyright holder allows another to use a document in a litigation, he knows or should know that the document may be necessary throughout the legal proceeding–even by a different attorney. The court also highlighted its concern that allowing Gelb to proceed on his claim would preclude a court from doing its business. A court could not adjudicate a case if it had to compete with the copyright considerations of the papers before it. Allowing this claim could also encourage attorneys to hold a case or client hostage by claiming ownership of a document. In sum, the court held:
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August 20, 2013

Avis Cannot Bury Additional Fees in its Contract

by The Silber Law Firm LLC

Avis’s car rental agreement provided that the renter would be charged the non-discounted rate for E-Z Pass toll usage. In its provisions dealing with rental charges, Avis made no mention of an additional $2.50 fee, assessed daily, for the renter’s E-Z Pass use. When Avis demanded that the renter pay that daily fee, the renter refused. Instead, he sued Avis and sought class action status. The renter claimed that Avis breached the rental agreement and argued that Avis’s conduct violated New York State’s consumer protection statutes.

In denying Avis’s request to dismiss the case, the court emphasized that while the font type of the language addressing this daily fee satisfied the statutory minimum, the fact that Avis disclosed the $2.50 fee in its paragraph titled “Collections,” where Avis detailed its rights in the event of a renter’s non-payment and not in the “Rental Charges” section, where all of the other rental charges are addressed, could be misleading to the consumer and precluded dismissal of the lawsuit.

July 8, 2013

Arbitrator’s Application of Incorrect Law Basis for Vacatur of Arbitration Decision

by The Silber Law Firm LLC

While the misapplication of a law is ordinarily not a reason for a judge to throw out an arbitration award, a Civil Court judge has refused to confirm an arbitration award because it was contrary to established law.

In this case, the arbitrator was found to have acted contrary to established law in determining the proper standard for which party was obligated to prove its case. Upon application to the court for confirmation and enforcement of that arbitration award, the judge held that while the misapplication of a correct law would not lead to vacatur, here, because the arbitrator’s decision was based on a wrong legal principal and thus contrary to established law, it was deemed irrational under Article 75 of the CPLR, and could not stand.

July 1, 2013

Interest Rate on $1.13 Million Secured Loan Deemed Usurious and Unenforceable

by The Silber Law Firm LLC

A few months ago, the First Department appellate court invalidated a $1.13 million loan because it found its charges and interest to violate New York’s criminal usury laws. The interesting facts of this case are worthy of discussion.

In 2009, ASI, a corporation, needed an immediate cash infusion. Blue Wolf, an investment firm, agreed to lend ASI a sum of money while it conducted due diligence and decided whether it would make an equity investment in ASI. The loan documents, executed in January 2010, provided for Blue Wolf to loan ASI $1,130,000 with interest to accrue at 12% per annum. The loan was secured by ASI’s assets. Although not completely clear from the decision, it seems that Blue Wolf could call the loan upon demand. At closing, ASI received only $805,000 because Blue Wolf kept $325,000 as fees and deposits. Those were broken down as a $50,000 commitment fee, a $75,000 deposit against Blue Wolf’s costs and expenses incurred in connection with the loan, and $200,000 was retained by Blue Wolf as a “‘deposit against future commitment fees'” in the event that ASI rolled over the loan into future financing. Even with this fee charged, Blue Wolf was not obligated to advance future funds or even roll over the loaned funds into a new note. Remarkably, the loan terms provided that if new financing was not arranged by March 31, 2010, Blue Wolf was permitted to keep all or part of the $200,000 as “‘compensation for [Blue Wolf’s] time and expenses, as determined by [Blue Wolf] in its sole discretion.'”

Blue Wolf admitted that by January 2010, it had decided that it would not purchase any portion of ASI and would not provide further financing. Blue Wolf called the loan in March 2010, claiming a loss of confidence in ASI, and informed ASI that it would keep half of the $200,000 it retained. ASI did not repay the loan, and in May 2010, Blue Wolf again demanded repayment, and informed ASI that it would now keep the entire $200,000. When ASI did not pay, Blue Wolf began the foreclosure process against ASI’s assets, as a secured lender. Because of a defect in the March notice, Blue Wolf notified ASI in July 2010 that it would accept ASI’s assets in lieu of repayment of the loan. In July and August 2010, ASI paid Blue Wolf $54,000. Blue Wolf rejected those payments claiming that it had foreclosed on ASI’s assets, which ASI was then holding for Blue Wolf’s benefit. Blue Wolf offered to sell those assets back to ASI for $1.3 million and apply the $54,000 toward that purchase price.

June 17, 2013

More on Judge Schack vs. HSBC

by The Silber Law Firm LLC

A while back, we wrote about Judge Shack’s dismissal of a foreclosure case, something Judge Schack likes to do, but in a situation where he also ordered the CEO of HSBC Bank to appear for a hearing on possible sanctions. The Second Department reversed Judge Schack, again.

The appellate court noted that this was not the first time that Judge Schack dismissed a foreclosure action despite no party asking him to. The court reminded the Judge that he was obligated “to remain abreast of and be guided by binding precedent,” namely, a prior appellate decision where he was reversed on the same issues. And because the Judge undertook his own research before dismissing the lawsuit, the appeals court “caution[ed] the Justice that his independent internet investigation of the plaintiff’s standing that included newspaper articles and other materials fall short of what may be judicially noticed” and was done without notice to the bank’s lawyer and “should not be repeated.” The court reversed and directed that the case be assigned to a different judge.

April 23, 2013

Court Enforces Contract “Boiler-Plate” Language

by The Silber Law Firm LLC

In another example of sophisticated parties ignoring the obvious, the parties to an option contract fought over the implication of standard contract language which provided that the option contract was supported “by good and valid consideration” and thus enforceable.

In a somewhat complex case, the parties entered into an agreement whereby CamEquity would lend money to SVCare so that SVCare could purchase a business. In connection with that, a CamEquity related entity was granted an option to purchase 99.999% of SVCare for $100 million. That option agreement stated that the parties had exchanged “good and valuable consideration” to create a binding and enforceable contract. The loan agreement and option contract were executed the same day.

The day came when CamEquity sought to exercise its option. SVCare argued that CamEquity provided no consideration in exchange for the option right and the right was therefore void. Aside from arguing that the loan was itself consideration, CamEquity pointed to the contract language stating that it provided valid consideration for the option right. SVCare claimed the loan was never made and that the boilerplate recitation of consideration was not true.

April 22, 2013

Court Dismisses Madoff Investors’ Claim Against the SEC

by The Silber Law Firm LLC

A group of investors sued the Security and Exchanges Commission for failing to supervise Madoff and investigate complaints it received before the Madoff scandal unfolded. Despite finding that the SEC had dropped the ball, both before and during the investigation, the Second Circuit found the SEC, as an arm of the United States Government, immune from liability.

In discussing the laws covering this immunity, the court, citing others, stated that the immunity is not “about fairness, it ‘is about power. . . [where] the sovereign ‘reserves to itself the right to act without liability for misjudgment and carelessness in the formulation of policy.'” Therefore, despite the court’s “sympathy for Plaintiffs’ predicament (and our antipathy for the SEC’s conduct)” the immunity provided by Congress defeats plaintiffs’ claims.

Isn’t it nice to be king?