MiniCorp has five shareholders, all of whom are employees. Each shareholder’s employment agreement states that they are an at-will employee of MiniCorp, and the shareholders agreement provides that when a shareholder’s...more
Over its three-decade rise to the closely-held business entity of choice, the Limited Liability Company has won a special place in our hearts. The majority of disputes we litigate and blog about concern ownership of or...more
Resolving ownership disputes with a buyout at auction has a tempting simplicity. The buyout gives the owners the divorce they need. And the auction—particularly a blind auction, in which no owner is aware of the other’s...more
When a minority shareholder petitions for dissolution of a corporation on the grounds of oppressive or illegal conduct (see BCL 1104-a), Section 1118 of New York’s Business Corporation Law allows the corporation or any other...more
In 1941, two of the three shareholders of Ringling Bros.-Barnum & Bailey Combined Shows, Inc. entered into an agreement stating that they would vote their combined 630 of the outstanding 1000 shares of Ringling Bros. stock...more
4/10/2023
/ Board of Directors ,
Business Disputes ,
Business Divorce ,
Business Litigation ,
Contract Terms ,
Corporate Governance ,
Director Nominations ,
Limited Liability Company (LLC) ,
Private Right of Action ,
Shareholders ,
Voting Rights
This blog frequently covers cases considering a shareholder’s request to dissolve a corporation under New York’s oppression-based corporate dissolution statute, BCL 1104-a. That statute allows a shareholder to petition for...more
The dissolution of a company—and the winddown and liquidation that usually follow—often impacts a broad range of stakeholders beyond just the owners of the company, including creditors and potential creditors, who often are...more
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
Ask a trial lawyer what he or she would give to have an expert witness as effective as Mona Lisa Vito, the third-generation mechanic/out-of-work hairdresser whose testimony on positraction saved the day in Judge Chamberlain...more
One of the earliest signs that a closely-held business is headed for divorce lies in how its owners treat new opportunities. When the relationship among the owners reaches a certain level of distrust, an owner presented with...more
New York’s default rules regarding LLC members’ rights to transfer their interests appear in sections 603 and 604 of the LLC Law. Section 603 provides that a membership interest is fully assignable, but the assignee does not...more
9/19/2022
/ Acquiescence ,
Business Divorce ,
Business Litigation ,
Contract Terms ,
Default ,
Equitable Defenses ,
Limited Liability Company (LLC) ,
Loans ,
Membership Interest ,
Operating Agreements ,
Transfer of Interest ,
Void ab initio
Nestled between Broadway and Church Street in New York City’s hottest neighborhood is the landmarked, stone-façade building at 66-68 Reade Street. Now marketed as the superluxury boutique condominium complex 66 Reade, the...more
8/22/2022
/ Breach of Duty ,
Business Disputes ,
Business Divorce ,
Business Litigation ,
Buy-Sell Agreements ,
Capital Calls ,
Fiduciary Duty ,
Fraudulent Inducement ,
Operating Agreements ,
Real Estate Development ,
Self-Dealing
Some of the most complex and hotly-contested business divorce litigation arises from the dissolution of law firms. Perhaps law firm dissolutions are prone to litigation because many are organized as partnerships or LLPs, and...more
7/11/2022
/ Business Disputes ,
Business Divorce ,
Business Litigation ,
Collateral Estoppel ,
Contingency Fees ,
Corporate Dissolution ,
Judicial Estoppel ,
Law Firm Ownership ,
Limited Liability Partnerships ,
Partnership Agreements ,
Partnerships
A watershed moment or a forgettable outlier? It is often difficult to predict how much a novel decision will impact the body of laws governing closely-held corporations and their shareholders. Decisions that seem the most...more
I can’t say what the number is, but my own experience tells me that a significant percentage of lawsuits by a minority owner of a closely-held company against those in control of the company include a demand for an...more
3/21/2022
/ Accounting ,
Books & Records ,
Breach of Contract ,
Business Disputes ,
Business Divorce ,
Business Litigation ,
Derivative Suit ,
Fiduciary Duty ,
Minority Shareholders ,
Operating Agreements ,
Shareholder Distributions
Two principles often guide courts’ interpretation and enforcement of contracts. First, courts respect parties’ freedom of contract, mostly. So long as an agreement is not illegal or violative of a strong public policy,...more
“Except as provided in the operating agreement. . . ” -
By my count, this phrase and its close relative, “unless otherwise provided in the operating agreement,” appear 59 times in New York’s LLC Law, most often to...more
The books and records proceeding often is the first time that a dispute between a minority shareholder and the majority enters the courtroom. Suspicious of misconduct or mismanagement, the minority shareholder demands to...more
1/10/2022
/ Books & Records ,
Business Disputes ,
Business Divorce ,
Corporate Misconduct ,
Fair Valuation ,
Financial Statements ,
Inspection Rights ,
Shareholder Litigation ,
Shareholders ,
Stocks ,
Tax Returns
For owners of closely-held businesses, there are few provisions meriting more attention in an owners’ agreement than the buy-sell agreement. Buy-sell agreements come in many different forms, and the best ones are designed to...more
We often cover preliminary injunctions on the pages of this blog because they are a powerful tool in the business divorce litigator’s toolbox: they force court action early in the case, they can protect rights that are...more
10/18/2021
/ Business Divorce ,
Business Litigation ,
Closely Held Businesses ,
Contract Terms ,
Limited Liability Company (LLC) ,
Membership Interest ,
Motion To Enjoin ,
Operating Agreements ,
Preliminary Injunctions ,
Reorganizations ,
Right of Reinstatement ,
Termination Rights
Business divorce has a way of drawing quick and often lopsided battle lines. Many disputes in closely-held companies feature one outspoken owner feuding with a united group of the remaining owners over management or...more
Of all the factors considered by business divorce lawyers and appraisers when valuing an owner’s interest in a closely-held company, the calculation and applicability of a discount for lack of marketability (“DLOM”) is among...more
The right of shareholders to elect a corporation’s directors is one of the most valuable rights attendant to share ownership. Election of directors is where shareholders can directly exert their influence on the corporation,...more
7/26/2021
/ Board of Directors ,
Business Disputes ,
Business Divorce ,
Business Litigation ,
Closely Held Businesses ,
Corporate Governance ,
Director Nominations ,
Director Removal ,
Fine Art ,
Injunctions ,
Likelihood of Success ,
Minority Shareholders ,
Motion To Enjoin ,
Shareholder Meetings ,
Shareholders ,
Voting Rights
Under both New York and Delaware law, members of an LLC may petition for judicial dissolution on the grounds that the management is so hopelessly deadlocked that the LLC can no longer function in accordance with its purpose...more
In most of the business valuation cases that I’ve litigated, it’s not long before one side accuses the other’s valuation expert of mixing apples and oranges. And at the risk of endorsing the overused expression, it’s easy to...more