In Pantelis P. Mestousis et al. v. Michael Saccente, Justice Gretchen Walsh of the Westchester Commercial Division denied dueling motions for summary judgment in a sprawling dispute over a failed multimillion-dollar quarry acquisition and an alleged $70,000 personal loan. The decision highlights the court’s rigorous application of summary judgment standards, particularly in the context
An order of attachment is a provisional remedy that prevents a defendant from disposing of assets during the pendency of an action. In cases in which a defendant disposes of property with intent to defraud creditors or frustrate the enforcement of a judgment, Article 62 of the CPLR provides a mechanism to preserve those assets.
Business litigation often involves both contract and tort claims. A fraud or negligence claim that is deemed “duplicative” of a breach of contract claim, however, will be dismissed. When is that the case? The Westchester Commercial Division and the Appellate Division, Second Department recently answered this question in Oceanview Associates, LLC v. HLS Builders Corp.,
It is not uncommon for litigants to sit on their rights and, after years have passed, argue that they are entitled to delayed accrual of their claims under the discovery rule. This was the key issue in a recent decision by Westchester Commercial Division Justice Linda S. Jamieson in Gelaj v. Gelaj, et al., Index
Sometimes, based on the nature of an action, plaintiffs wish to present their case to a jury and file a demand for one with the court. If the defendants oppose, they can move to strike the demand pursuant to CPLR 4101. This was the subject of a recent decision by Westchester Commercial Division Justice Linda
Ordinarily in real estate sales, the seller’s pre-closing representations do not survive the closing unless the contract expressly states that they do. The situation is different, however, when the seller has made a pre-closing representation about a then-existing fact, like whether the tenants are current in rent. That was the state of facts alleged by
