Partnership Agreement Need Not Be Written, NY Court Holds

There are several categories of agreements that must be reduced to writing in order to be enforceable under New York law, such as contracts for services that cannot be completed within one year, or contracts pertaining to real estate. (For more on this topic, you may wish to download the free guide to NY breach [...]

Despite Mere Oral Agreement for Unpaid Commissions, Breach of Contract Claim Survives, Says NY Appeals Court

Just over one year ago, I wrote about how a New York County trial court refused to dismiss two at-will employees that worked as placement professionals, and were promised both salary and commission did not forfeit their earned commissions – even though they never reduced their agreements to writing, in derogation of the Statute of [...]

When You Can Incur Personal Liability For a Corporate Debt In New York

In the last year, I’ve been asked a few times whether you can incur personal liability merely by virtue of signing an agreement on  behalf of a corporation. Well, you need wonder no more, as a Suffolk County trial court in Cutler v. Collura-Repp has laid out the law on this issue in no uncertain terms: [...]

When An Oral Agreement Is Perfectly Valid Under New York Law

In the breach of contract context, one of the most common – and potent – defenses to these cases is that the agreement was never reduced to writing, and therefore barred by New York’s Statute of Frauds. There is a narrow, but  important exception to this rule: when the contract is terminable at will, or, [...]

E-Mail Can Be Considered “Written Agreement” Under NY Law, Court Holds

I get asked this question an awful lot: “Well, we didn’t have a formal written agreement; all we have is a few back-and-forth e-mails, so I guess that means I have no case for breach of contract, right?” As a recent case from New York’s Appellate Division, First Department held, the answer is no; that [...]

How Some Important Exceptions to NY’s Statute of Frauds Can Sustain a Breach of Contract Action

In a Westchester County case that was reported upon in today’s New York Law Journal,  HP Hood, LLC v. Diamond D Realty, Inc., the plaintiff sought to recover over $1.5 million owed by the defendant for dairy products (in legalese, “goods”) that were supplied – but not paid for – from January through December of [...]

How to Prove a Breach of Contract Case in New York

Although the range of different types of contracts is quite vast, a common thread unites them: the basic elements of a contract, and what you need to prove in the event that the contract is breached. In general terms, in order to establish a breach of contract claim under New York law, a plaintiff must [...]

How Much Writing is Enough to Qualify as a “Written Agreement” Under NY Law?

Not terribly much, according to a recent decision from a Queens County trial court. In Phone Card America, Inc. v. Quality Discount Equipment Sellers, LLC, the defendant sold plaintiff a specialized printing press for the express purpose of printing phone cards. Unfortunately, despite plaintiff’s numerous efforts to have the press’s problems  both diagnosed and repaired, [...]

How to Prove a “Finder’s Fee” Case Under New York Law

I admit it. I enjoy it when the law works the way it should, and sticks it to a defendant that reneges on his word, and breaches his contract wherein he agreed to pay the plaintiff a percentage of his profit on the purchase and sale of a property. And that is exactly what happened [...]

Professor’s Breach of Oral Contract Claim Dismissed By NY Federal Court

When you read about a New York breach of employment contract case against a large institution that, if valid, would yield a significant amount of damages, yet the plaintiff is proceeding pro se, i.e., without an attorney, there is probably a very good reason for that. And Kant v. Columbia University, a case that was [...]