Before addressing how you prove a negligent misrepresentation claim, we first have to define what it is – and what it isn’t.
Unlike its cousin, the fraud claim, negligent misrepresentation does not require a showing of malicious intent or recklessness by the defendant; rather, it requires that the plaintiff prove the following by a preponderance of [...]
I was recently confronted with an interesting question: an old acquaintance of mine paid for an exclusive license to market and sell a certain technology that was patented.
There was one “small” problem, however: the technology didn’t work.
So, you would think that my acquaintance should have no problem recovering his downpayment for the exclusive license fee [...]
When your contract has been breached, your first reaction might very well be to bring a lawsuit in State or Federal Court. But that course of action may not be available, particularly if your written contract contains a clause mandating that all disputes be resolved by arbitration.
So, you ask, under what circumstances are those clauses [...]
Although, in the legal world, you can generally pursue different theories – even if they are inherently at odds with each other – to try and recover your losses, there are some exceptions to that rule. And the realm of breach of contract – at least in New York – is precisely one circumstances. You [...]
So you’ve spent weeks, maybe even months, of back and forth negotiations on this deal … and you’ve finally reached an agreement. And after the euphoria of finally closing the deal and closing on the contract wears off, a problem arises.
And when you go back to look at the contract you realize that some of [...]
In a recent decision, New York’s Appellate Division, Second Department showed once again just how powerful New York’s insurance lobby is, and how, under the current structure of the law in New York, an insurer has almost no incentive to protect its clients – the insureds – by negotiating claims in good faith. Quite the [...]
It is no secret that mandatory arbitration clauses have essentially become standard fare in business contracts, particularly in the employment or consultant context. But, as a Federal appeals court recently held, “It is well-accepted that although the presumption in favor of arbitration is strong, “the obligation to arbitrate nevertheless remains a creature of [...]
Every once in a while, I come across a case that really burns me, particularly when it involves a party (or his attorney) not keeping his word – and getting away with it.
In 175 Mulberry Realty v. Kam Cheung Construction, the parties had apparently agreed to settle their long-standing breach of contract action. The only [...]
As you may know, under New York law, every contract carries an implied covenant (i.e., promise) of “good faith and fair dealing.” 511 West 232nd Owners Corp. v Jennifer Realty Co., 98 NY2d 144, 746 NYS2d 131, 773 NE2d 496.
But what on earth does that mean?
It’s actually rather tricky; in fact, New York’s courts have [...]
In the last few years, I’ve been asked this question quite a bit; unfortunately, at least in my experience, there seems to be a great deal of misunderstanding about what is – and what isn’t – tortious interference. So, I figured, why not publish a brief article that clarifies the parameters of this legal doctrine [...]