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New York Real Estate Law Reporter
Challenge to Property Tax Rejected
Stewart E. Sterk
No one disputes that the property tax system in New York City is byzantine. In Tax Equity Now LLC v. City of New York, the First Department confronted what it viewed as a very different question: is it illegal. The court concluded that it is not, rejecting a variety of claims and leaving any reform to the legislature.
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New York Real Estate Law Reporter
Real Property Law
Equitable Mortgage Enjoys Priority over Mortgage Recorded After Filing of Notice of Pendency
Purchaser from Church Not Entitled to Specific Performance
Questions of Fact Preclude Summary Judgment on Prescriptive Easement Claims
Hearing Necessary to Determine Whether Mortgagee De-Accelerated Mortgage
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New York Real Estate Law Reporter
Landlord & Tenant Law
Loft Board Lacks Authority to Supervise Legalization Once Tenants Withdraw Application
Tenant Entitled to Relief from Failure to Timely Exercise Renewal Option
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New York Real Estate Law Reporter
Development
Neighbor Has Standing to Seek Damages for Violation of Zoning Ordinance
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New York Real Estate Law Reporter
Co-ops and Condominiums
Co-op Entitled to Attroneys’ Fees
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The Intellectual Property Strategist
Attorney’s Fees After Octane: More Chances for Defendants to Even the Playing Field
Rudy Y. Kim
With fewer restraints after Octane, district courts now have broader discretion to grant motions for attorney’s fees. But understanding the circumstances under which exceptionality has been found is critical. Recent decisions by the Federal Circuit post-Octane provide some important guidance on when attorney’s fees may be available under Section 285.
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The Intellectual Property Strategist
Swedish Music Industry Views: Part Two
Stan Soocher
Part Two of a Two Part Article
This article discusses, among other things, the Swedish music industry perspective on the European Union’s Copyright Directive, the growth of multi-country music licensing hubs and the impact of Brexit.
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The Intellectual Property Strategist
Kozinski Angle In 9th Circuit’s Led Zeppelin Ruling
Scott Graham
Defendants Led Zeppelin and its music labels were the winners in the copyright decision by the Ninth Circuit over the song “Stairway to Heaven.” But the estate of songwriter Randy Wolfe (p/k/a California) wasn’t the only one who got the short end. Among the collateral damage from the ruling was a 2002 precedent written by former Chief Judge Alex Kozinski that endorsed the so-called “inverse-ratio” rule.
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The Intellectual Property Strategist
IP News
Shaleen J. Patel
VARA Lives On: A $6.75M Lesson on Respecting Moral Rights
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Entertainment Law & Finance
“Potentially Monumental” Ninth Circuit En Banc Decision in Infringement Case Over Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven”
Robert W. Clarida and Robert J. Bernstein
For the past five years, the copyright bar and the music industry have carefully followed the many twists and turns of the potentially monumental infringement case that asserted that the opening of the iconic Led Zeppelin song “Stairway to Heaven” was copied from the introduction of a little-known 1967 instrumental “Taurus,” written by the late Randy California. In March 2020, a unanimous en banc panel of the entire Ninth Circuit affirmed portions of a prior three-judge appellate ruling that “Stairway” did not infringe the Spirit song — and in the process resolved some thorny issues involving substantial similarity and copyright scope that will be important for future litigants
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Entertainment Law & Finance
Kozinski Angle In 9th Circuit’s Led Zeppelin Ruling
Scott Graham
Defendants Led Zeppelin and its music labels were the winners in the copyright decision by the Ninth Circuit over the song “Stairway to Heaven.” But the estate of songwriter Randy Wolfe (p/k/a California) wasn’t the only one who got the short end. Among the collateral damage from the ruling was a 2002 precedent written by former Chief Judge Alex Kozinski that endorsed the so-called “inverse-ratio” rule.
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Entertainment Law & Finance
CASE Act Explained
Ryan W. Morris
The Copyright Alternative in Small Claims Enforcement Act is a proposed congressional amendment to the current copyright statute that would create an alternative dispute resolution program for copyright small claims and other legal proceedings.
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Entertainment Law & Finance
A Primer on Rights in Video Game Avatars
Andrea Perez
Recent lawsuits have grappled with the fair use of one’s likeness in video games, attempting to apply established order to a changing field.
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Entertainment Law & Finance
Followup: PBS Wins Verdict In Suit By Fired TV Show Host Tavis Smiley
Katheryn Tucker
It was a trial to remember for Morgan, Lewis & Bockius partner Grace Speights, lead defense attorney for PBS against Tavis Smiley, former long-running…
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Entertainment Law & Finance
Bit Parts
Stan Soocher
Los Angeles Federal Judge Tosses Out Jury’s Infringement Verdict Against Katy Perry in “Dark Horse” Song Case
Sales Agreement for Film Assets of Distributor in Bankruptcy Doesn’t Affect Separate Lender for One of Debtor’s Movies
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The Bankruptcy Strategist
Supreme Court Defers to State Law on Ownership of Tax Refund
Michael L. Cook
High Court Rejects Application of Bob Roberts Rule
Federal courts should “turn to state law to resolve” a “fight over a tax refund,” held a unanimous U.S. Supreme Court in Rodriquez v. FDIC (In re United W Bancorp., Inc.)
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Business Crimes Bulletin
Conducting Internal Investigations During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Jacqueline C. Wolff, Scott T. Lashway, and Matthew M.K. Stein
In times of crisis, criminal activity — particularly crimes involving theft and fraud — tend to spike. There is no reason to believe that the Covid-19 pandemic and the unrest in the financial markets will be any different. An important difference for company counsel, however, will be in how the malfeasance, negligence or wrongdoing can be investigated.
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The Bankruptcy Strategist
Expect Flurry of Bankruptcy Filings With Coronavirus Slowdown
Lidia Dinkova
Potential Clients Are Reaching Out to Bankruptcy Attorneys to Assess the Need for Business Filings
Bankruptcy attorneys expected to get calls as the coronavirus pandemic swiftly slowed the economy — and they were right.
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Commercial Leasing Law & Strategy
What a Difference 3 Months Can Make
Lisa Brown
The coronavirus has brokers guessing as to how this will affect leasing in the short term, and a report says leasing activity is likely to have a degree of decline in transaction volumes compared to pre-crisis expectations
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Business Crimes Bulletin
Force Majeure and the Doctrine of Impossibility
John Kelly
The COVID-19 pandemic is resulting in landlords and tenants closely reviewing a clause in their lease that was long considered unimportant boilerplate. Yes, we are referring to the “force majeure” provision.
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Accounting And Financial Planning For Law Firms
Recovery Models for e-Discovery and Litigation Support Services that Make an Impact
Nathan Curtis
In 2019, Mattern went to the market to conduct its first deep dive into e-discovery and litigation support cost recovery in the 2020 e-Discovery and Litigation Support Cost Recovery Survey. Some of the results surprised us.
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Accounting And Financial Planning For Law Firms
Venue Reform in Corporate Bankruptcies
A bipartisan group of House lawmakers has introduced a bill that aims to limit where distressed companies can file bankruptcy, making it harder for companies to file outside of the jurisdiction where they are headquartered or have most of their assets. The Bankruptcy Strategist asked Robert J. Gayda, a partner in Seward & Kissel’s Bankruptcy and Corporate Reorganization Group who represents a clients in all aspects of restructuring, about his thoughts on proposed venue reform in corporate bankruptcies.
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Commercial Leasing Law & Strategy
Coronavirus ‘Brutal’ for Real Estate Transactions as Lenders Hit Brakes on Financing
Lidia Dinkova
Much like other everyday activities, real estate transactions are coming to a halt because lenders are holding back over the coronavirus pandemic.
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Commercial Leasing Law & Strategy
The Coronavirus Is Delaying a Construction Project. What Does Your Contract Say?
Erika Morphy
Construction project delays that could put developers in default of their contracts. Now is the time to re-examine those contracts to see what exactly they have agreed to.
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Business Crimes Bulletin
New Normal Sets In for White-Collar Lawyers in the Virus Era
C. Ryan Barber
In a practice that prizes in-person meetings, virtual communication has become commonplace.
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Cybersecurity Law & Strategy
Legal Tech: Recovery Models for e-Discovery and Litigation Support Services that Make an Impact
Nathan Curtis
With big data and the resulting explosion of electronic documents, texts, images and voicemails that are subject to discovery, the cost burden was increasing at a pace that required firms to reconsider their recovery approach. This is why in 2019, Mattern conducted its first deep dive into e-discovery and litigation support cost recovery in the 2020 e-Discovery and Litigation Support Cost Recovery Survey. Some of the results were surprising.
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The Bankruptcy Strategist
Asset Protection, Pre-Bankruptcy Planning and Code §727(a)(2)(A)
Carlos J. Cuevas
This article examines asset protection and pre-bankruptcy planning and its impact on a debtor’s discharge through Bankruptcy Code §727(a)(2)(A).
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Commercial Leasing Law & Strategy
Construction Management Agreements: Pricing
Kenneth M. Block and Joshua M. Levy
This article covers the pricing of construction management agreements (CMAs), including the fee of the construction manager, general conditions costs, subcontract costs, contingency and insurance. Note: Where appropriate, we will make distinctions between “cost-plus” and guaranteed maximum price (GMP) CMAs.
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Commercial Leasing Law & Strategy
Case Notes
Stewart E. Sterk
Tenant Entitled to Relief from Failure to Timely Exercise Renewal Option
Neighbor Has Standing to Seek Damages for Violation of Zoning Ordinance
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Business Crimes Bulletin
The Importance of ‘Particulars’ in Criminal Fraud Cases
Elkan Abramowitz and Jonathan Sack
This article discusses the standard for ordering a bill of particulars in the Second Circuit, drawing a comparison with the standard for civil fraud claims, and then describes a recent decision ordering a bill of particulars in the high-profile prosecution growing out of the Theranos blood-testing scandal. The decision in that case highlights the importance of seeking bills of particulars in fraud cases.
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The Bankruptcy Strategist
A New Regime in Preference Litigation
Steve Werth
One of the provisions of the Small Business Reorganization Act amends the language of Bankruptcy Code Section 547 —
which gives trustees and debtors in possession the right to seek to recover a payment to a third party in the 90-day period prior to the commencement of a bankruptcy case as a “preference” — to add a due diligence requirement. Though the intent behind the added language seems clear, it may not have its intended effect.
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Cybersecurity Law & Strategy
Legal Tech: Will the U.S. Become a Haven for International Discovery Under Section 1782?
David R. Cohen and Bradley C. Whitecap
Second and Eleventh Circuit rulings are likely to expand refuge to discovery in the U.S., even for international litigation and arbitrations that don’t ordinarily include discovery rights.
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Entertainment Law & Finance
Key Provisions in Film Location Agreements
Maxwell Briskman Stanfield
Property owners granting production companies access to their properties seems like a no-brainer — who wouldn’t want their property featured in that next big blockbuster movie or hit television series? However, when filming occurs on private property, a location agreement is a must, from the perspectives of both the production company and the property owner.
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New York Real Estate Law Reporter
Neighbor Standing to Challenge SEQRA Determinations
Stewart E. Sterk
When does an immediately adjacent neighbor have standing to challenge a SEQRA determination? In Matter of Sun-Brite Car Wash, Inc. v. Board of Zoning and Appeals, the Court of Appeals made it clear that adjacent neighbors have presumptive standing to challenge zoning determinations.
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Commercial Leasing Law & Strategy
Assignment and Consent Standards in Commercial Leases
John G. Kelly
Assignment provisions in commercial leases are heavily negotiated and very important to both landlords and tenants. This article presents a brief overview of the assignment provision in commercial leases, both office and retail.
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The Bankruptcy Strategist
Bankruptcy Court Preliminary Injunction Held Not Appealable
Michael L. Cook
A bankruptcy court’s preliminary injunction was “not a final and immediately appealable order,” held the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware in In re Alcor Energy, LLC.
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The Bankruptcy Strategist
Discharge of Student Loan Debt OK’d Under Brunner Standard
Rudolph J. Di Massa, Jr. and Keri L. Wintle
In January, a Southern District of New York U.S. Bankruptcy Chief Judge entered a decision granting summary judgment to a pro se debtor, finding that he debtor had satisfied the “undue hardship” standard set forth in Section 523(a)(8) of the Bankruptcy Code, and ordering the discharge of the student loan debt of more than $220,000.
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Business Crimes Bulletin
Attorney Proffers: Practical Considerations and Some Law Too
Robert J. Anello and Richard F. Albert
Handled with care, an attorney proffer can provide a critical opportunity to gauge a prosecutor’s reaction while limiting the risk of compromising the client’s potential defense at trial.
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Entertainment Law & Finance
Swedish Music Industry Views: Part Two
Stan Soocher
Among other things, the article discusses the Swedish music industry perspective on the European Union’s Copyright Directive, the growth of multi-country music licensing hubs and the impact of Brexit.
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Commercial Leasing Law & Strategy
Neighbor Standing to Challenge SEQRA Determinations
Stewart E. Sterk
When does an immediately adjacent neighbor have standing to challenge a SEQRA determination?
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New York Real Estate Law Reporter
Landlord & Tenant Law
Lifetime Leasehold Interest Does Not Exempt Apartment from Rent Stabilization
Exculpatory Clause Bars Tenant’s Claim for Lost Profits Resulting from Landlord’s Negligence
Landlord’s Reliance on Representations of Prior Owners Does Not Preclude Finding That Overcharge Was Willful, Resulting In Treble Damages
Tenant’s Failure to Pay Rent and Other Charges Forfeits Tenant’s Right to Renew
Questions of Fact Remain About Tenants Liability for Holdover Charges
Tenant’s Proposed Withdrawal of Application for Loft Board Coverage Void As Against Public Policy
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New York Real Estate Law Reporter
Real Property Law
Purchaser Who Did Not Record Until After Notice of Pendency In Foreclosure Action Not Entitled to Intervene
Recording of Senior Mortgage Put Junior Mortgagee on Constructive Notice
Issues of Fact Preclude Summary Judgment on Easement Claims
Purchaser’s Claim for Damages Against Dual Agent Broker Survives Summary Judgment
Title Insurance Regulations Upheld
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Business Crimes Bulletin
Agency: A New Frontier for FCPA Jurisdiction
Darren LaVerne, Michael Martinez and Eric Rosoff
The Hoskins case highlighted the manner by which the DOJ (and the SEC, which has civil enforcement jurisdiction under the FCPA) can harness the common-law doctrine of agency to expand the reach of the statute.
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The Bankruptcy Strategist
Lessor Repossession of Property on Eve of Lessee Bankruptcy
Theresa A. Driscoll
Voluntary Turnover or Face Contempt
Lessors who repossess property immediately prior to a lessee bankruptcy filing may be required to return such property or face sanctions by the bankruptcy court. Federal courts are currently split on the issue of whether the lessor must voluntary surrender property seized petition or may hold such property until such time as the debtor seeks, and obtains, an order of turnover.
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The Intellectual Property Strategist
You Know What It Is: Taco Tuesday and the Failure-to-Function Doctrine In Trademark Law
Brandon Leahy
The foundational requirement that a trademark function as a trademark has received little attention in the case law. More recently, however, there has been an apparent uptick in scrutiny of trademark use by the USPTO and TTAB, as well as fresh academic attention paid to the issue.
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Commercial Leasing Law & Strategy
SEC Proposes Changes to Accredited Investor Definition
Peter Fass
Real estate syndication offerings often rely on Rule 506 of Regulation D to exempt such offerings from registration under the Securities Act. Rule 506 requires that, with certain limited exceptions, purchasers of the securities offered are limited to accredited investors. Amendments proposed by the SEC in December modify certain of the existing categories of accredited investors and create certain new categories.
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Commercial Leasing Law & Strategy
In the Wake of Shields: Broader Implications for Decision on Commercial Landlord Liability
David Incle Jr. and Christian R. Baillie
The Supreme Court of New Jersey recently revisited an oft-contested issue in the area of premises liability: whether a commercial landlord owes a duty to its tenant’s business invitees to maintain the premises, under a triple net lease, where the tenant is in exclusive possession of the demised premises.
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The Bankruptcy Strategist
Tips to Minimize Landlord’s Exposure When a Commercial Tenant Files Bankruptcy
Carmen Contreras-Martinez
Landlords often have clues that a tenant is going to be filing for bankruptcy, rental payments are consistently late several months in a row and the tenant falls more than a month behind on the rent. But, it can still be shocking when a landlord receives a legal notice in the mail, instead of a rent check.
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New York Real Estate Law Reporter
Development
Lawyer’s Signs on Buildings Owned By Corporation Violate Administrative Code
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The Intellectual Property Strategist
Swedish Music Industry Views as European Union Countries Work on Drafting Home Laws for Enacting EU Copyright Directive
Stan Soocher
This article is Part One of a two-part article
This article examines the Copyright Directive and music-industry structure issues through the lens of Sweden, which has both a robust music business and a strong technology sector, two divergent perspectives in the development of the directive.
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