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Parties in complex commercial cases that are accused of defaulting on or breaching a contract may invoke the defense of impossibility, arguing that performance of contractual obligations was rendered impossible by an intervening event. Under New York law, those arguments rarely make it past the motion stage. Courts apply the doctrine narrowly, only to executory contracts and only where the intervening event was both unforeseeable and destroyed either the contract’s subject matter or the means of performance. The related doctrine of frustration of purpose may apply more broadly, but only where it would make little sense to perform on a contract because of an intervening event. The narrowness of these doctrines — and their questionable utility for litigators — underscores the importance of striving during the contract drafting process to include contingency clauses providing for foreseeable possibilities and language making clear the contract’s purpose.
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Sui Generis: Draft Like You Mean It
By Lydia Pilch
The automatic acceptance of various boilerplate clauses in commercial leases in the face of jurisprudential modernity and evolving legal approaches is dangerous. The evolutionary exploits of a commercial lease aren’t done yet, nor should they be.
NYC Guarantor Liability for Post-Window-Period Rent
By Cheryl Ginsburg
In Tamar Equities Corp. v. Signature Barbershop 33 Inc., the Appellate Division analyzed whether the Guaranty Law bars recovery from a guarantor where a commercial tenant’s default initially arose during the Guaranty Law’s window period, but persisted after its expiration.
Exploring Debt Restructuring Options for CRE Owners
By Michael Criscito
In the dynamic landscape of real estate, commercial real estate owners often find themselves facing financial challenges that necessitate a strategic approach to debt management. In such cases, exploring debt restructuring options becomes a crucial consideration.
‘Yellowstone’ Injunctions: Navigating the Wild West of Commercial Lease Disputes
By Janet Kljyan and Charles F. Martin III
The Yellowstone injunction is implicated in nearly every lease for commercial real property in the state of New York, yet most landlords and tenants do not know what it is or how it affects them. Below is a succinct overview of its implications so that commercial landlords and tenants can better navigate lease disputes.