Features

Defenses of Impossibility of Performance and Frustration of Purpose
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. But under New York law, those arguments rarely make it past the motion stage.
Columns & Departments
Case Notes
Discussion of a case in which a trial court sided with the property owner/defendant where the tenant sought to terminate the lease early, but could not because it was not in compliance with one of the requirements for early termination.
Features

Industry Growth Trending Up for the Year
The Equipment Leasing & Finance Foundation has released its Q4 update to the 2017 Equipment Leasing & Finance U.S. Economic Outlook, which increased its yearly equipment and software investment forecast to 4.3%, up from 3.6% forecast in the Q3 Outlook.
Features

Cybersecurity in Commercial Equipment Leases
<b><i>Hidden Liability for the Unwary Lessor</i></b><p>Much has been written in the industry about equipment lessors' cybersecurity practices for the protection of their information. The issue addressed herein is the equipment lessor's obligations and potential liability for information stored on equipment returned to the lessor at the end of a lease.
Features

Is Electricity a 'Good' Under Article 9?
Can a creditor obtain a security interest in electricity under UCC Article 9? It covers security interests in fixtures and personal property. Clearly, electricity is not real property or a fixture. But what kind of personal property is it?
Features

Discovery Strategies for a Creditor in a Bankruptcy Case
<b><i>Beyond Filing a Proof of Claim</b></i><p>This article explains the rights of a creditor, whether an equipment financier or otherwise, to pursue examinations of a debtor in bankruptcy in order to obtain sworn testimony and information that may be helpful to the creditor.
Features

DE Supreme Court Clarifies Role of Deal Price In Appraisal Fair Value Determination
Corporate practitioners have been closely following developments in Delaware's shareholder appraisal litigation. Much of the interest concerns the court's "fair value" determination and the risk that an acquiring company will have to pay appraisal petitioners more than the merger deal price. In a much-anticipated decision, the Delaware Supreme Court provides valuable guidance about the relative importance of the deal price in the court's adjudication of the "fair value" of a petitioner's shares.
Features

Litigation Risk Mitigation Through the Use of Third-Party Litigation Funding
Third-party litigation funding is a relatively new, but rapidly expanding litigation financing vehicle. General counsel and commercial litigators would be well served to understand the changing landscape regarding the scope and potential uses of such funding.
Features

POCs and the FDCPA: A License to File
Buyers and servicers of “stale,” or time-barred, debt have been watching the bankruptcy and appellate courts closely of late, as court after court has ruled on whether a key component of their recovery strategy — seeking payment related to such time-barred debts by filing proofs of claim in bankruptcy — violates the Fair Debt Collections Practices Act (FDCPA).
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