Features

Applying 'Part Performance' In Practice
The doctrine of part performance can overcome the strictures of the Statute of Frauds when parties enter into unwritten business deals, or into written business deals with unwritten ancillary terms and they do not contemplate all of the possible circumstances that might arise in the course of their dealings.
Features

COVID-19 and Lease Negotiations: Early Termination Provisions
During the COVID-19 pandemic, some tenants were able to negotiate termination agreements with their landlords. But even though a landlord may agree to terminate a lease to regain control of a defaulting tenant's space without costly and lengthy litigation, typically a defaulting tenant that otherwise has no contractual right to terminate its lease will be in a much weaker bargaining position with respect to the conditions for termination.
Features

Impact of Disney's Motion to Compel Arbitration In Scarlett Johansson's Lawsuit Over 'Day-and-Date' Release of 'Black Widow'
Johansson alleges that, in order to generate new subscribers for Disney+, Disney intentionally interfered with her talent agreement with Disney affiliate Marvel Studios for her featured role in Black Widow — and thus allegedly induced Marvel to breach a promise in the Johansson/Marvel agreement for the film to be initially distributed in exclusive "wide theatrical release." Updated Oct. 1 to reflect a confidential settlement reached in the case.
Features

Force Majeure Clauses In Construction Contracts In the Aftermath of COVID-19
We are only beginning to scratch the surface of the effect on the construction litigation visited on us by COVID-19-related impacts. However, the pandemic and its continuing impact has reinforced the importance of planning for the unexpected — and undefined — when negotiating construction contracts.
Features

Fear of Unknown In Force Majeure Litigation Prompting Settlements
Since the pandemic began, lawyers have been using the coronavirus to justify nonpayment of rent, construction delays and even termination of labor contracts. But the prospect of litigating a contract cancellation based on force majeure is still so fraught with peril that many breach-of-contract disputes end in an amicable resolution.
Features

Baron Cohen Lawyers on Winning Ruling In Judge Moore's Defamation Suit
In a defamation suit brought by former Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore, a Federal District Judge recently ruled that a release Judge Moore signed prior to his appearance on the satirical Showtime series Who is America? barred precisely the sorts of claims he was bringing. In this Q&A, Baron Cohen's attorneys discuss the case.
Features

Olympic Swimmer's Counsel on Client's Legal Concerns
When 2020 came and went without the Tokyo Olympics, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, lawyer Alan Fertel watched as many of the sponsorships and deals he'd negotiated for one of the world's fastest swimmers — now Tokyo Olympics Gold medal winner Caleb Dressel — expired.
Features

The Unheralded Value of a Contract
The most important part of a contract is the data that it generates. If you take all that data from each contract, then aggregate, organize and analyze it, you will have critical insights into the overall effectiveness of your contracting process and the way you transact business.
Features

Licensing Audits from Licensees' Perspective
The audit clause is a necessary means for the licensor to protect its interests and to guard against unscrupulous licensees. But it is a mistake to think that the clause is there solely to prevent malfeasance.
Features

NY Court of Appeals Rules on Damages Clauses In Commercial Leases
In The Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York v. D'Agostino Supermarkets, the NY Court of Appeals split on the issue of whether the relevant damages clause in a commercial lease was unenforceable as a matter of law because it was so grossly disproportionate to the ascertainable amount due upon full performance.
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