In the case of Hudson View Park Company v. Town of Fishkill, the New York Court of Appeals concluded that a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) entered into between Plaintiff and the Fishkill Town Board in 2017, regarding the review of a certain zoning proposal, was not binding upon a Town Board subsequently elected in 2019.
While the term ripeness may conjure up images of fruit or produce, in federal litigation it functions as a pragmatic barrier against premature judicial intervention. The plaintiffs in 61 E. Main St. Assoc., LLC v Vil. of Washingtonville felt the full force of this doctrine after their claims alleging unlawful, discriminatory delay in approving their project were dismissed as unripe for adjudication. The Southern District of New York reaffirmed the Second Circuit’s longstanding approach to zoning disputes: No Final Decision, No Federal Lawsuit.
The Court of Appeals reversed a line of lower court cases which had upended the expectations of innumerable contracting parties who bargained for limited “good guy” guaranties.
In 2019, the Uniform Partition of Heirs Property Act/RPAPL §993 (the UPHPA) reshaped the rights of co-owners of inherited property in New York, replacing the traditional, sale-favoring partition system with a multi-layered process designed to limit the right to seek partition and to prioritize family ownership. The Second Department’s sweeping decision confirms that the partition landscape has drastically changed.
When a village or other taxing authority conducts a tax lien sale, and the purchaser of the tax lien subsequently acquires a tax deed, what rights does the tax-delinquent former owner of the property enjoy?
New York City enacted the Fair Chance for Housing Act on Jan. 1, 2025, a transformative law reshaping how criminal history influences housing decisions. Its goal is to address the disparate impact that review and consideration of criminal records may have on the ability of persons of color to obtain housing.
This past December, the Appellate Division, First Department struck down a key provision of New York City’s recently amended Zoning Resolution.
New York City’s recently adopted City of Yes for Housing Opportunity (CHO) represents the most significant overhaul of residential zoning regulations in decades. The interplay between existing procedures and new provisions will likely generate significant interpretive questions and litigation as developers seek to take advantage of these opportunities.
After nearly four years of litigation, the Second Circuit held recently that a small commercial landlord lacked standing to seek declaratory relief against the City of New York challenging the Guaranty Law under the Contracts Clause of the U.S. Constitution.
When are the principals of a condominium sponsor individually liable for harms suffered by purchasers? In Board of Managers of 570 Broome Condominium, the First Department declined to dismiss a condominium board's fraud and breach of fiduciary claims against individual defendants.
