Features
Transfer Fee Covenants in New York?
It should not be surprising that in a weak real estate market, developers would seek new sources of revenue. One recent source has generated controversy across the country ' requiring buyers to agree, for themselves and their assigns, to pay a fee upon each resale of the property. These transfer fee covenants raise a number of practical problems, not the least of which is the underlying legal question: Are they enforceable?
Features
Decisions of Interest
Court Denies Joinder of Action That Would Delay Child Support Supreme Court, Nassau County, denied a father's attempt to join his child support obligation termination request to the mother's motion to have him held in contempt for failure to pay, as joinder would delay the proceedings, to the detriment of the children. BJG v. MDG, --- N.Y.S.2d ----, 2010 WL 3384903 (Sup. Ct., Nassau Cty., 8/31/10) (Falanga, J.). …
Features
Who Is a Parent?
In last month's newsletter, we looked at two recent cases in which New York courts determined that non-biological/non-adoptive parents could or could not seek ongoing relationships with their former romantic partners' children. The question that arises when looking at these two outcomes is, in which situations will a "virtual parent" be treated as a legal parent?
Features
Practice Tip: Playing Poker with Experts
Part One of this article described problems arising out of the substitution of experts, and discussed some recent case law. The conclusion herein presents some suggested ways of dealing with the situation.
Features
CA Case to Decide Whether the Duty to Warn Covers Hazards Posed By Products of Others
At press time, the California Supreme Court was considering a case that could impose a duty to warn on the manufacturer of one product for hazards associated with other products that are manufactured and sold by third parties.
Features
Video and Audio Recording in Domestic Cases
Is there a legal difference between an audio and video recording of someone, compared with a video recording of someone? Moreover, if the recording is not sent electronically, but stored at the location of the recorded individual, is it still a violation of the wiretapping statute?
Features
Insurance Coverage in Consumer Class Actions
The requirements placed on corporate America as a result of increasingly labyrinthine consumer protection laws have created significant new potential liabilities, often in the form of statutorily mandated damages.
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- The 'Sophisticated Insured' DefenseA majority of courts consider the <i>contra proferentem</i> doctrine to be a pillar of insurance law. The doctrine requires ambiguous terms in an insurance policy to be construed against the insurer and in favor of coverage for the insured. A prominent rationale behind the doctrine is that insurance policies are usually standard-form contracts drafted entirely by insurers.Read More ›
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- Abandoned and Unused Cables: A Hidden Liability Under the 2002 National Electric CodeIn an effort to minimize the release of toxic gasses from cables in the event of fire, the 2002 version of the National Electric Code ("NEC"), promulgated by the National Fire Protection Association, sets forth new guidelines requiring that abandoned cables must be removed from buildings unless they are located in metal raceways or tagged "For Future Use." While the NEC is not, in itself, binding law, most jurisdictions in the United States adopt the NEC by reference in their state or local building and fire codes. Thus, noncompliance with the recent NEC guidelines will likely mean that a building is in violation of a building or fire code. If so, the building owner may also be in breach of agreements with tenants and lenders and may be jeopardizing its fire insurance coverage. Even in jurisdictions where the 2002 NEC has not been adopted, it may be argued that the guidelines represent the standard of reasonable care and could result in tort liability for the landlord if toxic gasses from abandoned cables are emitted in a fire. With these potential liabilities in mind, this article discusses: 1) how to address the abandoned wires and cables currently located within the risers, ceilings and other areas of properties, and 2) additional considerations in the placement and removal of telecommunications cables going forward.Read More ›
- Guidance on Distributions As 'Disbursements' and U.S. Trustee FeesIn a recent case from the Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware, In re Paragon Offshore PLC, the bankruptcy court provided guidance on whether a post-plan effective date litigation trust's distributions constituted disbursements subject to the U.S. Trustee fee "tax."Read More ›