Seyfarth Synopsis: In May 2023, music and entertainment mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs, through his company, Combs Wines and Spirits LLC, commenced a lawsuit in New York Supreme Court alleging that Diageo North America, a...more
10/12/2023
/ Arbitration ,
Brand ,
Breach of Contract ,
Distributors ,
Diversity and Inclusion Standards (D&I) ,
Equal Opportunities ,
Joint Venture ,
Motion to Compel ,
NY Supreme Court ,
Race Discrimination ,
Wine & Alcohol
We previously wrote about the widely-publicized Southern District of New York case involving lawyers who submitted papers citing non-existent cases generated by the artificial intelligence program ChatGPT, Mata v. Avianca,...more
6/28/2023
/ Artificial Intelligence ,
Client Services ,
Commercial Litigation ,
Ethics ,
Innovative Technology ,
Legal Operations ,
Legal Project Management ,
Legal Research ,
Legal Technology ,
Machine Learning ,
Model Rules ,
Popular ,
Rules of Professional Conduct ,
Young Lawyers
You may have recently seen press reports about lawyers who filed and submitted papers to the federal district court for the Southern District of New York that included citations to cases and decisions that, as it turned out,...more
As we’ve previously written, complications arise for foreign sovereigns (States) and private companies when they structure commercial transactions. States prefer to hold as much of their immunities as is possible, while...more
As we’ve previously written , 28 U.S.C. § 1782 is a useful federal statute that allows overseas litigants to obtain discovery through U.S. federal courts for use in the overseas litigation. With respect to adjudication of...more
The federal statute 28 U.S.C. §1782 allows litigants in a foreign proceeding to obtain discovery in the United States, under the broad US discovery rules, for use in such proceedings. Although Section 1782’s use has been...more
In recent weeks sanctions against Russia’s central bank have prompted renewed buzz around the issue of sovereign immunity. The interpretation of the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act (“FSIA”), specifically with relation to...more
Recently, a federal Special Master in the District of New Jersey addressed whether a requesting party waives its right to relevant and discoverable documents when it fails to timely follow up on the responding party’s...more
The federal statute 28 U.S.C. § 1782 allows discovery in the United States, under the broad US discovery rules, for use in a foreign proceeding. In light of Section 1782’s expanding use (which you can read about here) and its...more
Federal law provides a powerful tool for litigants engaged, or about to engage, in litigation in a foreign forum: 28 U.S.C. § 1782. The statute allows discovery in the United States, under the broad US discovery rules, for...more
Courts in seemingly every jurisdiction are facing a wave of insurance coverage litigation arising out of the COVID-19 pandemic which requires them to address the extent to which typical business insurance policies apply (or...more
The question of whether businesses may be able to recover for COVID-19-related losses under their insurance policies continues to be an important topic for many as the pandemic continues. A federal court in New York recently...more
1/12/2021
/ Business Interruption ,
Business Losses ,
Commercial Insurance Policies ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Denial of Insurance Coverage ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Insurance Claims ,
Insurance Litigation ,
Policy Exclusions ,
Policy Terms
As we enter the New Year, the end is not yet in sight for litigation related to COVID-19. Five recent decisions, summarized below, highlight the still developing legal implications of the pandemic on private party rights as...more
1/8/2021
/ Class Action ,
Commercial Leases ,
Contract Terms ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Educational Institutions ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Injunctions ,
Material Adverse Events ,
Purchase Agreement ,
Real Estate Transactions ,
Refunds ,
School Closures ,
Tuition ,
Unjust Enrichment
The United States District Court for the Southern District of New York recently found that three laws enacted by the City of New York in response to the COVID-19 pandemic were constitutional, and dismissed a challenge to the...more
12/7/2020
/ Anti-Harassment Policies ,
Commercial Leases ,
Commercial Property Owners ,
Commercial Tenants ,
Constitutional Challenges ,
Contracts Clause ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Corporate Counsel ,
First Amendment ,
Free Speech ,
Harassment ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Landlords ,
Rental Property ,
State and Local Government
As discussed in previous updates, courts across the country continue to grapple with the application of the legal doctrines of impossibility, frustration of purpose, and impracticability in breach of contract actions...more
11/12/2020
/ Bankruptcy Court ,
Breach of Contract ,
Business Litigation ,
Contract Terms ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Educational Institutions ,
Force Majeure Clause ,
Frustration of a Common Purpose ,
Impossibility ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Nonperformance ,
School Closures
As discussed in previous updates, courts across the country continue to grapple with the application of force majeure provisions in contracts, as well as the related legal doctrines of impossibility, frustration of purpose,...more
10/29/2020
/ Breach of Contract ,
Business Interruption ,
Carriage Disputes ,
Contract Terms ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Force Majeure Clause ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Insurance Claims ,
Performance Standards ,
Policy Terms
A Kings County Supreme Court Commercial Division Justice recently rejected a restaurant tenant’s argument that the Executive Orders issued in response to the COVID-19 pandemic frustrated the purpose of its commercial lease,...more
10/5/2020
/ Breach of Contract ,
Business Closures ,
Business Interruption ,
Commercial Court ,
Commercial Leases ,
Contract Terms ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Executive Orders ,
Failure To Pay ,
Frustration of a Common Purpose ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Public Health Emergency ,
Rent
As discussed in previous updates, COVID-19 has brought the concept of force majeure to the forefront across multiple practice areas. As the pandemic-caused shutdowns began, scholars and businesses alike re-examined the...more
9/25/2020
/ Breach of Contract ,
Commercial Tenants ,
Contract Terms ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Eviction ,
Failure To Pay ,
Financial Distress ,
Force Majeure Clause ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Insurrection ,
Landlords ,
Rent
As discussed in our last update, the legal landscape continues rapidly to evolve in response to COVID-19. Six recent decisions, summarized below, highlight the continuing uncertainty as to the application of certain laws and...more
8/12/2020
/ Business Disputes ,
Contract Terms ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Force Majeure Clause ,
Foreclosure ,
Frustration of a Common Purpose ,
Landlords ,
Real Estate Market ,
Right To Cure ,
Safety Standards ,
Tenants
Three recent decisions demonstrate how the legal landscape continues rapidly to change and evolve in response to COVID-19. These decisions highlight certain developing uncertainties in the law, including the impact of...more
As the courts continue their efforts to re-open and slowly return to “normal” operations, decisions aimed to these ends are emerging. One such decision was recently issued by a New York state court in a medical malpractice...more
At the end of 2019, the Second Circuit weighed in on an issue that has divided federal courts considering applications for discovery pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1782, through which a litigant can obtain an order from a federal...more
Force majeure clauses and the doctrines of impossibility and/or impracticability remain among the most-discussed legal topics of the COVID-19 pandemic. ...more
The U.S. Supreme Court weighed in for the first time on a COVID-19 related issue that recently has divided federal and state courts: whether restrictions on religious gatherings during the pandemic can be constitutional. ...more
6/4/2020
/ Churches ,
Compelling Governmental Interest ,
Dissenting Opinions ,
Executive Orders ,
Free Exercise Clause ,
Governor Newsom ,
Injunctive Relief ,
Motion for Relief ,
Public Health Emergency ,
Re-Opening Guidelines ,
SCOTUS ,
Shelter-In-Place ,
Social Distancing ,
South Bay United Pentecostal Church v Newsom ,
TRO
On May 26, 2020, two bills recently passed by the New York City Council were signed into law by New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio. The new laws, among other things, restrict Landlord’s rights under existing commercial leases...more