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Business Divorce Shareholder Oppression Minority Shareholders

Farrell Fritz, P.C.

Can a Shareholder Be Oppressed After Ceding Control? Oppression, Reasonable Expectations, and Contractual Formalism

Farrell Fritz, P.C. on

One of the first business divorce cases that I participated in as a young litigator was a lengthy arbitration over whether a minority shareholder was oppressed under BCL 1104-a.  With those fond memories, evolution of the...more

Farrell Fritz, P.C.

Winter Case Notes: Murder, Forgery, Accidental Death, Oppression, Oh My!

Farrell Fritz, P.C. on

Welcome to this year’s Winter Case Notes where, amidst the arctic blast currently sweeping most of the nation, I offer shortish takes on several court decisions in recent business divorce cases. This year’s edition...more

DarrowEverett LLP

Buyouts of Closely Held Shares: All’s Fair Value in Love and War

DarrowEverett LLP on

In matters of corporate divorce, deadlock, majority oppression, or usurpation of corporate opportunities are all well-tread grounds for disputes between co-owners of closely held entities. These disputes often culminate in...more

Farrell Fritz, P.C.

Eastland Redux: Do Close Corporation Shareholders Have a Direct Claim Against Directors For Taking Disguised Distributions?

Farrell Fritz, P.C. on

Earlier this year, using as a springboard the Maryland intermediate appellate court’s decision in Eastland Food Corp. v Mekhaya, I posted about a topic on which there’s little or no New York law, viz., whether a complaint for...more

Farrell Fritz, P.C.

When Is It Too Late to Sue for Shareholder Oppression?

Farrell Fritz, P.C. on

Potential client sits down with business divorce lawyer and says, “I’m a minority shareholder in XYZ Corp. I’ve been completely frozen out by the majority. Can you help me?” The lawyer says, “Absolutely. New York law gives...more

Robson & Robson, P.C.

The Hazards of 'Weaponizing' Capital Call and Dilution Provisions

Robson & Robson, P.C. on

There are many ways that an owner of a closely-held business can use their superior financial resources to gain an advantage over their co-owners in a dispute. One common way is the use of a capital call provision to dilute...more

Farrell Fritz, P.C.

A Cross-Country Road Trip of Elections to Purchase in Dissolution Proceedings

Farrell Fritz, P.C. on

When a minority shareholder petitions for dissolution of a corporation on the grounds of oppressive or illegal conduct (see BCL 1104-a), Section 1118 of New York’s Business Corporation Law allows the corporation or any other...more

Farrell Fritz, P.C.

Minority Shareholder’s Petition to Dissolve Seltzer Business Loses Its Fizz

Farrell Fritz, P.C. on

In 1950, Sam Hoffman and his two sons, Hyman and Melvin, founded Brooklyn-based Cornell Beverages, Inc. to manufacture and distribute seltzer. Those were the days when “seltzer men” made weekly home deliveries of cases of...more

Farrell Fritz, P.C.

It’s Time to Address Sex Discrimination Against Women Owners of Closely Held Companies, Say These Two Law Professors

Farrell Fritz, P.C. on

Longtime readers of this blog may recall a post I wrote three years ago titled Minority Shareholder Oppression in the #MeToo Era. The post highlighted an apparent first-of-its-kind decision in a judicial dissolution case...more

Farrell Fritz, P.C.

A New Stile: First Department Shakes Up the Shareholder Oppression Claim

Farrell Fritz, P.C. on

A watershed moment or a forgettable outlier?  It is often difficult to predict how much a novel decision will impact the body of laws governing closely-held corporations and their shareholders.  Decisions that seem the most...more

Farrell Fritz, P.C.

The Nutmeg State Out Front on Member Inspection Rights Under RULLCA

Farrell Fritz, P.C. on

For the second time in two years, the Connecticut Supreme Court has ventured into uncharted waters of LLC governance under the Revised Uniform LLC Act which, to date, has been adopted by 22 states and awaits legislative...more

Winstead PC

Litigating Minority Shareholder Rights - Presentation

Winstead PC on

David F. Johnson presented his paper “Business Divorce: Minority Shareholder Rights In Texas” to the State Bar of Texas’s Business Disputes Course on September 2-3, 2021. This presentation addressed shareholder oppression...more

Farrell Fritz, P.C.

The Money’s There But Out of Reach for the Minority LLC Member

Farrell Fritz, P.C. on

Of late I’ve been ruminating on New York’s membership in the shrinking pool of states that don’t recognize oppression of an LLC minority member by the controlling members or managers as ground for judicial dissolution....more

Farrell Fritz, P.C.

Top Ten Business Divorce Cases of 2019

Farrell Fritz, P.C. on

This year’s list offers a good mix of business entities: six involve disputes among LLC members, two involve law firms organized as limited liability partnerships, one involves an accounting firm organized as a professional...more

Farrell Fritz, P.C.

Summer Shorts: LLC Minority Member Oppression and Other Decisions of Interest

Farrell Fritz, P.C. on

It’s that time of year again, when I offer some lighter fare for poolside consumption consisting of summaries of a few recent decisions of interest involving disputes between business co-owners....more

Farrell Fritz, P.C.

Winter Case Notes: Oppression of the “Gifted” Minority Shareholder and Other Recent Decisions of Interest

Farrell Fritz, P.C. on

Notwithstanding we’ve had no more than a dusting of snow thus far in my downstate New York neck of the woods, welcome to another edition of Winter Case Notes in which I visit my backlog of recent court decisions of interest...more

Farrell Fritz, P.C.

Minority Shareholder Oppression in the #MeToo Era

Farrell Fritz, P.C. on

In the last two years, fueled by a series of high profile cases involving media executives, entertainers, and other public figures, #MeToo has gained worldwide recognition as a symbol of the burgeoning movement against sexual...more

Farrell Fritz, P.C.

Stock Pledge Agreement Defeats Minority Shareholder’s Standing to Sue for Statutory But Not Common-Law Dissolution

Farrell Fritz, P.C. on

Last week, this blog wrote about a decision by Manhattan Commercial Division Justice Saliann Scarpulla in the burgeoning Yu family melee, in that case pitting one brother against the other and their sister over dissolution of...more

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