News & Analysis as of

Contract Terms Business Disputes Limited Liability Company (LLC)

Farrell Fritz, P.C.

Did Chancery Court Just Crack Open the Door to Equitable Dissolution of LLCs?

Farrell Fritz, P.C. on

Delaware Chancery Court’s contractarian approach to all things LLC, embedded statutorily in Section 18-1101(b) of the Delaware LLC Act (“It is the policy of this chapter to give the maximum effect to the principle of freedom...more

Farrell Fritz, P.C.

Crossing the Hudson: Recent Business Divorce Decisions from Yonder States

Farrell Fritz, P.C. on

Folks who’ve been following this blog for years know that periodically I like to venture beyond New York’s borders to find and report on interesting decisions from other states in business divorce cases....more

Farrell Fritz, P.C.

New York Appellate Court’s Split Decision Involving Delaware LLC Pits “Harsh” Contractarianism Against “Fundamental Fairness”

Farrell Fritz, P.C. on

Last week, the Manhattan-based Appellate Division, First Department, handed down one of the more intriguing decisions by a New York court I’ve seen in a long time involving a dispute between LLC members....more

Farrell Fritz, P.C.

Dissolution Defined: The First Department’s Recent Guidance on Interpreting Operating Agreements

Farrell Fritz, P.C. on

The owners’ agreement is the backbone of the closely-held business.  In intracompany LLC disputes, few things are more important than what the operating agreement has to say on the subject.  As a consequence, the pages of...more

Farrell Fritz, P.C.

First Department Recognizes Cause of Action for Specific Performance of LLC Member Voting Agreement

Farrell Fritz, P.C. on

In 1941, two of the three shareholders of Ringling Bros.-Barnum & Bailey Combined Shows, Inc. entered into an agreement stating that they would vote their combined 630 of the outstanding 1000 shares of Ringling Bros. stock...more

Farrell Fritz, P.C.

And a Time to Every Purpose Under . . . the Operating Agreement?

Farrell Fritz, P.C. on

It’s a bit of a stretch to suggest that King Solomon prophesied the standard for judicial dissolution of LLCs, but there it is: under New York’s judicially construed standard for involuntary dissolution under Section 702 of...more

Patton Sullivan Brodehl LLP

Does an Operating Agreement’s Arbitration Clause Apply to a “Purported” LLC Member?

If an LLC’s Operating Agreement contains a sufficiently broad arbitration clause, most disputes raised by the LLC’s members relating to the LLC will be sent to arbitration (instead of the court system) for resolution. But...more

Farrell Fritz, P.C.

The Operating Agreement Controls, Unless Public Policy Says Otherwise

Farrell Fritz, P.C. on

Two principles often guide courts’ interpretation and enforcement of contracts.  First, courts respect parties’ freedom of contract, mostly.  So long as an agreement is not illegal or violative of a strong public policy,...more

Farrell Fritz, P.C.

A Two-Act Play of LLC Default Rules and Manager Removal

Farrell Fritz, P.C. on

“Except as provided in the operating agreement. . . ” - By my count, this phrase and its close relative, “unless otherwise provided in the operating agreement,” appear 59 times in New York’s LLC Law, most often to...more

Farrell Fritz, P.C.

Disguised Agreements and Dissolution

Farrell Fritz, P.C. on

Appearances can be deceiving. - That, essentially, was the argument made in two recently decided cases involving claims for judicial dissolution. ...more

Farrell Fritz, P.C.

Cooked or Raw? Enforceability of Partly Signed Operating Agreements

Farrell Fritz, P.C. on

The harried realities of modern life are such that business entity organizational documents, like LLC operating agreements, sometimes do not get drafted or executed until long after the entity’s initial formation with the...more

Patton Sullivan Brodehl LLP

LLC Operating Agreements Can Reduce Fiduciary Duties

LLC managers owe fiduciary duties both to the LLC and to the LLC’s members, similar to the duties owed by a partner to other partners in a partnership.  (Corp Code §17704.09.)  These include the duty of loyalty, care, and...more

Gray Reed

Villareal v. Saenz: Fiduciary Duties Will Go On

Gray Reed on

In Villareal v. Saenz, a district court magistrate judge for the Western District of Texas, San Antonio Division, has recognized that members exiting a limited liability company may continue to hold fiduciary duties despite...more

Farrell Fritz, P.C.

Holes in Shotgun Buy-Sell Agreement Keep Deadlock Dissolution Petition Alive

Farrell Fritz, P.C. on

Under both New York and Delaware law, members of an LLC may petition for judicial dissolution on the grounds that the management is so hopelessly deadlocked that the LLC can no longer function in accordance with its purpose...more

Farrell Fritz, P.C.

A Shotgun Buy-Sell Agreement and an Email Deal Walk into a Beachside Bar . . .

Farrell Fritz, P.C. on

One of the more attractive features of LLCs as a business organization is that they are, in large part, creatures of contract.  Most provisions in the NY LLC Law are default rules, and members are free to adopt those or...more

Maynard Nexsen

Three Reasons to Have an Operating Agreement

Maynard Nexsen on

I get asked this question all the time. Why do I need an Operating Agreement? To keep your Limited Liability Company (LLC) in good standing, there’s one very important document you should have - an Operating Agreement....more

Farrell Fritz, P.C.

Enforceability of Oral Operating, Shareholder, and Partnership Agreements

Farrell Fritz, P.C. on

Oral agreements – and oral modifications of written agreements – are a constant source of litigation in business divorce cases. Alleged oral agreements are subject to attack based upon legal enforceability – as well as their...more

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