On December 5, the Massachusetts Appeals Court issued an important decision impacting commercial landlords’ ability to accelerate rent as liquidated damages after a Lessee’s default in Cummings Properties, LLC vs. Darryl C....more
On March 30, 2022, the New York State Supreme Court, New York County (the “Court”) decided in Times Square JV LLC v. Walber Broadway LLC that a ground lease-tenant that is in default under the ground lease for failure to pay...more
A federal court in Virginia denied tax franchisor, Liberty Tax’s, motion to dismiss complaints by two of its area developers (“ADs”). The ADs claimed Liberty Tax breached their contract for wrongfully terminating, failing to...more
Property owners are often confronted with a contractor threatening a mechanic’s lien on their property. These liens may stem from a dispute between them and their contractor, or even between a subcontractor and a general...more
Several weeks back, we reported on an apparent uptick in commercial lease disputes over the last 18 months in this new COVID era. It only follows that there would be a corresponding uptick in Yellowstone applications from...more
It has been a busy couple of weeks in the UK with judgments in two important cases concerning COVID-19 rent arrears: Commerz Real Investmentgesellschaft mbh v TFS Stores Limited (TFS) ...more
CASES OF NOTE THE SECRET'S OUT Victoria’s Secret Stores, LLC v. Herald Store Owner LLC, 70 Misc. 3d 1206(A) (N.Y. Sup. Ct. Jan. 7, 2021) A New York court recently held that a retailer’s closure due to a state law imposed...more
If a tenant defaults upon payment of rent, the landlord does have a right to accelerate the balance of the rental due for the remaining lease term. This practice is not, however, favored by the courts; therefore, the...more
Recently, Justice James Hudson issued a decision testing the limits of New York’s Long Arm Statute. The Court was tasked with determining whether personal jurisdiction exists over an out-of-state defendant, based on a claim...more
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
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
It happens all the time! The owner-contractor agreement contains a “no damages for delay” clause; a clause requiring that all changes be in writing before work is performed; and a clause requiring partial lien waivers and...more
In Evans Resources, L.P., et al. v. Diamondback E&P, LLC, two agreements left the terms “constructed” and “utilized” undefined. If the terms had been defined would the outcome have been different? Maybe. Should parties define...more
On June 8, 2020, Level 10 Construction, LP (“Level 10”), a construction company hired by Sea World San Diego (“Sea World”), filed a Complaint in California federal court alleging that Sea World is withholding over $3.2...more
P.A.L. Environmental Safety Corp. v. North American Dismantling Corp. Et Al., No. 19-11630, 2020 BL 198779 (E.D. Mich. May 28, 2020) - A Michigan federal court partially granted Consumers Energy Company’s (“CEC”) motion to...more
It goes without saying that in the world of construction contracts … words matter! There is language in the Goes decision that a cost-plus contract imposes upon the contractor an implied duty to incur reasonable and proper...more
Lost profits, not part of unpaid contract balance, may be recoverable as consequential damages in contract claim, but cannot be included in lien. TSP Services Inc. v. National-Standard, LLC, 2019 BL 340267 (Mich. Ct. App....more
The parties entered into a contract under which the plaintiff Cerner Middle East Limited would provide hardware, software, and services to iCapital S/E to facilitate iCapital’s fulfillment of a contract that it had been...more
Winger Contr. Co. v. Cargill, Inc., No. 17-1169, 2019 BL 132092 (Iowa Apr. 12, 2019). On April 12, 2019, the Iowa Supreme Court affirmed a lower court ruling which held that, inter alia, the Iowa mechanic’s lien statute...more
Whiting-Turner Contracting Co. v Guar. Co. of N. Am. USA, 2019 BL 97923 (Colo. App. Mar. 21, 2019). This construction dispute involved rights and obligations under a performance bond supplied for an office building...more
The English Court of Appeal recently considered what should happen when a contractor, through its own fault, never delivers any completed work, despite having contracted to do so by a particular date. In Triple Point...more
CB&I Areva Mox Servs., LLC v. United States, 2018 U.S. Claims Lexis 1549 (November 9, 2018) - Nearly two decades ago, the Department of Energy, National Nuclear Security Administration (“NNSA”) awarded a contract for the...more
Three delivery drivers sued a transportation broker for failure to pay overtime and minimum wages, failure to provide rest and meal breaks, failure to timely pay wages upon termination, and willful refusal to pay wages on...more
IES Commercial, Inc. v. Manhattan Torcon, A Joint Venture, 2018 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 164973 (D. Md. Sept. 26, 2018) - In 2009, the Army Corps of Engineers hired Manhattan Torcon Joint Venture (“MT”) as general contractor to...more
After Hurricane Sandy hit the east coast in 2012, the Army Corps of Engineers contracted with Environmental Chemical Corp. (ECC) to conduct clean up on Fire Island, New York....more