A New Jersey federal court granted in part a hotel franchisor’s motion for summary judgment against its franchisee and the guarantor of the personal guaranty, for breach of the parties’ franchise agreement. The franchisee did...more
Commercial contract provisions affording a party with an excuse from performance can take varying shapes and sizes, but they all serve the purpose of relieving the party from liability for nonperformance of an obligation that...more
A recent decision from Justice Robert Reed of the Manhattan Commercial Division in J.P. Morgan Ventures Energy Corporation v. Miami Wind I, LLC, Goldthwaite Wind Energy LLC demonstrates how parties have the ability to excuse...more
The Insolvency and Dispute Resolution team at Walkers in Dubai continue to advise on the impact of the recent sanctions imposed on Russia in an offshore context, including whether such sanctions can give rise to a defence for...more
The Russian military’s invasion of Ukraine, coupled with the considerable economic sanctions levied against Russia and certain Russian entities and individuals, has significantly impacted businesses worldwide. Recognizing the...more
On August 2, 2021, the Italian fashion brand Liu Jo filed a lawsuit in the Southern District of New York against model Kendall Jenner for $1.8 million, alleging that Jenner breached the terms of her modeling agreement by...more
I have previously written about the impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on force majeure provisions in a commercial contract. A force majeure clause may excuse a party from performing its contract because of an...more
If Canceling or Postponing Your Wedding, Bar/Bat Mitzvah, Anniversary Party or Event, Look For These When Reviewing Your Vendor Contracts....more
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
Though sometimes overlooked given the abundance of federal and state statutory claims, employers must remember that their existing contractual obligations remain in place during the pandemic. As a review of the Fisher...more
Causation in the context of force majeure, and how causation considerations may impact force majeure claims in the COVID-19 era. In most states, the force majeure event must have proximately caused the delay or deficiency...more
Although many companies are already revisiting contractual provisions relating to nonperformance, like force majeure clauses, as the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic continues to wreak havoc on public health and the economy,...more
With the onset of closures and quarantines early this year due to the spread of COVID-19, businesses across the country were confronted with the issue of how to perform their contractual obligations while they were unable to...more
When parties enter into a contract, they generally intend to follow the terms of a contract. However, sometimes, whether unintentionally or by mistake, inevitably, a party to a contract may breach a term of their contract by...more
On May 18, 2020, Skadden and Marsh cohosted a webinar addressing litigation, exposure and insurance during the COVID-19 pandemic. The panelists were Marcie Lape, Skadden litigation partner; Amy Van Gelder, Skadden litigation...more
The unprecedented health crisis arising from the novel Coronavirus disease (“COVID-19”) and measures enacted by the Spanish Government to contain the spread, has in some cases affected contractual performance. The...more
On April 16, 2020, the Supreme People’s Court of China (the “SPC”) issued the Guiding Opinions of the SPC on Several Issues Concerning Proper Trial of Civil Cases Involving COVID-19 (I) (the “COVID-19 Opinions”), providing a...more
Since the onset of the COVID-19 outbreak, parties have searched for contractual clauses (or legal doctrines) which may release, or at the very least, alleviate some of the obligations they are required to perform. In this...more
For further information, please visit the White & Case Coronavirus Resource Center. The COVID-19 (Temporary Measures) Act (the "Act") was enacted on 7 April 2020. The Act provides temporary relief to businesses and...more
The COVID-19 pandemic has generated an unprecedented crisis, throwing companies into uncertainty as to the fate of their contractual commitments. In response to the legitimate questions raised by such situation, many articles...more
What Day is it? Is it Tuesday? No, It's Sunday. How was I able to solve this conundrum? A question many of us have asked ourselves when all structure seems to have gone out of our lives in the last few weeks, so we...more
As the Covid-19 pandemic continues in North Carolina, contracts – whether they are real estate, construction or other commercial contracts – are all at risk of non-performance by one of the parties. Inevitably,...more
Overview of mergers and acquisitions (M&A) market in Singapore - Singapore was one of the first countries outside of China to encounter the virus. Whilst deal activity was down on the prior year, M&A transactions were...more
Many life sciences contracts, including intellectual property licensing agreements, development agreements and supply agreements, contain force majeure clauses. Depending upon the language of these clauses, the COVID-19...more
On April 21, 2020, the Presidium of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation issued an “Overview of selected issues of judicial practice, related to the application of legislation and measures to stop the spread of the...more