The Limited Liability Company’s Operating Agreement in New York

The Operating Agreement is the document that controls the operations of an LLC. It is similar to corporate bylaws or a shareholder’s agreement or a partnership agreement. Unlike the articles of organization which is a public document, the operating agreement is not open to public scrutiny. But what does the agreement actually contain? Read more

Removing the Lis Pendens

Though it may sound like it, removing the lis pendens is not in the game Operation. A Lis Pendens, is simply a public notice of a pending lawsuit. I recently handled a dispute over a driveway easement and filed a lis pendens against the easement. Here are the legal standards:  Read more

Feeling Contempt Toward Contempt

Being held “in contempt of court” is one of those tropes Hollywood loves to use, but in reality, it can occur for much less than throwing a tantrum during trial. If a party does not obey or breaches a court mandated order, he may be held in contempt. Here are the standards that apply:  Read more

Did You Actually Settle?

If the validity of a settlement is in dispute, one test is to check whether the settlement was made in court or in writing, and whether the court conducted an allocution. Read more

Confidentiality Language in Deeds will preclude Summary Judgment in Easement Disputes

Branching off from last month’s discussion of Summary Judgment (if you missed that click HERE), different causes of action will bring about different standards for what truly is triable question of fact. Disputes over easements, for example, look at multiple factors in determining issues of fact. Here is an section from my brief in a recent case involving this issue: Read more

Cram Down a Reverse Mortgage

Bankr SD Fla: Debtor Could Cram Down a Reverse Mortgage that Became Due Prepetition. The Code’s Anti-Modificaiton Provision in 1322 did not preclude doing so. Debtor who inherited home from her mother and was not on the note had standing to move the court to bifurcate the reverse mortgage claim into a secured and unsecured portion and treat the holder of that mortgage in a chapter 13 plan.

In re: DELOIS GRAY, Chapter 13, Debtor. Case No. 14-31097-RAM.United States Bankruptcy Court, S.D. Florida. April 8, 2015.