Blog

Turkey’s Conversion and Replevin Action to Recover 6,000-Year-Old Statute Denied for Failure to Show Ownership and for Sleeping on Rights

Posted: / By: , Categories: Conversion, Laches, Replevin

After a dispute arose over the ownership of the “Stargazer,” a six-thousand-year-old marble statuette, the Republic of Turkey commenced an action in the Southern District of New York seeking the return of Stargazer, alleging claims for conversion and replevin against auction house Christie’s, Inc., as the possessor, and Michael Steinhardt, as the owner.  According to Turkey, the figurine was unlawfully excavated and smuggled out of its borders.  Following an eight-day bench trial, the district court held that Turkey failed to establish by a preponderance of the evidence that it owned Stargazer, and that, in any event, the defendants established the equitable defense of laches.  Turkey appealed… Read more

Arbitration Clause Does Not Apply When Consideration of Agreement Is Not Necessary to Determine the Merits of Claims

Posted: / By: , Category: Arbitration

The Federal Arbitration Act (the “FAA”) embodies a strong federal policy in favor of arbitration.  When the existence of an arbitration agreement is undisputed, any doubts as to whether a claim falls within the scope of that agreement should be resolved in favor of arbitrability.  Despite the broad reach of the FAA, a recent decision issued in Salgado v. NYC Medical Practice P.C. d/b/a Goals Aesthetics & Plastic Surgery, 22-CV-06910(LAK)(SN), 2022 WL 17974915 (S.D.N.Y. Dec. 28, 2022) illustrates that claims may bypass arbitration if the agreement providing for arbitration need not be considered to determine if such claims are meritorious… Read more

Rescission of Contract Inappropriate Where Breach Did Not Defeat the Purpose of the Parties’ Agreement

Posted: / By: , Category: Contract Law

In Argutto v. J.P. Hunter Co., Inc., Case No. 623638/2018 (Sup. Ct. Suffolk County, Sep. 22, 2022), the court denied a motion for summary judgment seeking rescission of a contract where the defendant’s breach, though consequential, was not so fundamental as to defeat the purpose of the contract… Read more

New York Choice of Law Provision, Standing Alone, Does Not Confer Personal Jurisdiction

Posted: / By: , Categories: Civil Procedure, Jurisdiction

As illustrated in a decision by the New York Supreme Court in Five Star Logistics LLC v. Innovasian Cuisine Enters. Inc., Index No. 653357/2022 (N.Y. Sup. Ct. Nov. 22, 2022), a New York choice of law provision, standing alone, will not confer personal jurisdiction over a defendant… Read more

Petitioners Obtain Pre-Litigation Disclosure into the Owners of Twitter Accounts Used to Publish Defamatory Statements

Posted: / By: , Category: Pre-Litigation Disclosure

Pre-action discovery is a specialized tool available in New York courts that can be used to preserve evidence or identify potential defendants.  This tool was effectively used in DarkPulse, Inc. v. Twitter, Inc., Index No. 159015/2022, in New York Supreme Court, New York County… Read more

Extrinsic evidence is inadmissible to contradict unambiguous contract terms; a party cannot anticipatorily breach a contract obligation that does not exist

Posted: / By: , Category: Contract Law

In Art Works Inc. v. Al-Hadid, Index No. 651267/2021 (N.Y. Sup. Ct., N.Y. County, May 10 2022), the New York Supreme Court held that a consignment agreement did not give an art gallery an ownership interest in an artist’s consigned work. The court also held that a party’s insistence on agreement to terms for a mediation did not constitute anticipatory breach of the contract’s mediation provision… Read more