Law Watch
Recent New York decisions, read closely.
Short commentary on decisions worth a practitioner’s attention, each followed by the court’s full text.
- Appellate Division, Department 1 · Sep 24, 2026The “Transaction Attacked” Is the One That Emptied the TillWhen a pair of judgments exceeding $1 billion goes unsatisfied, and the judgment debtors turn out to have been stripped to the walls, must the creditor’s veil-piercing claim be tethered to the underlying transaction that created the debt?Matter of UBS Sec. LLC v Dondero, 2026 NY Slip Op 05460
- Appellate Division, Second Department · Sep 23, 2026Nexus, Not Name: Second Department Holds the EFAA Follows the Harm, Not the Hand That Caused ItThe sorority never disputed that its member was sexually assaulted.C.N. v Sigma Delta Tau Socy., 2026 NY Slip Op 05405
- Appellate Division, First Department · Sep 22, 2026“Commits to Raise” Means What It Says: The First Department Affirms a $15.9 Million Alternative Financing PremiumDefendants concede the critical facts and, in doing so, say the quiet part out loud.Aurelius Capital Master Ltd. v Hertz Intl. Ltd., 2026 NY Slip Op 05369
- Appellate Division, Department 1 · Sep 17, 2026Beauchamp v. N.Y.C. Transit Auth.: When There Is No Comparator, the Record Sets the NumberThe Transit Authority conceded liability and, in doing so, conceded away its whole appeal but the arithmetic.Beauchamp v New York City Tr. Auth., 2026 NY Slip Op 05364
- Appellate Division, Department 1 · Sep 17, 2026When a Turnover Order Becomes a Title Trial: The First Department Draws the Line at Penal Law § 450.10The Art Institute of Chicago conceded the critical point and, in doing so, framed the entire dispute: it never argued the Heirs lacked a moral claim – it argued that a criminal court lacked power to decide it.Matter of Application for a Search Warrant to Search the Premises Located at the Art Inst. of Chicago, 2026 NY Slip Op 05363
- Appellate Division, First Department · Sep 10, 2026OMH Blames the Patient: First Department Affirms Contempt and Rejects the “Refusal of Treatment” DefenseThe Office of Mental Health concedes the critical facts and, in doing so, says the quiet part out loud.People v G.O., 2026 NY Slip Op 05242
- Appellate Division, Department 1 · Sep 3, 2026The Umpire Who Bargained: First Department Vacates Award for Arbitrator PartialityThe umpire created an appearance of impropriety when he directly communicated with the landlord’s counsel about a paid offer to serve as a neutral umpire in the Durst matter.Matter of 57th & 6th Ground LLC v Carnegie House Tenants Corp., 2026 NY Slip Op 05230
- Court of Appeals · Feb 19, 2026When “No” Means No: The Court of Appeals Shuts the Door on Forced Disclosure of Government Email Lists in Russell v Town of Mount PleasantRespondent Town conceded the critical facts and, in doing so, said the quiet part out loud: 218 of 220 E-news subscribers told the Town they did not consent to disclosure of their email addresses.RUSSELL v TOWN, 45 NY3d 677
- Supreme Court, Albany County · Feb 10, 2026“Not Remotely” Heinous: Albany County Annuls Cell-Phone Solitary and Expunges the RecordRespondent concedes the critical facts and, in doing so, says the quiet part out loud.D.G. v RODRIGUEZ, 89 Misc 3d 988
- Appellate Division, First Department · Feb 10, 2026AI Is Indispensable – and That Is Exactly Why Verification Is Non-Negotiable: The First Department Censures in Matter of ZarehRespondent conceded the critical facts and, in doing so, said the quiet part out loud.Matter of Zareh, 251 AD3d 73
- Civil Court of the City of New York, New York County · Jan 21, 2026The Sham Cooperative Defense Gets Real Teeth: Edelstein LLC v RodriguezCivil Court, New York County (Meyers, J.), January 21, 2026 – 89 Misc 3d 953…EDELSTEIN LLC v RODRIGUEZ, 89 Misc 3d 953
- Appellate Division, First Department · Jan 15, 2026A Judgment Is Not a Property Right: The First Department Narrows the Federal Vested Rights DoctrineThe Yeshiva defendants concede the critical facts and, in doing so, say the quiet part out loud.M.T. v YESHIVA UNIV., 251 AD3d 150
- Appellate Division, Third Department · Jan 8, 202623 Ghost Cases and a $7,500 Lesson: The Third Department Draws the Line on AI FilingsDefense counsel conceded the critical fact at oral argument – reluctantly – and, in doing so, said the quiet part out loud: he “used AI in the preparation of his papers and, although he told the Court that he checked his…Deutsche Bank v Letennier, 251 AD3d 97
- Court of Appeals · Dec 16, 2025A Letter, a Blog, and a Door the Court Declined to OpenThe most decisive document in Sander v Westchester Reform Temple was not the complaint, the motion papers, or the blog post that started it all – it was the offer letter Jessie Sander signed when she accepted a position …SANDER v WESTCHESTER REFORM, 45 NY3d 628
- Justice Court of the Town of Somers, Westchester County · Jul 9, 2025When DACA Fear Meets a DWI: Somers Justice Court Says “Not a Certainty at All”Defendant concedes the critical facts and, in doing so, says the quiet part out loud: she admits that “any allegation of drunk driving is serious and should be treated seriously,” and she concedes that there was no misconduct by law enforcement.PEOPLE v SIBRI-AREVALO, 89 Misc 3d 908