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, 2026 The “Transaction Attacked” Is the One That Emptied the Till When 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, 2026 Nexus, Not Name: Second Department Holds the EFAA Follows the Harm, Not the Hand That Caused It The 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 Premium Defendants 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, 2026 Beauchamp v. N.Y.C. Transit Auth.: When There Is No Comparator, the Record Sets the Number The 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, 2026 When a Turnover Order Becomes a Title Trial: The First Department Draws the Line at Penal Law § 450.10 The 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, 2026 OMH Blames the Patient: First Department Affirms Contempt and Rejects the “Refusal of Treatment” Defense The 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, 2026 The Umpire Who Bargained: First Department Vacates Award for Arbitrator Partiality The 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, 2026 When “No” Means No: The Court of Appeals Shuts the Door on Forced Disclosure of Government Email Lists in Russell v Town of Mount Pleasant Respondent 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 Record Respondent 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, 2026 AI Is Indispensable – and That Is Exactly Why Verification Is Non-Negotiable: The First Department Censures in Matter of Zareh Respondent 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, 2026 The Sham Cooperative Defense Gets Real Teeth: Edelstein LLC v Rodriguez Civil 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, 2026 A Judgment Is Not a Property Right: The First Department Narrows the Federal Vested Rights Doctrine The 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, 2026 23 Ghost Cases and a $7,500 Lesson: The Third Department Draws the Line on AI Filings Defense 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, 2025 A Letter, a Blog, and a Door the Court Declined to Open The 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, 2025 When 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