Shareholder disputes in a closely held business threaten the business and personal financial interests of the owner. New Jersey law provides the owners of a closely held corporation with rights and remedies that assure access to information and the financial benefits of ownership. Closely held corporations can use effective planning…
It’s a decision involving a law firm partnership that, if widely followed, will likely have a sweeping effect on the interpretation of the statutory requirement for unanimity in adopting critical agreements that govern partnerships and liited liability companies. Attorney Andrew Zidel, an attorney who left prominent intellectual property boutique firm…
Divorcing couples that own a business together must address business ownership issues as part of the matrimonial issues, in particular the distribution of assets. An important issue when a couple divorces is how to address the family owned business in which one…
Majority Owners of closely held businesses may face claims that they engaged in minority oppression of shareholders, limited liability company members or partners. Defending the minority oppression claim requires examination of written agreements and consideration of the reasonable expectations of the owners when the business was formed. Claims of minority…
A ‘passive’ member with no rights or responsibilities in the management of a limited liability company cannot be held liable for refusing to participate in a PPP loan application. Dissociated LLC members with no management rights can withhold their voluntary consent to proposed actions. The waiver of fiduciary duties in…
Limited Liability Company laws in New Jersey and many states provide a cause of action for the oppression of minority members of company against those in control of the business. Oppression of a minority LLC member is measured by the reasonable expectations of the minority member in those states that…
The Federal Trade Commission is considering an administrative rule that would enact a broad ban on non-compete agreements that would prohibit contracts that restrict the employee from working for a competitor or starting a competing business. The rule would also apply to ‘de facto’ non-competes, such as non-solicitation agreements, that…
A business divorce is the process by which the owners of a business separate their business interests. The process involves negotiation and may also require litigation. These cases can be divided into four phases: the emergent phase, the examination phase, the valuation phase and the resolution phase. Most owner lawsuits…
An email from the sole owner of a limited liability company announcing that employees had become partners with a profit interest was not sufficient to constitute admission as a member of the LLC. The fact that the party claiming an equity interest in an LLC had refused to execute an…
Accounting firm is compelled to repurchase the equity of departing shareholder who moved practice to competitor firm. A shareholder agreement that is integrated and intended to be the parties’ complete agreement may preclude a claim for breach of corporate by-laws. A shareholder in an accounting firm organized as a professional…