The growing popularity of the Internet as a means of communication has created a new way to spread potentially defamatory statements. Users may be held accountable in court for making defamatory remarks in these informal – but very public – forums, and blog posts. As long as statements are demonstrably…
As we all feel, some more than others, the economic recession has resulted in hundreds of thousands of suits filed by bill collectors in the New York courts. We always learned that a plaintiff (the collector) must prove the debt. Well, New York judges are here to tell these collectors…
There are many attorneys in New York, but when it comes to buying your home, a commercial business, or other transaction involving New York State real estate, you really should hire an attorney that handles real estate transactions. Real estate transactions can get complex. Hiring a real estate attorney has…
So, you spend a lot of time blogging, or you have swell content on your web-site which someone has blatantly copied (hijacked). What do you do to protect your copyright or trademark? The Problem The drafters of the Copyright Act (1976)) never contemplated the ease and speed of copyright infringement…
As our society and the pressures of urbanized living change the face of the Hudson Valley, many land owners are contemplating Conservation Easements to protect, preserve, or otherwise maintain local farmland. Conservation easements are land preservation agreements (easements) where the landowner agrees to limit the use of her land for…
I just noticed this recent post in the NYTimes about more modest weekend homes and retreats in the Hudson Valley. When purchasing a second home we recommend hiring a local real estate attorney to give you the “lay of the land,” to direct you as to issues that arise in…
Planning Boards play an important role in shaping how our community will look, feel, act and react. In a very real sense, the Planning Board is charged with overseeing the “orderly” development of real property, and in the process shaping the “public” face. Developers want the best return on their…
Fire quickly causes tragedy, but don’t let the aftermath cause further tragedy. All of us have been touched by the trauma and tragedy of a structure burning, all of our life long possessions up in smoke. If the house has a mortgage, chances are, there is insurance to protect those…
You are are sitting up late one night, thinking that your neigbor’s new fence is located on your property. You type in the search term fence and property into a search engine like Google or Yahoo! and 2.5 million returns hit you in 0.15 seconds. How do you narrow that…
In this age of ultra-competitive, make a buck at any price advisers, we have lost our focus upon what a good “fiduciary” should be providing to their real estate, mortgage, estate, insurance and other types of recommendations. What is it that you should expect from your broker or salesman when…