Comment on Peyton v. NYC BSA

On December 17, 2020, by a 4-3 decision and over a strong dissent, the Court of Appeals reversed the decision of the Appellate Division in Peyton v. NYC Board of Standards and Appeals, 2020 N.Y. Slip Op. 07662.  The decision is an unseemly show of deference to the Board of Standards and Appeals, a body that is widely viewed as captive to the real estate industry, on a pure question of law as to … <Read More>


Enforcement of sex shop rules halted

Adult entertainment businesses continue their decades-long fight against zoning rules that restrict business locations. In the latest installment in the City’s efforts to restrict adult entertainment establishments, a federal court enjoined enforcement of the City’s zoning resolution. This is the latest court action in a series of actions that began in 1994.


Contractor denied additional payment

DEP required Jett Industries to clean channels at the Wards Island Wastewater Treatment Plant; Jett claimed that cleaning was extra work and sought an additional payment. Jett Industries, Inc. entered into an $116,969,000 contract with the Department of Environmental Protection to rehabilitate the settling system at the Wards Island Wastewater Treatment Plant. During the bidding process DEP, in response to bidders’ questions regarding the cleaning of tanks and channels, notified bidders that contractors were advised … <Read More>


City Council Holds Hearing to Address Deed Fraud Crisis

Proposed legislation would include requirements to provide information about how to respond to suspected deed fraud. On October 13, 2020, the City Council Committee of Housing and Buildings and the Committee on Finance held an oversight hearing examining the City’s deed theft and deed fraud crisis, and discussed two bills and a resolution aimed at combatting deed theft: Int 1913, Int 1919, and Res 1427.