Victor M. Metsch
Of Counsel / New YorkVictor M. Metsch is Of Counsel working on Pro Bono Projects in the Litigation, Alternative Dispute Resolution and Appellate Practices of Smith, Gambrell & Russell, LLP.
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Full Bio
Mr. Metsch practice was primarily in the area of commercial dispute resolution, including arbitration, mediation, appeals work, and litigation in the Federal, State and Surrogate’s Courts.
He developed extensive experience in the areas of banking, title work, brokerage, construction, architecture and engineering as they apply to the purchase, sale, financing, design, development, construction, renovation and leasing of commercial and residential real properties.
Mr. Metsch representations included cooperatives, condominiums, banks, institutional lenders, developers, landlords and tenants. His practice was also in the area of employment law and litigation where representations includes both employers and employees. Mr. Metsch is deeply committed to giving back to the community, dedicating significant time to pro bono work
He served on various committees of the New York City Bar Association such as the Committee on State Courts of Superior Jurisdiction; the Committee on Professional and Judicial Ethics; the Committee on Professional Discipline; the Committee on Professional Responsibility; and the Committee on the Judiciary. He also served on various court committees of the New York State Bar Association.
He received his B.A. from the New York State School of Industrial and Labor Relations at Cornell University in 1966 and his J.D. from the New York University School of Law in 1969.
Mr. Metsch is active in community affairs, having been a member of the Great Neck Board of Zoning Appeals, counsel to AIPAC in New York City, a trustee, officer and counsel to Temple Beth-El of Great Neck, and a Member of the Democratic Party County Committee in Nassau, Suffolk and Westchester.
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Bar Admissions
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Education
Undergraduate- Cornell University
Law School- New York University
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Recognitions
2025 Celebrate Pro Bono Award, New York County Lawyers Association
2023 New York State Unified Court System, Office of Justice Initiatives, Award for Outstanding and Dedicated Pro Bono Service
2021 Pro Bono Attorney of the Year: New York City Bar Association
2021 Top Rated Lawyer as designated by Martindale-Hubbell®
The Best Lawyers in America®, Litigation – Real Estate, New York (2021-2023, 2025-2026)
AV Preeminent® Peer Review Rated by Martingale-Hubbell®
New York Metro Super Lawyers - ADR (2014)
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Publications and Speaking Engagements
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SGR Publications
- Flatiron Hall Bar & Grill Door Slams on Patron’s Finger
- Real Property Purchaser Sues Seller for Fraudulent Misrepresentation
- Storage Firm Sues Oil Companies for Losses Caused by Oil Spill
- Tenant Sues For Failure to Return Security Deposit
- Dump Truck Backs Into Trailer During Dispute at Gas Station
- Defendants Objected to Production of Defense Counsel Related Documents
- Dad Tripped on Broken Glass While Inspecting Soccer Field
- Elderly Shoprite Customer Injured When Sliding Door Closed on Walker
- Hofstra Professor Sues Colleague/Student For Defamation
- Board Denied Chelsea Co-op Unit Owner Permission to Improve Adjacent Roof Area
- Accident on Lane 47 of Babylon Bowling
- Bookkeeper Allegedly Stole $2M+ From Failing 85 Year Old Client
- Apartment Owner Sues Co-Op Board and Managing Agent
- Agreement to Purchase Four-Family Brooklyn Brownstone for $300,000
- Son In Accident While Driving Father’s Car Without Permission
- Damaged Alleged from Water Raining Down from Penthouse Fireplace
- Tenant Sues Owner/Manager for Personal Injuries
- Frozen Pipe Bursts on Ninth Floor of Commercial Co-Op
- Homeowner Charged Neighbor with Illegal Operation of Commercial Business
- “Slip and Fall” in Building Elevator On Rainy Day
- Testimonial Versus Accident Reconstruction Evidence
- Neighbors Sue Each Other at Park Towers Co-Op
- Residential Tenant Blocks Inspection of Apartment for Water Leak
- Furniture Store Leased Ground Floor Showroom in Printing District Building
- Residential Condo Unit Owner Claims Excessive Noise/Odors from Neighbor’s Tenant
- Was Garden City Tennis Court Sprinkler Head Cause of Player’s Accident?
- Modernization Disrupts Elevators at Normandie Court
- Herkimer Hot Water Heater Hubbub
- Dog Bite Discovery Imbroglio at Lakeside of Bedford Condominium
- Unkechaugh Indians Seek to Enjoin Criminal Activity at Smoke Shop on Poospatuck Reservation
- Seller Alleges Buyers’ Breach of Fiduciary Duty Induced Contract
- Friendship Unravels at End of Apartment Lease Term
- Patient Falls Off Rolling Stool in Exam Room
- Was Oral Agreement to Develop Property Unenforceable?
- Lake Placid Resort Guest Slips on Snow and Ice
- Trial Court Denies Application For Cellphone Of Driver Killed In Car Accident
- Prisoner Cuffed to Stretcher Assaulted at St. Barnabas Hospital
- Commercial Lease Required Redelivery of Space at End of Term in Same Condition as at Start
- Fitness Center Member Falls Off Treadmill
- Firearms Seized From Nassau Homeowner By Police
- Excavation Causes Neighboring Property to Bulge and Crack
- Apartment Tenant Trips Over Drain Cover
- Tow Line Tangle at Toggenburg
- Auctioneer Doubts Authenticity, Withdraws Cy Twombly Artwork and Seeks Return of $1.5M Advance
- Tenant Vacates but Fails to Restore Premises at End of Lease
- Patron Allegedly Assaulted by Security at Lounge in Queens
- Gallery and Sculpture Dispute Ownership of Five Limited Edition Works
- Firm Charges Former Employee With Stealing Trade Secrets
- Did Producer Strike Photographer on Set of “Donovan”?
- Oral Agreement to Share Proceeds of Sale of Diamonds
- Cyclist Injured in Central Park When Hit by Dog Playing Fetch
- Restauranteurs Fight Over Remains of Business in L.A.
- Mountaineer Falls to Death
- Altercation with Acquaintance: Man Strikes Small Dog with a Broomstick
- Every Dog Is Entitled to One Bite
- Yorktown Heights Property Adjacent to ATV Trail Advertised by Owner as Quiet
- Pizza Deliveryman Pulled Over For Broken Headlight
- User Sought to Quash Subpoena to Facebook for Account Information
- Police Car Strikes Bike Rider at Islip Intersection
- Repair Contractor Arrested on Homeowner’s Fraud Complaint Made in Mandarin
- Coop Tenant Claims Fans on Roof Targeted Her West End Ave Apartment
- Owner Brings Powerboat to Suff. Co. Marina For Engine Repair
- Proprietary Lease Did Not Give Unit Owner Exclusive Right to Parking Space
- Cricketer Injured on NYC Tennis Court
- Commercial Tenant Alleges Numerous Violations of Lease by Landlord
- Installation of Fence Cut Neighbor’s Underground Electrical Lines:
- Courier Injured in Fall in Premises Leased by FedEx:
- Hospital Employee Injured Lifting Computer Cart That Lost a Wheel
- Wedding Venue Dispute Arises from Vendor’s Assignment of Contract
- Managing Agent for Residential Landlord Failed to Return Security Deposit
- Was Hunter Negligent in Causing His Brother-in-Law’s Death?
- Visitor Trips, Falls and Injured When Leaving a House
- Disabled Customer Injured When Motorized Shopping Cart Jerked Forward
- Hikers Hurt When Tree Limb Falls in New City’s Kennedy Dells Park
- Motion for Summary Judgment on Liability in Rear End Collision Case
- “Jailhouse Rat” Assaulted by Inmate at Lockup
- Rider Thrown from Horse on Trail Ride
- Fifth Ave. Building Charged Neighbor with Multiple NYC Code Violations
- Pit Bull “Luna” Attacks Yorkshire Terrier “Princess” on First Street in Newburgh
- Defendant Claiming Non-Service Challenged Default Judgment
- Online Auction Photo Concealed Defect in Urn
- Siblings In-Law Litigate Woodside Driveway Easement
- UPS Driver Injured by Dog in Course of Delivery
- Intoxicated/Speeding Driver Crashes into Parked Tractor/Trailer
- Member Injured at Gym When Elliptical Arm/Pedal Detached
- 100+ Pound Bullmastiff (Dynasty) Knocks Down Woman Walking Chihuahua (Eli)
- Worker Injured When Moving Conveyor
- Go-Karter Injured When Bumped by Another Driver
- Brooklyn Bank Customer Injured During Robbery
- Injured Woman Lacrosse Player Sues University, Coach, and NCAA
- Juno and Josie Joust in Chatham
- Patron Punched in Pub Fracas
- Customer Tech Salesman Jumps to a Competitor
- Siblings Mark and Paul Contest Title to Property in Brooklyn
- “On or About” Closing Date Meets “Right of First Refusal” on Kingston Avenue
- Water-tuber Falls at the Battenkill River
- Companion Sues Former Beau for Damages Arising Out of Long-Term Relationship
- Kayaker Pleads Guilty to Homicide in Boyfriend’s Drowning Death
- Patron Falls Off Swivel Chair at Monticello Casino
- Neighbor Injured When Dog Next Door Attacks Her Pets
- Snowmobiler Intoxicated at Time of His Death in Crash:
- Driver “Blinded by Sun” Hits Biker
- Bickering Neighbors Sue and Counter-Sue After Altercation and Arrest:
- Contiguous Owner Opposes Neighbors Application for Roof Protection:
- In-Ground Swimming Pool Collapsed Causing Collateral Damage:
- Chihuahua Nips Next Door Neighbor:
- Collector Sues for Replevin of 18th Century Gold Plate Stolen in 1962:
- Treadmill-er Trips on Adjacent Electrical Box:
- Postal Worker Spooked by Dog | Falls Off Stoop:
- Slippery Bowling Alley Brouhaha in Clifton Park
- Worker Hurt Doing Jobs Requested by Tenant:
- Buyer Seeks Specific Performance of Real Estate Contract of Sale:
- Car Hits Pedestrian at 82nd and Fifth:
- Was Foreclosure Defendant Properly “Served” With Process on Daughter-in-Law?
- Homeowner Sues Neighbor for Construction Related Water Runoff Damages:
- “Cain/Able” Legal Duel Over Property in Queens:
- Former Employee Breached Confidentiality/Non-Compete/Solicit Provisions:
- Pit Bull Bites Neighbor in Common Outdoor Area of Apartment Complex:
- Family Feud Over Painting by Jean-Michal Basquait:
- Niece Petitions to Probate Aunt’s Handwritten “Will” That Excluded Uncle:
- Co-op Purchased as Private Residence Used For Short Term Rentals:
- Canine Playdate Between Patron and Gizmo Goes Awry:
- Colossal Kerfuffle Over Ownership of Falafel Café:
- Teenager Steals Car & Kills Woman in a Collision:
- Intoxicated Passenger Injured in Jump from Ambulance:
- Service Dog Adopted Out of Animal Care Without Notice to Owner:
- Catch Basin Overflow Causes Water Damage in Port Jervis
- Sibling Challenges 1990 Lease by Parents to Son and Daughter-In-Law
- Does “Active Concealment” Trump “Caveat Emptor”?
- Pedestrian Trips and Falls On Raised Sidewalk Near Overgrown Tree in Queens:
- Jesup Avenue Contract Dispute Faces Legal Analysis:
- Mom Alleged Son Was Bullied and Taunted at Junior Tennis Matches/Academies:
- Judge Doubts Accuracy of Divergent Testimony by Both Sides:
- Member Injured During 300 Pound Tire Flip at Cobalt Fitness:
- Who Owned 31 Drawings by Alexander Calder?
- UCC Lien Filed Against 16th Century Portrait of de` Medici by del Sarto:
- Shopper Trips and Falls Over Mannequin at Department Store:
- After Medical Complaints: Sing Sing Prisoner Injured in Fall Down Stairs
- Drug Crime Parolee Stopped For Minor Traffic Violation:
- Scenario: Love on the Rocks
- Three Day Trial in Contested Canine Custody Case:
- All Not Bucolic at Esplanade Gardens in Manhattan:
- Numerous Defects in Execution of Propounded Will:
- Cyclist Injured in Fall on Westchester Park Bike Trail:
- Cyclist Injured in Fall on State Park Bike Trail:
- Siblings Dispute Ownership of Corporation Created by Dad:
- Personal Injury Plaintiff Had Back Surgery Before Independent Medical Examination:
- Residential Tenant Vacates Apartment Before End of Lease Term:
- Train Hits Pedestrian Lying on Tracks at Night:
- Foreclosure Action Notice Requirements Get Granular Examination:
- Defendant Absent from Sidebar Conference at Criminal Trial:
- Oklahoma Corporations Sued in New York For Plane Crash in Virginia:
- Employee Slips on Fish Skin Outside of Lobster Processing Business:
- Pre-Arrest: Officers Asked Defendant Where He Lived?
- Irregularities in Execution of Marital Agreement Acknowledgements:
- Halloween Party Guest Injured in Fall from Loading Dock:
- Dog Bites Guest at Home of Owner’s Parents:
- Seller Delivers Jewelry – But Purchasers’ Check “Bounces”:
- Condo Unit Owner Defaults On Payment of Common Charges:
- Bats in Attic of Two-Family Residence:
- Prenup in Foreign Language Signed Abroad in Conformity with Local Law
- “Settled Law” Evolves Over Time:
- Instructor Takes Novice Skier Down the Bunny Trail:
- Movie Theatre Manager Uses Baton/Pellet Gun Against Unruly Patron:
- Tenant Claimed Medical Hardship as Defense to Eviction:
- Sibling Rivalry at Residential Condominium Unit:
- Patron Slips On Water Near Gym Shower Room:
- Does Not End Well for Rogers in Endwell, New York
- Prisoner Delivered Notice of Appeal to Prison Employee:
- Real Property Buyer Never Declared Seller in Default:
- Was Traffic Stop, Search & Seizure Legal:
- Brownstone Battle on W. 121st St. in Manhattan:
- Town Police Released Teenage Driver After Drug Stop:
- Parties “Agreed” to Go Into Business Together:
- Of Course, You Have an Insurance Policy:
- Homeowners Install Fence and Defy Homeowner’s Association Demand to Remove:
- Melee at MSG/Billy Joel Concert Leads to Arrest:
- Navigating the “Bermuda Triangle” of Objections to Probate:
- Lawsuit Pits Father Against Son Over Family Businesses
- Lease Permitted Restaurant at Ol’ Bridge Café on 24th Street
- Written Settlement Agreement Between Families Over Jointly Owned Property
- The Agreement Has An Arbitration Clause
- Tenants-In-Common Meet Adverse Possession at Family Home in Brooklyn
- “[Shopping] On a Sunday Afternoon”
- Two Cars Collide on Montauk Hwy In Copaigue
- “Slip and Fall” in Resi Building Elevator On Rainy Day
- Neighbors Litigate Damage to Patio and Fence
- Apt. Owner Sues Co-Op Board and Managing Agent
- Did De Minimus Plantings Lead to Adverse Possession?
- Good [Gates] Make Good Neighbors: But Not on Rodgers Lane in Saratoga
- Landlord Seeks Nuisance Eviction Based Upon Violent Gang Activity
- Was Offer to Sell Mortgaged Residence at Auction Timely Revoked?
- Crossbow Seized by Dewpew PD: Was Weapon Seizable “Firearm”?
- Schiele Portrait of Wife Title Dispute Meets the Doctrine of “Tax Estoppel”
- All is Not Peaceful on Willow Lane on Shelter Island: Neighbors Litigate Scope of 1959 Right of Way
- Town Voided Certificate of Occupancy Before Closing: Was Non-Disclosure Excused by “Caveat Emptor”?
- Coop Terminated Proprietary Lease for Objectionable Conduct
- Subdivision Declaration Prohibited Daily/ Weekly/ Monthly Sublets: Court Decides if One Year Rental was Covered or Permitted
- Much Legal Ado About “Running Bamboo” on Shelter Island: Were Kings Liable to Sultans for Nuisance/Trespass/Negligence?
- Post-Romantic/Real Property Breakup Litigation: Did Incorporation Dissolve Partnership?
- East Hampton Agricultural Easement Dispute: What was the Scope and Intent of the Grant?
- Condo Owner Alleges Defamation/Interference with Sale: Did Managing Agent & Broker Cross the Line?
- Statement on Facebook Arguably May be Libelous: But Undeniably Defamatory Statement in Lawsuit is Absolutely Privileged
- Condo Unit Owner Inconvenienced by Defective Exhaust Fan: Was the Board Entitled to Foreclose the Common Charge Lien?
- Legal Loggerheads at Horseheads in Chemung County: Constructive Trust and Unjust Enrichment Claimed
- Raging Roadway Rumble at Big Moose Lake in Hamilton County
- Did Dog Already Have Its “One Bite”: And Thus Was Vicious Propensity Known?
- Assignment of Mortgage Condition Precedent to Closing of Condo Unit Sale: Did Buyer Have Right to Cancel When Lender Failed to Agree to Assignment?
- Kayaking Guest Drowns Near Hadley Dam: Was VBRO Host Liable to Estate?
- Family Cash Pooled to Build $23M Mixed-Use Condominium in Flushing: Court Determines Interests of Parties in Absence of Definitive Paperwork
- Nattering Nabobs of Neighborly Nuisance: Coop Unit Owners Trade Noise Complaints
- Romantic Partner’s Promise: Trust But Verify (In Writing)
- “Unsigned” Email From Counsel Settles Case for $400,000: Did Lawyer’s Response Trump $975,000 Arbitration Award?
- Gov’t Approval Meets Condition Precedent in Rockland County: Did Seller Have Right to Cancel Real Estate Contract of Sale?
- Unit Owner Bombarded Residential Coop with Frivolous Suits: Was Board’s Termination of Lease Protected by Business Judgment Rule?
- Month-to-Month Tenant Exercises Purchase Option: Did Option Survive End of Original Lease Term?
- Court Asked to Enforce Demand to Inspect Park Ave Coop’s Books and Records:
- Declaration/By-Laws Meet Arbitrary/Unreasonable at Madison Ave Condo:
- Application of Business Judgment Rule: Was Business Judgment Implicated?
- Neighbor Alleges Excessive Noise at Construction Site: Actionable Nuisance or Unavoidable Urban Inconvenience?
- “Beware of the Dog”: Did Pet Have Known Vicious Propensities?
- Was There Asbestos in A/C Ducts of Resi Condo? Court Adjudicates Buyer’s Right to Intrusive Testing
- Agreement Labeled “License”: But Was It “Lease”?
- Water Runoff From Neighboring Driveway Causes Damage: Was Claim Time-Barred or Actionable Continuous Wrong?
- Upper West Side Penthouse/Wine Room Wrangle: Improper Cooler Selected for Vintage Italian Artisanal Wines?
- Was Residential Holdover Proceeding “For the Birds?”: Pigeon-Feeding Tenant Faced Eviction for “Nuisance”
- Hotels Quiet Due to COVID Related Exec. Orders: Were the Resulting Losses Covered by Insurance?
- Would Garage Be Permitted To Operate Rent Free During Pandemic?
- “The [U]mpire Strikes Back” at Former MLB Player: How Much Was His Reputation Damaged By Podcast?
- Rensselaer County Neighbors in “Stump Law” Suit: Who Owned Land On Which Cut Trees Were Located?
- Contract of Sale Signed by One Member of Three-Party LLC: Apparent Authority Meets Actual Authority at E.N.Y Plaza
- Did Siberian Husky “Charlie” Have Known Vicious Propensities? Postwoman’s Testimony May Have Dispositive Bite
- Frustration/Impossibility/Casualty/Eminent Domain: Rent Default Restaurant Asserts Quartet of Legal Defenses
- Did MOU Constitute an Enforceable Contract? Court Determines If All Material Terms Were Covered
- Was Town of Chester Culprit in Culvert Calamity? Court Decides If Municipal Immunity Defeats Claims
- Was Noisy Co-op Neighbor’s Uncarpeted Floor a Nuisance? Court Examines Panoply of Disturbing Claims
- Pandemic Meets Allocation of Risk on Fifth Avenue: Was Luxury Retail Tenant Constructively Evicted?
- Leaky Can of Insecticide Befouls NYC Apt.: Which of Several Parties Was Responsible? Under What Law?
- COVID-19 Meets Force Majeure at the Edison Ballroom: Was Equitable Relief Warranted to Postpone Birthday Party?
- Does Gryffin belong to Shalloo or Zarrour? Court Decides Claims to Welsh Terrier Puppy
- Yet Another Fight About Exclusive Coop Roof Rights: Battle on 93rd St. Over Deck Space Next to Greenhouses
- Court Orders Tenant to Wear Mask
- “Family Feud” is Not Just an Iconic Television Game Show: Fight Over Yaphank Burial Plot Implicates Genealogy, N-PCL and EPTL
- Court Confronts Extremely Existential “Edible Balloon” Brawl: Was Culinary Creation Part of Agreement With Celebrity Chef?
- State/NYC Ordered Pandemic-Related Shutdown of Retail Store: Did Mandates Trigger Defense of Impossibility of Performance?
- Business Judgment Rule Meets Unreasonably Withheld Consent: Did Co-op Board Have Basis to Deny Assignment of Shares?
- A Sidewalk Shed Meets the Pandemic on West 99th Street: Did Construction and Delay Constitute a Trespass?
- Alec Baldwin Vents on Ellen and Stern Shows After Parking Spot Imbroglio: Did His Assertions in the Interviews Constitute Actionable Defamation?
- Native American Tribe Asserts Sovereignty Over Dispute Between Members: Does Tribal Council or Court Determine Rights at the Poospatuck Reservation?
- Would UWS Hi-Rise Developer be Forced to Demolish Top Floors?: First Department Tackles Complicated/Ambiguous Zoning Rules
- Not Always Sublime “Up On the Roof”: Especially After an 8-Ton Chiller is Installed
- New York Court of Appeals Update (February 2021) #2
- New York Court of Appeals Update (February 2021)
- It All Came Out in the Wash: Consignment Dispute Over Persian Rug
- Shootout at the Poonam on Park Hill Ave: Was Security Lax and Incident Foreseeable?
- NYC Administrative Code Collides with Personal Guaranty of Lease At Sons of Thunder in Murray Hill
- Good Timing is Invisible: Bad Timing Sticks Out a Mile
- Tenant’s Pandemic Related Exercise of “Good Guy“ Guarantee
- Pix of House From Google Street Dispositive: Resolve Dispute Between Chauncey St. Neighbors
- Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Yoga: Fitness Studios Challenge NYC Shutdown
- A Disguised Late Fee Is Nevertheless a Late Fee: Landlord Fails to Navigate Statutory Restrictions
- COVID-19 Meets “Yellowstone” at a Restaurant on Avenue A: Was Pandemic a “Casualty” that Excused Payment of Rent?
- Music and Passion Were Always in Fashion – At the Copa …Don’t Fall…
- Tenant Claims Habitability Breach Amounts to Harassment
- Co-op Board Learns That Emails Can Bite Back
- Hit by Falling Towel Dispenser – Res Ipsa Loquitur: “The Thing Speaks for Itself”
- Bad Faith in Rejecting Sale of Unit Leads to Damages: Board Breached Fiduciary Duty to Apartment Owner
- “Red Shoe” Stubs a (Legal) Toe on East 75th Street: No Pandemic Caused Frustration/Impossibility of Performance
- “Reasonable Expectations” Meets “Res Ipsa Loquitur” at the Boqueria Soho: Bone of Legal Contention–Tapas Dish with Steak & Piquillo Pepper Confit
- Court Answers an Existential Question: How Clean is “Broom Clean”?
- Burden of Proof
- New York Court of Appeals Update (December 2020)
- The Long Arm of the Business Judgment Rule at a Queens Condo
- New York Court of Appeals (Dec. 2020)
- Did COVID-19 Shutdown of Renovation Excuse Delay? Hearing Required to Determine Responsibility
- Does Pandemic Mandated Closing Excuse Payment of Commercial Lease Rent? Court Rejects Defenses of Impossibility/Frustration of Performance
- Intoxicated Teen/Trespasser Injured on Construction Site at 3 A.M.: Are the Owner/Developer/General Contractor Liable?
- “Family Feud” Is Not Just a Primetime Realty TV Show: Conflicting Claims to Unit Ownership End Up in Court
- Court “Decks” Trespassing Co-op Unit Owner With “Knock Out” Punch of Compensatory/Punitive Damages
- Yellowstone Proceedings and the Pandemic: Do COVID-19 Mandates Frustrate Performance?
- Did Traffic Infraction (Not Violation) Warrant Search and Seizure? New York Court of Appeals Finds Distinction With a Difference
- Drilling on Roof at 67th Street Triggers Suit: Did Renovation Breach Tenant’s Rights?
- Dog Spooked in Veterinary Clinic Waiting Room & Cat Owner Injured
- A Bridge[water] Over Troubled Waters
- “Arbitrary and Capricious” Confronts the “Business Judgment Rule” at 137 Duane Street
- Access to a Neighboring Building Is Not Guaranteed
- E-Mail to Unit Owners: Privileged or Defamatory? Pause Before Hitting Send
- 2015 Decree Collides With 1896 Deed in Ogdensburg: Canon Law Confronts and Trumps the Common Law
- Can Buyer of Building with Regulated Unit Back Out of Deal After HSTPA?
- “Wrong Way” Biker Hits “Jay-Walker” on E. 55th: NY Law and NYC Reg Collide Btw. Lex. and Third
- Finger[pointing] Backfires on Grand St.
- Court Declines to Stop Illegal Parties During the Pandemic
- Warnings: “TRAIL CLOSED…STOP, RESTRICTED AREA”: Did Hikers Nevertheless Have a Claim After Being Hit By a Falling Tree?
- Cayuga Nation Battles “Billions” at Showtime: Did Episode Constitute Actionable “Libel by Fiction”?
- Mr. Rogers Neighborhood? NOT!!! Snowblower Fusillade and Surveillance System: Un-neighborly
- Dog Chasing Cat Provokes Additional Insured/Vicious Propensities Imbroglio
- Transfer Triggers $900,000+ In State and Local Transfer Taxes: But No Flip Tax Due?
- Budweiser Beer Bottle Bar Brawl on Smith Street: After Customer Served with a Bud Light
- What’s a Neighbor to Do? Two Pick-Up Trucks and a Cargo Van in the Driveway Next Door
- Yellowstone Meets Executive Order 202.28 at Bedford Ave.
- Court “Fl[u]shes Out” Leaking Loo Litigation
- The East River Divide
- Pet Owners Lose Legal “Dogfights” at the Fishkill Condominium
- Bouncy House Brouhaha: Imagined Danger Does Not Invite Rescue
- Play Ball!!! Ron Darling “Strikes Out” Libel-Proof Lenny Dykstra
- Legal Fencing After Motorcycle Collides With a Horse on Route 197
- Precariously Pitched Pipe Meets a Failed Flange at the Madison Square Condominium
- Business Judgment Rule Not a License to Ignore POA Declaration
- Neighbors at 25 CPW: “Nattering Nabobs of Negatavism”*
- Will the Court Intervene? “[When] Smoke Gets in Your Eyes”*
- “Water Closet” Brawl Ends in a Legal Draw
- What is a (Door) Man to Do? Level of Lobby Care Required After a Storm
- New York Court of Appeals (March/April 2020)
- What is a [Door]Man to do? Level of Inquiry Required When Tenant Brings a Guest
- An Agreement to Agree is NOT Necessarily An Agreement to Agree
- If A Tree Falls…(Can I Sue?) Yes, Of Course…(But You May Not Win!)
- Trust But Verify: Failure to Memorialize Anticipated Extension of Time of the Essence Closing Date Leads to Loss of $937,500 Downpayment
- New York Appeals Update (April 2020)
- The “Paper Street Rule” Meets the “Practical Location Doctrine” at the Intersection of Centre Avenue and Bay 43rd Street
- NY Governor Cuomo Signs Two Executive Orders
- Do Good Fences Make Good Neighbors?
- [De]Constructive Trust: Romance in Ruins
- On a Bicycle Built…to Sue
- Legal “War of the Roses” in Jackson Heights
- Legal “Venting” on Avenue A
- When You Choose New York Law – Have You Chosen New York Law?
- A Yellowstone Proceeding Cannot Extend the Time to Cure an Incurable Default
- Loss of a New York City Parking Space Is Not A Laughing Matter: Ask Alec Baldwin
- Rules Are [Not] Made to Be Broken
- Hotly Contested Upper West Side Coffee Pot Dispute
- “Stormy Weather”: [Was] the Sun Up in the Sky?
- New York Court of Appeals Update (December 2019)
- Canine Behavior Consultant Finds Pit Bull to be “Fear-Aggressive”—and Willing to “Attack and Fight”
- Liability is a Matter of Inches
- [Brawl] Over Troubled Waters
- New York Court of Appeals Update (November 2019)
- The Concrete (Legal) Jungle
- Every Dog Will Have Its Day
- Some Cases Are Like a Bad Cold—They Keep On Coming Back
- What a Tangled [And Costly] Web We Weave …..
- “Offer and Acceptance” and “Meeting of the Minds” Déjà vu
- Not Every Written and Signed “Agreement” is a Legally Enforceable “Contract”
- If A Tree Falls in the Forest…
- Truth is Sometimes Stranger than Fiction
- Every Dog is Entitled to One Bite
- Work Contemplated by Lease: Not an Actual or Constructive Eviction
- It’s A Dog’s Life
- Build It And They Will [Sue]
- The [Rhas] Have It
- New York Court of Appeals Update (August 2019)
- Don’t Mess With a Senior Citizen/Tenant (Whose Son is an Attorney)
- Rooftop (Legal) Warfare on Washington Avenue
- From Russia With Love
- Don’t Block My View of Central Park!
- New York Court of Appeals Update (July 2019)
- The Creston Avenue Bathtub Brouhaha
- What’s Sauce for the Goose…
- Terrace Tiff at Worldwide Plaza
- With This Ring I Do Thee (Sue)
- Neighbor vs. Neighbor at the Newswalk Condominium
- New New York Court of Appeals Update (May 2019)
- Your Tax Dollars at “Work”: State of New York and Town of Oyster Bay Litigate Ownership of Underwater Property
- Who Let the (Cat) Out?
- It’s My Party (Wall) and I’ll (Sue) If I Want To. [It’s My Party and I’ll Cry If I Want To. Leslie Gore (1963)]
- But Only God Can Make a Tree (Joyce Kilmer, 1914)
- Motorcycle-Involved Accidents Raise Complicated Issues as to Liability, Causation and Allocation of Fault
- Enforcement Delayed is Enforcement Denied
- “Baseball is a game of inches.” And often so is construction.
- Shout “Fore” Before Taking That “Mulligan”
- New York Court of Appeals Alert (March 2019)
- Behold the “Litigation Hold”
- Court-Imposed Access for “Underpinning” Next Door
- And on the Third Day…
- Issues in Establishing an Easement Over Real Property
- The Best Defense Against a Charge of Defamation
- Co-op Boards Are Not Quality-Control Watchdogs
- Pet Peeves & Other Four-Legged Disputes
- Nuisance on Central Park West
- Court of Appeals #17
- Measure Twice. Buy Once. Never Sue.
- IS THAT POSSESSION LEGALLY ADVERSE?
- Co-op Board and the Great “Washing Machine” Dispute
- Murder in Apartment 3P
- ARUGULA, RADICCHIO & ROMAINE/ATTORNEYS AT LAW LETTUCE GET YOUR DEPOSIT BACK
- Airbnb Rentals Hit Legal Turbulence
- Which Rule Rules?
- FALL 2018 YELLOWSTONE UPDATE
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- Tribeca Condo Board Blocks Seller of Cellar Unit
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Press
- The Best Lawyers in America® Recognizes 105 SGR Attorneys in 2025 Edition
- Smith Gambrell Russell New York Attorney Victor Metsch Receives NYS Courts Office for Justice Initiatives’ Access to Justice Pro Bono Award
- Best Lawyers in America Recognizes 91 SGR Attorneys in 2023 Edition
- SGR Litigator Victor Metsch Honored with a New York City Bar Justice Center 2021 Outstanding Pro Bono Service Award
- Best Lawyers in America Recognizes 66 SGR Attorneys in 2022 Edition
- Best Lawyers in America© Recognizes 63 SGR Attorneys in 2021
- Smith, Gambrell & Russell Represents The We’re Group in 130,000-Square-Foot Lease with Newsday Media Group on Long Island
