I. Long Island Begins Reopening             During his daily press conference on May 26, 2020, Governor Cuomo had some much welcome news; Today, Wednesday, May 27, 2020, the Long Island Region is permitted to start Phase I of its reopening. (New York City is not there yet.). In Phase 1, the following businesses may resume operations: (a) Construction; (b) Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing, Hunting; (c) Retail,…

The economic fallout from the COVID-19 Pandemic presents considerable issues for commercial landlords and tenants. Due to state mandated closures, many tenants cannot generate sales and, as a result, are unable to meet their ongoing rental obligations. The inability of these tenants to pay their rent raises the question: what legal rights do commercial landlords have to collect the outstanding arrears? The answer to this…

There is NOTHING good about COVID-19.  Who could argue with that statement?  Yet, there have been some environmental benefits resulting from the “pause” of modern life, in particular, cleaner air in some of the world’s most densely populated regions and cities. While the infection and sadly death rates soared over the past 2-plus months, the world has witnessed and enjoyed an unprecedented reduction in greenhouse…

On Friday, May 15, 2020, the SBA issued the much-anticipated PPP loan forgiveness application. A copy of the application is available here. If you need any assistance, please do not hesitate to contact us. 1. Qualifying Utilities This application provides new guidance regarding how the PPP loan funds may be used. Notably, many questions have arisen as to which expenses qualify as “utilities.” The forgiveness…

Numerous companies and individuals will be (or already are) negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic in some way. As a result, many will be looking to the terms of their commercial contracts to determine if there is a way to minimize their own financial losses and exposures in the face of forced closures, cancellations, and general business interruption. However, not all clauses are created equal…

  As the bumpy rollout of the SBA’s Paycheck Protection Program continues, the SBA provided new interim guidance permitting organizations to request an increase in the loan amount to include partnership income up to $100,000. As partners and business owners are not traditionally considered employees, it was previously an open question whether partners’ income could be included in payroll costs when calculating the loan amount.…

As the world has been turned upside down by the onslaught of COVID-19, it has and will have significant impacts on contracts and agreements for many years to come. In this unprecedented time, it is important to look back on the essence of force majeure in existing contracts, and in the absence thereof, what the current state of the law has to say about such…

Justice Jeffery Brown of the State Supreme Court issued a ruling that strikes down Nassau County’s collection of a $335 fee that the County has been collecting to verify each tax lot referenced in any document presented for recordation with the County Clerk.  In the ruling, the Court ruled the fee is an unlawful and unconstitutional tax.  The fee originated with former County Executive Edward…

As the construction industry inches ever so closer to reopening all construction in the New York metropolitan area, contractors should use the remaining downtime to educate and prepare themselves for what will be the “new normal” in terms of required site safety following COVID-19. Being proactive about COVID-19 safety while your project is inactive is key to a safer and successful project in the future.…

  This is an update to Judy Lynn Simoncic, Esq. and Erik W. Snipas, Esq.'s April 22, 2020 article. In three short weeks since the first edition of our article was published on April 18, 2020, so much has changed in the way in which land use applications are being filed and processed with municipal agencies throughout Long Island. As agencies continue to adapt to…