Paul “Tad” M. O’Connor and Christian T. Becker Co-Author “COVID-19 and the Future of Business Contracts”

Kasowitz Benson Torres partners Paul M. “Tad” O’Connor and Christian T. Becker have co-authored “COVID-19 and the Future of Business Contracts,” published in the New York Law Journal.  In the article, the authors discuss the principles courts may utilize to determine if a party’s nonperformance of a contract should be excused due to government-ordered shutdowns resulting from the coronavirus pandemic.  The authors examine the applicability of (i) force majeure (“act of God”) contract clauses; (ii) the common law doctrine of impossibility; and (iii) the Uniform Commercial Code impracticability defense for sales contracts.  

Read the article in its entirety.

Paul M. “Tad” O’Connor, partner at Kasowitz Benson Torres, is a distinguished trial and appellate litigator focusing on complex commercial cases.  He also has significant experience representing major hotel owners and developers, real estate investment firms, and high-net-worth individuals in real estate disputes involving commercial and hotel properties around the country in federal and state courts and before arbitration tribunals in the United States and Europe.  He has been recognized by Chambers USA and Legal 500 as one of the top litigators in the United States.

Christian T. Becker, partner at Kasowitz Benson Torres, focuses his practice on complex commercial litigation.  He has represented leading companies across a wide range of industries, including private equity and financial services, in a variety of issues such as contract and business disputes, among others, in both federal and state courts in New York and around the country.  He has been recognized on Benchmark Litigation’s Under 40 Hot List.