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Lynn v. Corcoran

Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, Second Department
Sep 25, 1995
219 A.D.2d 698 (N.Y. App. Div. 1995)

Opinion

September 25, 1995

Appeal from the Supreme Court, Nassau County (Lockman, J.).


Ordered that the order is affirmed, with costs.

The defendant, Robert W. Corcoran, claims that he, together with the plaintiffs Robert P. Lynn, Jr., and Peter K. Ledwith, was a member of the law firm of Lynn, Ledwith and Corcoran. His claim in this respect is supported by proof that he signed an agreement to indemnify his two former partners for all liability they might have in connection with the lease of his office and by evidence that he was referred to as a partner in the financial statements prepared by the law firm's accountants. The plaintiff Robert P. Lynn, Jr., acknowledged that "an accounting was already tendered" to Mr. Corcoran, although he denied that Mr. Corcoran was an "equity partner". The financial statements referred to above reflect that Mr. Corcoran made a "capital contribution" of $2,000 in December 1989, although the plaintiffs claim that such a contribution was never made.

Under the circumstances outlined above, and under all the other circumstances revealed in the record, we agree with the Supreme Court that summary judgment is not warranted. A dispute between two or more persons as to the existence of an oral partnership agreement generally presents issues of fact concerning, for example, the ownership of partnership assets, the sharing of partnership profits, the exercise of management and control over the partnership (see generally, Olson v Smithtown Med. Specialists, 197 A.D.2d 564, 565; Brodsky v Stadlen, 138 A.D.2d 662; Ramirez v Goldberg, 82 A.D.2d 850; 15 N.Y. Jur 2d, Business Relationships, §§ 1309-1320; cf., Mazur v Greenberg, Cantor Reiss, 110 A.D.2d 605, affd 66 N.Y.2d 927 [written partnership agreement not signed by plaintiff claiming to have been partner]). In the present case, the plaintiffs have not demonstrated their entitlement to judgment as a matter of law because they have failed to produce evidence which conclusively negates the allegations asserted in the defendant's counterclaims relating to the existence of an oral partnership agreement.

We have examined the plaintiffs' remaining contention and find it to be without merit. Bracken, J.P., Pizzuto, Krausman and Florio, JJ., concur.


Summaries of

Lynn v. Corcoran

Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, Second Department
Sep 25, 1995
219 A.D.2d 698 (N.Y. App. Div. 1995)
Case details for

Lynn v. Corcoran

Case Details

Full title:ROBERT P. LYNN, JR., et al., Appellants, v. ROBERT W. CORCORAN, Respondent

Court:Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, Second Department

Date published: Sep 25, 1995

Citations

219 A.D.2d 698 (N.Y. App. Div. 1995)
631 N.Y.S.2d 754

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