George M Heymann

August 25, 2024 | New York Law Journal

The plaintiffs maintain that dogs "are certainly much more than personal property, and as countless dog owners can attest, are akin to family."

By George M. Heymann

8 minute read

April 10, 2024 | New York Law Journal

The Appellate Division, Second Department recently had the opportunity to review the background of the "vicious propensities" rule as the standard by which an individual can be sued for injuries caused by domesticated animals over which they have full or partial control.

By George M. Heymann

9 minute read

October 12, 2023 | New York Law Journal

New York City's Housing Court was created by statute in 1973 to alleviate the vast number of landlord-tenant matters that were overburdening the Civil Court. Without its existence, the Civil Court would have collapsed under its own weight of cases

By George M. Heymann

8 minute read

August 29, 2023 | New York Law Journal

Retired NYC Housing Court Judge George Heymann offers a quick primer on the Scaffold Law with a further discussion of eight recent cases applying the statute.

By George M. Heymann

14 minute read

February 06, 2023 | New York Law Journal

Since its inception, ERAP has put a tremendous strain on landlords seeking to have their cases heard on the merits due to the tremendous backlog of cases that are either awaiting determinations from OTDA, or having a motion heard by the court to vacate a stay in effect.

By George M. Heymann

19 minute read

September 07, 2022 | New York Law Journal

Barr's account of his rise through the ranks in the Bush administration until his retirement as Attorney General at the end of Bush's term was impressive. He outlines how making one good connection early on in his career opened multiple doors that lead directly to the Oval Office and working in the highest echelons of government.

By George M. Heymann

15 minute read

July 27, 2022 | New York Law Journal

The Court of Appeals, in a 5-2 decision, resolved the issue with a definitive "no", that animals (in this case, "Happy", an elephant) are not human beings and, therefore, are not entitled to obtain a writ of habeas corpus for their release from custody.

By George M. Heymann

9 minute read

May 31, 2022 | New York Law Journal

The number of new cases in this area of law is constant. The cases discussed herein are representative highlights of some of the recent opinions regarding litigation of Labor Law §240(1) claims by workers injured in the performance of their jobs where "elevation" and "force of gravity" provide added risks to their assigned tasks.

By George M. Heymann

23 minute read

March 22, 2022 | New York Law Journal

The concept of "humanization" (also referred to as "humanification" or "personhood") of animals received notoriety in 2014 when the appellate courts in New York considered the novel question of whether two chimpanzees, Tommy and Kiko, were "persons … entitled to the rights and protections afforded by the writ of habeas corpus."

By George M. Heymann

13 minute read

February 09, 2022 | New York Law Journal

Michael Dobbs pulls back the curtain to give the reader insight as to the frailties, habits and insecurities of the most powerful man in the world tormented by scandal.

By George M. Heymann

9 minute read