As pandemic-related restrictions are lifted, we look forward to the day—hopefully soon—when all appellate advocates can again "zoom" down to the courthouse and make their cases to the Appellate Division panels in person. In the meantime, the justices remain hard at work deciding tough cases and novel issues. Below are some of the highlights from the first quarter of this year.

First Department

False Claims Act. In Weiner v. City of New York, 2021 N.Y. Slip Op. 00229 (1st Dep't Jan. 14, 2021), the First Department addressed the standard for determining whether a proposed settlement under the New York False Claims Act (NYFCA) is "fair, adequate, and reasonable" as required by State Finance Law §190.