Shareholder & Partnership Dispute Lawyer in New York City

Last updated on April 22, 2026

Owner disputes are different from ordinary business lawsuits because the company itself is usually the battlefield. The same people fighting over money, control, or trust may also control payroll, bank access, records, customer relationships, and the daily operation of the business.

Desai, Raveica, Raveica & Arshad, P.C., represents businesses, shareholders, members, and partners in high-stakes owner disputes throughout New York City. We handle the full range of what many businesses call a business divorce: deadlock, squeeze-outs, diversion of funds, concealment, books-and-records fights, fiduciary misconduct, fraudulent owner conduct, compensation and distribution disputes, and litigation over buyouts, dissolution, and control.

These cases are emotional. But they are won with documents, leverage, and speed. The side that secures the records, understands the governing agreement, and moves first on the right relief often changes the trajectory of the entire dispute.

Business-divorce cases we handle

Closely held businesses do not need public-market complexity to generate serious owner litigation. A 50/50 deadlock can stop a company from functioning. A majority owner can freeze out a minority owner by cutting off information, compensation, or distributions. A partner can siphon business opportunities, run expenses through the company, divert customer relationships, or compete from inside the enterprise. A controlling owner can manipulate the books, conceal related-party transactions, or use access to the banking and accounting systems to create facts on the ground before a lawsuit is filed.

We handle those fights directly. That includes disputes involving operating agreements, shareholder agreements, partnership agreements, alleged dilution, capital calls, governance deadlocks, compensation and bonus disputes, misuse of company funds, oppressive conduct, fraudulent concealment, and demands for access to books and records.

What changes leverage early

In shareholder and partnership disputes, the early questions are practical as much as legal. Who controls the bank accounts? Who controls the accountant? Who has the passwords to payroll, QuickBooks, the customer list, the cap table, and the shared drive? Who can speak for the company today? Has anyone changed access, deleted data, altered vendor relationships, or moved money in anticipation of a fight?

Those facts matter because they determine what relief may be needed immediately. In some cases the right first move is a records demand. In others it may be an injunction application, a declaratory-judgment action, an accounting claim, or litigation designed to stop further diversion and preserve the status quo. Waiting is often costly because owner disputes can deteriorate quickly once one side realizes litigation is coming.

• Control of bank accounts, bookkeeping systems, and payroll
• Access to tax returns, cap tables, board or member records, and communications
• Control of customer relationships, vendor contracts, and employee loyalties
• Whether money is moving, records are being withheld, or ownership is being reframed after the fact

Business divorce and emergency relief

Many owner disputes require a faster response than the parties expected. If one owner is draining accounts, misusing confidential information, destroying records, diverting clients, or locking the other side out of the business, waiting for ordinary litigation timing may not be enough. Emergency relief can be available, but only when the facts are organized and the requested relief is precise.

These cases often turn on whether the court can see immediate, irreparable harm or an urgent need to preserve the status quo while the merits are litigated. That means emails, texts, bank records, access logs, payroll entries, reimbursement records, and communications with vendors or employees can matter at the beginning, not just at the end.

Business-divorce litigation in New York also repeatedly shows that rights are determined by the governing documents, not by assumptions. The operating agreement, shareholder agreement, partnership agreement, and admission or transfer provisions often decide who actually has rights to vote, inspect records, force a process, or challenge a transaction. In owner litigation, the documents usually matter more than the title somebody has been using informally.

What discovery uncovers in owner disputes

Owner-dispute discovery is usually where the story changes. The decisive evidence may be hidden in bookkeeping entries, unreconciled distributions, credit-card charges, side agreements, texts with key employees, emails to accountants, hidden related-party vendors, or a second set of financial assumptions the company never showed the other owners.

A disciplined discovery plan in these cases often targets bank records, general ledgers, tax returns, payroll records, shareholder or membership ledgers, board and member minutes, communications with accountants, financing records, reimbursement documentation, customer and vendor communications, and the messages that explain why key decisions were really made. Depositions matter. So do third-party subpoenas. So does understanding what data may exist on phones and in shared-drive environments that were never treated as formal corporate records.

If the case is about concealment or self-dealing, discovery should be built to follow the money. If it is about control, it should be built to uncover who exercised authority and how. If it is about a buyout or dissolution, it should be built around valuation, operations, and the documentary proof of conduct that changed the business.

Claims and remedies that matter

Depending on the structure of the business and the facts, shareholder and partnership litigation may involve claims for breach of fiduciary duty, fraud, accounting, declaratory relief, books and records, injunctions, dissolution, removal of management authority, damages, or other equitable relief. In some cases the practical endgame is a buyout. In others, it is control, damages, or a judicial resolution of who has what rights going forward.

The key is not to file the longest list of claims possible. It is to file the set of claims and requests for relief that actually create leverage and move the dispute toward a useful outcome.

Why businesses and owners hire DRRA Law

Owner disputes can destroy value faster than almost any other commercial conflict because the business keeps operating while the fight escalates. Clients hire our firm because they want litigators who understand both the legal claims and the tactical realities: records, access, money movement, personnel influence, and the danger of letting the other side create a new status quo while everyone argues.

We approach these cases with speed, pressure, and precision. That means identifying the documents that matter, protecting the business where possible, and using the right mix of demands, motions, and discovery to force the dispute into the open.

FAQs

Can I sue my business partner or co-owner in New York?

Often, yes. But the available claims and remedies depend on the governing documents, the entity structure, the conduct at issue, and what relief is actually needed—records access, injunctions, damages, dissolution, an accounting, or a buyout-related process.

What if I own 50% and my partner is blocking everything?

Deadlock can create serious leverage issues quickly. The first questions are who controls operations, money, records, and vendor or employee relationships, and whether emergency or interim relief is needed to preserve the business while the dispute is litigated.

Can a minority owner force access to books and records?

In many situations, yes—but the scope, procedure, and best strategy depend on the entity documents and the specific facts. Records disputes are often a gateway issue because they determine how much of the real story becomes visible.

What should I bring to the first meeting about a shareholder or partnership dispute?

Bring the operating agreement, shareholder or partnership agreement, cap table or ownership records, recent financial statements, tax returns if available, bank-access information, any disputed notices or demands, and a chronology of the conduct that triggered the dispute.

 

Move before an owner dispute hardens against you.

If a partner, shareholder, or controlling owner is withholding records, diverting value, locking you out, or pushing the business toward a destructive fight, contact Desai, Raveica, Raveica & Arshad, P.C. Call us at 332-251-0108. Early pressure often determines the shape of the case.