You discovered last week that your CFO has been steering company contracts to a side business her husband secretly owns. The kickbacks go back two years. She's still drawing a $385,000 salary, holds equity that vested last quarter, and expects her annual bonus in March. Your first instinct is to fire her — but firing doesn't claw back the money she's already pocketed. The faithless servant doctrine in New York might. If you run a business in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Long Island C

You promoted your operations director three years ago. She built relationships with your biggest clients, attended your strategy meetings, and pulled in a $280,000 salary plus bonus. Then your CFO finds an invoice trail showing she's been routing a slice of your business to a side company she set up with her husband, for nearly two years. The faithless servant doctrine in New York is one of the most powerful tools you have when this happens, and most employers have never hear

Your CFO resigns on a Thursday afternoon. By the following Tuesday, your forensic accountant tells you he's been routing a side consulting business through your accounting department for the past eighteen months — using your software, your staff time, and your client relationships to bill personal clients on the side. You paid him over $600,000 in salary and bonuses during that period. You want him to give it back. In New York, the faithless servant doctrine gives you a power

You hired a controller five years ago for your Long Island distribution company. She had access to vendor accounts, payroll, and the corporate credit card. Last month, your CFO discovered she'd been steering invoices to a shell company her brother runs in Queens — and pocketing kickbacks. You're already calculating the loss. But here's what most owners don't realize: under the faithless servant doctrine in New York, you may also be able to claw back every dollar of salary and

Falls from ladders, scaffolds, and elevated work platforms are among the most common causes of life-changing injuries on New York job sites. When a fall occurs because the “protection” did not actually protect you, New York law can shift accountability to those who controlled the worksite. A new appellate decision, Rojas v. 616 First Ave., LLC , (2026 NY Slip Op 00164) (2d Dept. Jan. 14, 2026), exemplifies how courts look beyond the label on a safety device and focus on what

Protecting Your Commissions is a practical guide for commission-based employees navigating unlawful clawbacks and forfeiture provisions under New York law. It explains when commissions are legally “earned,” why many employer “advance” and “draw” arrangements are unenforceable, and how doctrines like prevention and good faith limit employer control. Clear, statute-driven, and grounded in real disputes, the book shows employees how to identify violations and protect pay they ri