To embed, copy and paste the code into your website or blog: On Nov. 24, 2020, the State of New York Court of Appeals ruled in favor of Kramer Levin client Sutton 58 Associates LLC (Sutton), an affiliate of Gamma Real Estate, in its $100 million lawsuit brought against real estate investor Philip Pilevsky, his sons and related entities. The 23-page majority opinion held that federal bankruptcy law did not preempt Sutton’s state law claims for tortious interference with contract. This landmark decision from New York’s highest court reversed a decision of the Appellate Division, First Department, which had imperiled the enforceability of “bankruptcy remote special purpose entity” loan structures and “bad boy” springing loan guarantees. The decision thus preserves these two common real estate financing tools that are crucial to many Kramer Levin clients.