Brigham v Arnold

Holding The appellate court affirmed the dismissal of the plaintiff’s defamation claims as time-barred and dismissed the architectural malpractice and fraud claims due to a lack of privity and justifiable reliance. The court determined that the plaintiff’s prior adversarial litigation against the defendants negated any reasonable reliance on their representations.

The court’s words

The alleged defamatory statements were made in 2019 and plaintiff commenced this action in 2024, well outside the one-year limitations period.

2026 NY Slip Op 06520, at the official text

Defendants were hired by the nonparty building owner to provide architectural services to them.

2026 NY Slip Op 06520, at the official text

Plaintiff has not pleaded, nor could he have, that he justifiably relied on subsequent statements made by defendants.

2026 NY Slip Op 06520, at the official text