February 17, 2016

New York announced an agreement with Buffalo Biodiesel, a company that collects cooking oil waste and converts it into biodiesel, over claims that the company filed lawsuits against hundreds of small businesses across Western New York and several surrounding states. The over 600 lawsuits, most of which were filed in Buffalo City Court, made various breach of contract claims against small businesses that had entered into a contract with the company. Buffalo Biodiesel sought thousands of dollars, sometimes as much as tens of thousands of dollars, in damages from ‘mom and pop’ restaurants. The agreement requires Buffalo Biodiesel to withdraw all applications it made for default judgments, to vacate default judgments it has taken against unrepresented businesses, and return any money it might have collected on judgments. NY