Commercial

  • September 04, 2024

    Mass. Tax Panel OKs Nix Of Value Cut On Renovated Housing

    The owner of a Massachusetts apartment building that contains a commercial space was unable to have the property's valuation reduced because its evidence of comparable sales didn't account for differences in the properties, the state Appellate Tax Board affirmed.

  • September 04, 2024

    CRE Investors 'Tired Of Sitting On Their Hands'

    While real estate fundraising has been slow in the first half of 2024, investors are growing weary of waiting, and are keen to put capital toward sectors that have performed well despite high interest rates and changes to how people use real estate, a King & Spalding LLP partner told Law360 Real Estate Authority.

  • September 04, 2024

    Simpson Thacher-Led Blackstone Inks $16.2B AirTrunk Deal

    Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP-led Blackstone Inc. said Wednesday it has agreed to acquire AirTrunk, an Australia-based data center platform focused on the Asia-Pacific region, from Macquarie Asset Management and the Public Sector Pension Investment Board at an implied enterprise value of over AU$24 billion ($16.2 billion).

  • September 03, 2024

    Moody's Says CMBS Delinquencies May Top Pandemic Highs

    Delinquencies for commercial mortgage-backed securities increased for the 10th month in a row when the rate hit 6.5%, Moody's has found, signaling CMBS delinquency rates may climb beyond the 8.3% pandemic peak before the end of 2024.

  • September 03, 2024

    SEC Fines 6 Credit Rating Firms $49M Over Texting Records

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission announced Tuesday that six nationally recognized statistical rating organizations agreed to pay a combined $49 million for failing to preserve electronic communications, the latest wave of settlements in an ongoing crackdown that has yielded billions in fines.

  • September 03, 2024

    Ga. Minor Says Hotel Knew About Trafficking But Didn't Help

    An Atlanta-based hotel and its management company were hit with a lawsuit in Georgia federal court for allegedly doing nothing to stop the sex trafficking of a 17-year-old girl despite managers' and hotel employees' knowledge of the situation.

  • September 03, 2024

    Colo. AG Says Tenants Can Sue Blackstone Over Lease Terms

    Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser urged the state's Supreme Court on Friday to find that tenants can sue a group of Blackstone subsidiaries for deceptive trade practices over lease agreements that allegedly misrepresent the rights of tenants.

  • September 03, 2024

    IRS Should Be Bound By $2M Bankruptcy Deal, Justices Told

    An Alabama real estate developer who sought bankruptcy protection and agreed to settle his tax debts for $2 million asked the U.S. Supreme Court to review a decision allowing the IRS to demand additional taxes from him, saying the agency shouldn't be allowed to back out of the deal.

  • September 03, 2024

    Former Partner Of Bankrupt NC Firm Settles With Trustee

    A former member of bankrupt North Carolina-based real estate law firm Washburn Law PLLC, which is being investigated by the FBI for millions of dollars in pilfered client money, has reached a settlement agreement with a court-appointed bankruptcy trustee.

  • September 03, 2024

    NYC Real Estate Week In Review

    Hunton Andrews Kurth and Lazar Grunsfeld are among the law firms that steered the largest New York City real estate deals that hit records last week, a slow period that saw only four deals north of $20 million become public.

  • September 03, 2024

    Gibson Dunn Guides $300M Industrial Sale-Leaseback Fund

    Faropoint started an industrial sale-leaseback fund that aims to raise $300 million and has raised $170 million during its initial August close, the real estate investment manager, which is being advised by Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP, said Tuesday.

  • August 30, 2024

    Partnership Can't Save Premature Tax Court Appeal, Feds Say

    The IRS is urging the Eleventh Circuit to throw out a Tax Court appeal that a partnership formed by two former Atlanta Braves players filed over a slashed $47.6 million conservation easement deduction, since the appeal was improperly filed before a final decision was entered.

  • August 30, 2024

    Property Plays: Sixth Street, Citadel, 49ers

    Property Plays is a weekly roundup of the latest loans, leases, sales and projects around the country. Send your tips — all confidential — to realestate@law360.com.

  • August 30, 2024

    Chapter 11 Check In: WeWork Trims $4B Debt Load

    Coworking space provider WeWork exited bankruptcy in May after getting approval for a Chapter 11 plan that erases $4 billion in debt, overcoming opposition from landlords, unsecured creditors and its own founder. The company emerged as a leaner business with fewer office locations and lower rent payments. 

  • August 30, 2024

    New York Code Council, Officials Duck Natural Gas Ban Suit

    A New York federal court dropped the New York Department of State, the New York State Fire Prevention and Building Code Council and several state officials from trade groups' challenge to the state's recent ban on natural gas in new construction.

  • August 30, 2024

    Judge Unsure Warehouse Antitrust Suit Belongs In Fed. Court

    An Illinois federal judge appeared skeptical Friday that a warehouse developer could unravel a municipal contract with several real estate companies accused of violating antitrust laws, questioning if the plaintiff was truly harmed by the deal or a related judgment its rivals later won in state court.

  • August 30, 2024

    Healthcare REIT Pays $62M For Two Skilled Nursing Facilities

    CareTrust REIT Inc. bought two skilled nursing facilities in two separate deals that cost $62.1 million in total in a "cash on hand" deal, the healthcare-focused real estate investment trust announced.

  • August 30, 2024

    DLA Piper, Morris Manning Guide Rentvine's $74M Fundraise

    Property management software company Rentvine has raised $74 million in growth capital from growth equity firm Mainsail Partners, in a deal advised by DLA Piper and Morris Manning & Martin LLP.

  • August 30, 2024

    Mich. Appeals Court Backs Uncapping Of Property's Value

    A Michigan property's valuation was properly uncapped because the transfer of ownership that followed the death of an owner nullified a state limit on valuation increases, a state appeals court said, affirming a tax tribunal decision.

  • August 29, 2024

    'No Hesitation' On $7M Atty Fees For $10B Verdict, Judge Says

    A California judge held up a phone book-sized printout Thursday of the 20-year docket for a case that resulted in a $10 billion verdict for four brothers who claim their real estate empire was stolen by another brother, and said she has "no hesitation" granting the plaintiff $7 million in attorney fees.

  • August 29, 2024

    3 Companies Form $5B Data Center Joint Venture

    Three companies have entered into a joint venture that can provide up to $5 billion worth of capital to fund the development of artificial intelligence and high-performance computing data centers for cloud solutions provider CoreWeave Inc., the companies announced Aug. 29.

  • August 29, 2024

    Building Codes Key Part Of Mitigating Insurance Risks

    Property and casualty insurers have highlighted resilient building as a way to address burgeoning property risk, but experts told Law360 the government alone cannot be expected to improve insurance outcomes without engagement from state and local jurisdictions and private organizations on issues like building codes and federal grants.

  • August 29, 2024

    Court Orders GSA To Explain Cost Analysis For Rental Deal

    The U.S. General Services Administration must explain how it identified the lowest-priced bid for a 15-year contract for office space in Ohio, the U.S. Court of Federal Claims ordered, after finding issues with the agency's calculations.

  • August 29, 2024

    Colo. Lawmakers OK Further Property Tax Rate Cuts

    The Colorado Legislature approved a bill Thursday that would cut assessment rates and limit local property tax growth as part of an agreement to stop two ballot initiatives critics say would devastate funding for schools and other local services.

  • August 29, 2024

    Fried Frank Helps Steer Brooklyn Production Studio Project

    A Brooklyn production studio is currently being developed by real estate investment firm Bungalow Projects, with guidance from Fried Frank Harris Shriver & Jacobson LLP, the law firm told Law360 on Aug. 28.

Expert Analysis

  • Adjusting Deals To Reflect Shifts In The CRE Market

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    As the commercial real estate market strengthens and moves out from a challenging time, industry participants should consider any concessions made due to recent trends and update transaction documents accordingly before entering into new deals, says Alexander Davis at Mayer Brown.

  • 4 International Arbitration Trends To Monitor In 2024

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    Global growth slowed substantially in 2023, and may continue into 2024 due to geopolitical instability, which could fuel four key trends in international arbitration in the coming year, including investor-state and commercial arbitration, an increase in arbitration out of China, and more, say Gregory Litt and Sharmistha Chakrabarti at Skadden.

  • How DOI Aims To Modernize Resource Damage Assessments

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    The U.S. Department of the Interior's recent proposal to redesign its Type A rule for conducting natural resource damage assessment and restoration activities could lead to a more streamlined, flexible assessment process that would benefit both natural resource trustees and potentially responsible parties, says Brian Ferrasci-O'Malley at Nossaman.

  • Key Issues When Navigating A Tenant's Bankruptcy

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    In light of recent Chapter 11 filings by Rite Aid and WeWork — companies with thousands of commercial leases — practitioners should review issues that can arise when bankruptcy is used to exit a lease, including the consequences of lease rejection and the statutory cap on landlord damage claims for a rejected lease, say attorneys at Proskauer.

  • The Year Ahead In Foreign Investment And National Security

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    In 2024, expect the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, already at the forefront of addressing national security threats, to increase monitoring and enforcement related to outbound investment, focus on supply chain resilience in nondefense sectors, and heighten oversight of agricultural transactions, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.

  • Sale-Leasebacks May Provide A Safe Financing Alternative

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    Amid rising interest rates and unpredictable market conditions, sale-leasebacks can be a useful investment option for both buyers and sellers, though their potential drawbacks demand careful consideration, says Chanel Di Blasi at Crosbie Gliner.

  • 5 Recent Developments Family Offices Are Watching In 2024

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    Although family offices have long been exempt from many of the more onerous regulations and reporting requirements governing U.S. investment advisers and asset managers, recent amendments to federal rules will have an impact on how family offices invest and operate in 2024, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • A Challenging CRE Environment Holds Opportunities In 2024

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    As the commercial real estate market faces reduced occupancy levels and rising financing costs, the new landscape will be favorable to those who can leverage capital, strategic vision and expertise to meet challenges like taking on distressed properties and converting office space to residential use, say Nesa Amamoo and Vered Rabia at Skadden.

  • What The 2023 Bank Failures Taught Us, And What's To Come

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    As 2023 draws to a close, it's apparent that the bank failures this past spring sparked a seismic shift in the regulatory and supervisory landscape for banking organizations, and the consequences are still continuing to be felt throughout the financial sector as we head into 2024, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • A Difficult Year For CRE, But Future May Be Brighter

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    2023 was a challenging year for the commercial real estate industry, marked by significant uncertainty, but market pressure and signs of rising interest rates provide some reasons to be cautiously optimistic for the year ahead as pandemic headwinds and gridlock fade away, say attorneys at Ropes & Gray.

  • 3 Developments That Will Affect Hospitality Companies In 2024

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    As the hospitality industry continues its post-pandemic recovery, it faces both challenges and opportunities to thrive in 2024, including navigating new labor rules, developing branded residential living spaces and cautiously embracing artificial intelligence, says Lauren Stewart at Sheppard Mullin.

  • What WeWork's Ch. 11 Filing Means For Landlords

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    WeWork’s recent Chapter 11 filing in New Jersey has the potential to be one of the most consequential cases in the real estate industry in many years, and presents a number of issues for landlords, including unexpired leases, assumption, assignment and more, say attorneys at Mayer Brown.

  • The 4 Top Philadelphia Commerce Court Opinions Of 2023

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    Four 2023 rulings from the Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas — including decisions on judicial privilege, stay requests, sheriff's sales and the appointment of a receiver — highlight the court's commitment to stringent standards and address evolving challenges in commercial litigation, say Jonathan Hugg and Sarah Boutros at Eckert Seamans.