More Real Estate Coverage

  • March 28, 2024

    8th Circ. Won't Revive Fannie, Freddie Investors' FHFA Suit

    The Eighth Circuit on Thursday refused to revive Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac investors' suit alleging the Federal Housing Finance Agency's leadership and financial deals violated the U.S. Constitution, saying the investors failed to show how they were harmed by the now-upended restrictions on removing the agency's director.

  • March 28, 2024

    Va. Landowners Return To Supreme Court In FERC Challenge

    Virginia residents with property being condemned for the Mountain Valley Pipeline are asking the U.S. Supreme Court to review a D.C. Circuit decision dismissing their suit challenging the constitutionality of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's eminent domain authority, and its ability to delegate that authority to private companies.

  • March 27, 2024

    Navajo Sue Feds Over Withheld Forestry Program Funds

    The Navajo Nation claims the U.S. Department of the Interior unlawfully withheld more than a million dollars in funding for its contracted forestry management program, telling a D.C. federal judge the department should be forced to provide the money and accept the funding agreements proposed by the nation.

  • March 27, 2024

    Pittsburgh Aims To Ax $14M Of Nonprofits' Tax Waivers

    Officials with the city of Pittsburgh announced Wednesday that they will file challenges to tax exemptions for more than 100 properties within the city, claiming that they are no longer owned by nonprofits or serving a charitable function and should put up to $14 million back on local tax rolls.

  • March 27, 2024

    Smith Gambrell Sued For Keeping $4.6M In Real Estate Row

    Several business entities involved in the failed purchase of a Brooklyn development property contend that Smith Gambrell & Russell LLP is unlawfully refusing to release more than $4.6 million that the firm is holding in escrow, according to a complaint filed in New York state court.

  • March 26, 2024

    Ex-LA Deputy Mayor's Fate In Bribery Trial Goes To Calif. Jury

    Former Los Angeles Deputy Mayor Raymond Chan connected corrupt public officials to wealthy developers for years as part of the "CD-14 Enterprise" racketeering conspiracy, a federal prosecutor told California federal jurors in closing arguments Tuesday, saying their shared goal was ensuring they "get money, keep power and avoid the Feds."

  • March 26, 2024

    Feds Move To Seize Ex-Mongolia PM's NY Apts. Tied To Graft

    Brooklyn federal prosecutors say a former prime minister of Mongolia used the proceeds of a corruption scheme to purchase two luxury Manhattan apartments for a combined $14 million, according to a suit seeking to seize the properties.

  • March 25, 2024

    BLM Adhered To Law In Granting Oil Lease Sales, Judge Rules

    A D.C. federal judge has ruled in favor of the Bureau of Land Management in litigation brought by environmental groups seeking to challenge six oil and gas leases in the western United States, saying the agency did all that it was required to under the National Environmental Policy Act when it approved the lease sales.

  • March 25, 2024

    Owens Corning Extends $3.9B Masonite Deal Review

    Construction materials manufacturer Owens Corning has agreed to give antitrust enforcers more time to review a planned $3.9 billion deal to purchase door-maker Masonite International Corp.

  • March 25, 2024

    Law360 2024 Real Estate Authority Editorial Board

    Law360 is pleased to announce the formation of its 2024 Real Estate Authority Editorial Board, which includes leading industry experts, to provide feedback and shape coverage goals.

  • March 25, 2024

    Justices Won't Review 11th Circ. $285M Arbitrator Bias Suit

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to review an Eleventh Circuit decision refusing to vacate $285 million in arbitral awards issued to the operator of the Panama Canal, a case that the petitioners said raised questions about the standard by which courts may nix awards over an arbitrator's "evident partiality."

  • March 22, 2024

    5th Circ. Lifts SEC Climate Rule Stay After 8th Circ. Lottery Win

    The Fifth Circuit on Friday lifted a temporary block on the implementation of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's new emissions reporting requirements, following the selection of the Eighth Circuit as the venue for consolidated proceedings of the various suits about the agency's controversial rules.

  • March 21, 2024

    8th Circ. Backs Attys' Win In COVID Hotel Eviction Challenge

    Two government attorneys did not violate the U.S. Constitution when they gave the green light to a Minnesota police department to forcibly remove a resident from a Super 8 motel in June 2020 amid a COVID-19 era eviction ban, the Eighth Circuit ruled in a precedential opinion Thursday, citing a "dearth of precedent."

  • March 20, 2024

    Philly Charter School Exec Convicted Of Embezzlement

    A nonprofit executive was convicted Wednesday in Pennsylvania federal court on all 18 counts of siphoning funds from a tax-exempt educational and housing organization to live lavishly, while the same jury found a colleague guilty of conspiracy to commit fraud but absolved him of other charges.

  • March 20, 2024

    Faegre Drinker Adds Former Honigman Construction Pro

    Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP has strengthened its construction and real estate litigation group in Chicago with Raj Patel, previously a partner with Honigman LLP, the firm said Wednesday.

  • March 20, 2024

    NY High Court Revives Suit Against NYC Property Taxes

    A lawsuit challenging the fairness of New York City's property tax system lives on, with New York's highest court finding a group's complaint sufficiently pleads causes of action against the city for violations of New York's Real Property Tax Law and the federal Fair Housing Act.

  • March 20, 2024

    Intel, Commerce Dept. Forge $8.5B Logic Chip Partnership

    A proposed $8.5 billion partnership between the federal government and Intel Corp. could yield thousands of jobs and up to $100 billion in logic chip facility expansion and modernization in four states.

  • March 19, 2024

    La. Green Groups Urge Petrochemical Plant Permit Probe

    A coalition of environmental groups urged Louisiana's Supreme Court to wade into their dispute with the state concerning permits that would allow a plastics manufacturer to construct a major petrochemical facility within the state's "Cancer Alley."

  • March 19, 2024

    Fishers Angle For Justices' Attention With New Monument Suit

    Two fishermen are challenging a 5,000-square-mile offshore national monument in a lawsuit that sets up a fight over the extent of presidential power under the Antiquities Act, an issue that has already drawn the attention of U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts.

  • March 18, 2024

    Philly Nonprofit Execs Lived Large On Co. Money, Jury Told

    Jurors should not believe arguments from two nonprofit executives who are former associates of City Councilman Kenyatta Johnson who said they simply made bookkeeping mistakes and didn't concoct an alleged scheme to spend company money on things like huge bonuses, lavish vacations and bribing a Milwaukee school official, federal prosecutors said Monday. 

  • March 15, 2024

    U. Of Wash. Opposes Question Cert. In COVID Coverage Suit

    The University of Washington's board of regents urged a state court to reject a Liberty Mutual unit's motion to certify COVID-19 coverage questions to a state appeals court, pointing to the Washington Supreme Court's previous rejection of such a move in a separate case that similarly involved pleadings-stage coverage claims.

  • March 13, 2024

    EPA Designates First Navajo Nation Superfund Site

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is adding the Lukachukai Mountains Mining District in northeastern Arizona to its National Priorities List, with the district's uranium mining waste piles marking the first designated Superfund site on the Navajo Nation.

  • March 13, 2024

    Subpoenas Can't Skirt USPTO Discovery Rules, 4th Circ. Says

    In a precedential ruling, the Fourth Circuit said Wednesday that companies can't use the subpoena power of the courts to go beyond the limits of discovery that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office puts on deposing employees in foreign countries.  

  • March 13, 2024

    NC City Asks State Justices To Review Homebuilders' $5M Win

    The North Carolina city of Greensboro urged the state's high court to review the $5.25 million judgment won by D.R. Horton Inc. and True Homes LLC in the homebuilders' class action accusing the city of charging illegal preservice water fees.

  • March 13, 2024

    Tower Taxes To Partly Fund $10B Midtown NYC Bus Terminal

    Tax revenue from up to three private towers would help pay for a $10 billion replacement of the aging Port Authority Bus Terminal in Midtown Manhattan, under a deal approved by New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, New York City Mayor Eric Adams and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

Expert Analysis

  • Justices Leave Questions Open On Dual-Purpose Atty Advice

    Author Photo

    The U.S. Supreme Court's recent dismissal of In re: Grand Jury on grounds that certiorari was improvidently granted leaves unresolved a circuit split over the proper test for deciding when attorney-client privilege protects a lawyer's advice that has multiple purposes, say Susan Combs and Richard Kiely at Holland & Hart.

  • India's Budget Proposals May Ease Entry For Certain Sectors

    Author Photo

    India’s recently released budget includes proposals to facilitate doing business in Gujarat International Finance Tec-City and moderate thousands of compliance requirements, opening up new opportunities for foreign businesses in the digital infrastructure, manufacturing and renewable energy sectors, say Mukesh Butani and Seema Kejriwal at BMR Legal.

  • Steps Lawyers Can Take Following Involuntary Terminations

    Author Photo

    Though lawyers can struggle to recover from involuntary terminations, it's critical that they be able to step back, review any feedback given and look for opportunities for growth, say Jessica Hernandez at JLH Coaching & Consulting and Albert Tawil at Lateral Hub.

  • High Court Ax Of Atty-Client Privilege Case Deepens Split

    Author Photo

    The U.S. Supreme Court's recent dismissal of In re: Grand Jury as improvidently granted maintains a three-way circuit split on the application of attorney-client privilege to multipurpose communications, although the justices have at least shown a desire to address it, say Trey Bourn and Thomas DiStanislao at Butler Snow.

  • 3 Job Satisfaction Questions For Partners Considering Moves

    Author Photo

    The post-pandemic rise in legal turnover may cause partners to ask themselves what they really want from their workplace, how they plan to grow their practice and when it's time to make a move, says Patrick Moya at Quaero Group.

  • 4 Exercises To Quickly Build Trust On Legal Teams

    Author Photo

    High-performance legal teams can intentionally build trust through a rigorous approach, including open-ended conversations and personality assessments, to help attorneys bond fast, even if they are new to the firm or group, says Ben Sachs at the University of Virginia School of Law.

  • Key Considerations For Appointing A Real Estate Receiver

    Author Photo

    With commercial real estate loan distress expected to grow dramatically in the coming months, lenders should make sure to understand best practices for seeking appointment of a receiver over a defaulted property, say Dave Wald at Wald Realty Advisors and Mark Silverman at Locke Lord.

  • Clean Energy Tax Credits' Wage, Apprentice Rules: Key Points

    Author Photo

    The Inflation Reduction Act's complicated prevailing wage and apprenticeship requirements for clean energy facility construction tax credits recently took effect — and the learning curve will be more difficult for taxpayers who are not already familiar with such programs, say attorneys at Shearman.

  • 8 Steps To Improve The Perception Of In-House Legal Counsel

    Author Photo

    With the pandemic paving the way for a reputational shift in favor of in-house corporate legal teams, there are proactive steps that legal departments can take to fully rebrand themselves as strong allies and generators of value, says Allison Rosner at Major Lindsey.

  • DOI Enviro Damage Assessment Proposal May Add Flexibility

    Author Photo

    The U.S. Department of the Interior's recently proposed overhaul of its natural resource damage assessment program suggests that current restrictive formulas may be replaced with a more flexible structure — which could bring major benefits to potentially responsible parties and natural resource trustees, says Brian Ferrasci-O’Malley at Nossaman.

  • Procedure Rule 7.1 Can Simplify Litigators' Diversity Analysis

    Author Photo

    A recent amendment to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 7.1 will help trial courts determine whether the parties to a case are diverse, and may also allow litigators to more quickly determine whether they can remove certain cases to federal court, says Steve Shapiro at Schnader Harrison.

  • How Companies Could Define 'Social' In ESG Metrics

    Author Photo

    While the "social" prong of environmental, social and governance criteria is still hard to evaluate, a three-tiered approach similar to the framework for tracking greenhouse gas emissions could serve as a good basis for companies to develop goals and measure progress in a uniform way, say attorneys at Jenner & Block.

  • Claims Court Ruling Puts New Spin On Blue & Gold

    Author Photo

    The Court of Federal Claims' unique procedural posture in SLS Federal Services v. U.S., in which it followed a trend toward narrowing the ambit of the Blue & Gold waiver, may have significant new implications for agencies that undertake corrective action in lieu of defending against protests, say attorneys at Seyfarth.

Can't find the article you're looking for? Click here to search the Real Estate Authority Other archive.