Residential
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August 21, 2024
NYC Mayor Wants Land Review In Hunt For New Housing Sites
New York City's mayor told city agencies Wednesday to review land owned and operated by the Big Apple to see if any locations can be used for affordable housing development.
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August 21, 2024
Proptech Sector Stuck In The Doldrums, But Eyeing A Way Out
Hopes that the property technology sector would rebound in 2024 after a down year have not materialized so far — with a recent report showing funding has actually dropped further — but investment and technology professionals anticipate improvements soon and see the potential for major long-term growth.
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August 20, 2024
NC Panel Nixes Black Property Owners' Revived Bias Fight
A North Carolina state appeals court handed the city of Kinston a win Tuesday for a second time in a discrimination lawsuit that the state Supreme Court recently revived, finding that Black property owners' claims that the city unfairly demolished their properties aren't viable because they never completed an "adequate" administrative appeals process.
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August 20, 2024
Neb. Lawmakers OK Property Tax Relief In Special Session
The Nebraska Legislature approved emergency legislation Tuesday to provide $750 million annually in property tax relief and limit local tax hikes, rejecting amendments to help pay for the measure by eliminating numerous sales tax exemptions.
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August 20, 2024
Affordable Housing Finance Expert Returns To Ballard Spahr
Ballard Spahr LLP welcomed back to its Washington, D.C., office a transactional attorney specializing in the affordable housing market who returned to the firm after nearly two years at Carlton Fields.
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August 20, 2024
Foster Garvey Adds 5-Person Enviro Team From Seattle Firm
Foster Garvey PC announced this week that a five-person environmental law team from boutique firm Doll Mack Wells PLLC — highlighted by its three name partners — has joined the firm's Seattle office.
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August 20, 2024
NY Landlord Settles With AG Over Voucher Bias Claims
A property management company has agreed to a settlement under which it must pay $400,000 in restitution and make policy changes after the Office of the New York State Attorney General found the company discriminated against people who use housing vouchers, the office announced Tuesday.
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August 20, 2024
Fla. School Board Can Put Property Tax Increase On Ballot
A Florida school board was within its rights to place a millage increase referendum on the 2024 ballot despite the county's attempt to push the referendum to 2026, a state appeals court ruled.
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August 20, 2024
NC Panel Revives Meddling Claims Against Real Estate Atty
A real estate attorney must face renewed claims that he helped a stranger meddle in an ownership fight among heirs over a parcel of land in Charlotte, the North Carolina Court of Appeals said Tuesday.
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August 20, 2024
Mass. AG Can't Enforce Housing Act, State's Top Court Told
Massachusetts' attorney general lacks the authority to force compliance with a law requiring communities to create multifamily housing zoning districts because lawmakers have already included the loss of some types of state aid as a penalty, but no other enforcement powers, lawyers for the town of Milton have told the state's highest court.
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August 20, 2024
A Deep Dive Into Law360 Pulse's 2024 Women In Law Report
The legal industry continues to see incremental gains for female lawyers in private practice in the U.S., according to a Law360 Pulse analysis, with women now representing 40.6% of all attorneys and 51% of all associates.
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August 20, 2024
These Firms Have The Most Women In Equity Partnerships
The legal industry still has a long way to go before it can achieve gender parity at its upper levels. But these law firms are performing better than others in breaking the proverbial glass ceiling that prevents women from attaining leadership roles.
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August 19, 2024
NAR Intros New CEO As Broker Fee Rules Kick Off
The National Association of Realtors announced Monday that the trade association has tapped Nykia Wright to step in as CEO, just days after new broker rules agreed to under a $418 million settlement took effect.
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August 19, 2024
Buyers Sue Over Unfinished Mandarin Oriental Condo Project
Buyers of a condominium at the planned Mandarin Oriental at the Via Mizner project in Boca Raton, Florida, are suing the developer for the return of their deposit, saying the building that was supposed to be ready years ago is still "just a few steps beyond a concrete shell."
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August 19, 2024
Kasowitz Urges NY Court To Toss Supertall Tower Suit
Kasowitz Benson Torres LLP asked a New York state court to dismiss a lawsuit filed by two limited liability companies tied to AmBase Corp. over Manhattan's troubled supertall Steinway Tower.
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August 19, 2024
DQ'd Judge Should Have Kept Quiet, Tax Challengers Say
A Michigan federal judge who disqualified himself from homeowners' challenge to a $217 million dam repair tax assessment put his "thumb on the scale of justice" by improperly commenting on legal questions as he bowed out, according to homeowners seeking to have the comments rescinded.
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August 19, 2024
Ex-McElroy Execs' Theft, Bias Cases Paused Amid Ch. 11
A New Jersey state court has sided with McElroy Deutsch and stayed all litigation between the law firm and two former executives, including both the firm's fraud claims and discrimination counterclaims made against it, while a related bankruptcy case plays out.
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August 19, 2024
Rialto Sues To Recoup Paul Hastings, Williams & White Fees
Rialto Capital Management LLC has filed a lawsuit against RB Realty Capital LLC in New York state court alleging it is owed at least $331,000 for legal costs, including an attorney's Wi-Fi charges, after refinancing for an RB Realty property fell through.
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August 19, 2024
HUD Joins 6-Year Strategy To Beat Extreme Heat
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development said it's partnering with two dozen federal agencies for an initiative focused on implementing solutions for extreme heat dangers in communities.
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August 19, 2024
NYC Real Estate Week In Review
Wachtel Missry and Hunton Andrews Kurth were among the law firms that guided the largest New York City real estate deals that hit public records last week, a slow period that saw only five transactions above $15 million become public.
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August 16, 2024
Florida Unlikely To Act Quickly On Condo Law Cost Concerns
Florida lawmakers appear unlikely to take preemptive action to modify condominium safety laws enacted after the deadly 2021 building collapse in the town of Surfside, despite concerns that approaching year-end deadlines for mandated structural inspections and reserve studies will lead to overwhelming financial burdens for many residents.
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August 16, 2024
Agency Didn't Dupe Court In Worker's Suit, Mich. Panel Says
A Michigan state appeals court refused to upend a Detroit housing agency's defeat of a former property manager's allegation that it fired him without using a progressive discipline system established by his collective bargaining agreement, saying the worker failed to show that his former employer purposely misled the court.
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August 16, 2024
Greek Shipping Titan's Widow Files For Bankruptcy In NY
Antonia Milonas, the widow of late Greek shipping magnate Spiros Milonas, is seeking bankruptcy protection in New York with about $6.7 million in debt owed to the IRS, her mortgage lender and others.
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August 16, 2024
Developer's Widow Sues For Control Of Century Homebuilders
The widow of Sergio Pino, the late founder and CEO of Century Homebuilders Group LLC, has filed suit asking a Florida state court to declare her the sole owner of the company and "to finally put an end to unlawful efforts" by his estate and his brother to claim otherwise.
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August 16, 2024
'Brazen' Plot To Steal Graceland From Presleys Nets Charges
A woman was charged in Missouri federal court Friday with attempting a wild scheme to defraud the family of Elvis Presley by auctioning the late singer's iconic Graceland estate and pocketing the proceeds, a plot that was only foiled when suspicious minds raised red flags.
Expert Analysis
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Serving As A Sheriff's Deputy Made Me A Better Lawyer
Skills developed during my work as a reserve deputy — where there was a need to always be prepared, decisive and articulate — transferred to my practice as an intellectual property litigator, and my experience taught me that clients often appreciate and relate to the desire to participate in extracurricular activities, says Michael Friedland at Friedland Cianfrani.
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Preparing For Possible Calif. Criminal Antitrust Enforcement
Though a recent announcement that the California Attorney General's Office will resume criminal prosecutions in support of its antitrust enforcement may be mere saber-rattling, companies and their counsel should nevertheless be prepared for interactions with the California AG's Antitrust Section that are not limited to civil liability issues, say Dylan Ballard and Lillian Sun at V&E.
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Conn. Loan Law Tweaks May Have 3 Major Effects On Lenders
Recently proposed minor amendments to Connecticut’s consumer protection laws could nonetheless mean major and unexpected changes to state consumer financial services regulations that dictate how lenders and their customer-facing service providers handle fee payments, mortgage servicer licensing and private student loans, says Jonathan Joshua at Joshua Law Firm.
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Document Retention Best Practices To Lower Litigation Risks
As new technologies emerge and terabytes of data can be within the purview of a single discovery request, businesses small and large should take four document management steps to effectively minimize risks of litigation and discovery sanctions long before litigation ensues, says Kimbrilee Weber at Norris McLaughlin.
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Riding My Peloton Bike Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Using the Peloton platform for cycling, running, rowing and more taught me that fostering a mind-body connection will not only benefit you physically and emotionally, but also inspire stamina, focus, discipline and empathy in your legal career, says Christopher Ward at Polsinelli.
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The Challenges SEC's Climate Disclosure Rule May Face
Attorneys at Debevoise examine potential legal challenges to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's new climate-related disclosure rule — against which nine suits have already been filed — including arguments under the Administrative Procedure Act, the major questions doctrine, the First Amendment and the nondelegation doctrine.
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Class Actions At The Circuit Courts: March Lessons
In this month's review of class action appeals, Mitchell Engel at Shook Hardy discusses four notable circuit court decisions on topics from consumer fraud to employment — and provides key takeaways for counsel on issues including coercive communications with putative class members and Article III standing at the class certification stage.
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Spartan Arbitration Tactics Against Well-Funded Opponents
Like the ancient Spartans who held off a numerically superior Persian army at the Battle of Thermopylae, trial attorneys and clients faced with arbitration against an opponent with a bigger war chest can take a strategic approach to create a pass to victory, say Kostas Katsiris and Benjamin Argyle at Venable.
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How FinCEN Proposal Expands RE Transaction Obligations
Against a regulatory backdrop foreshadowing anti-money laundering efforts in the real estate sector, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network's proposed rule significantly expands reporting requirements for certain nonfinanced residential real estate transfers and necessitates careful review, say attorneys at Fried Frank.
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How Calif. Video Recording Ruling May Affect Insured Exams
A recent California appellate decision, Myasnyankin v. Nationwide, allowing policyholders to video record all parties to an insurance examination under oath, has changed the rules of the road for EUOs and potentially opened Pandora's box for future disputes, say John Edson and Preston Bennett at Sheppard Mullin.
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Unpacking FinCEN's Proposed Real Estate Transaction Rule
Phil Jelsma and Ulrick Matsunaga at Crosbie Gliner take a close look at the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network's recently proposed rulemaking — which mandates new disclosures for professionals involved in all-cash real estate deals — and discuss best next steps for the broad range of businesses that could be affected.
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Texas Insurance Ruling Could Restore Finality To Appraisal
The Texas Supreme Court's decision in Rodriguez v. Safeco, determining that full payment of an appraisal award precludes recovery of attorney fees, indicates a potential return to an era in which timely payment undoubtedly disposes of all possible policyholder claims, says Karl Schulz at Cozen O'Connor.
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Contractors Need Protection From NJ Homeowner Protections
A recently passed New Jersey law, combined with the state's Consumer Fraud Act, is intended to protect innocent homeowners, but legislative action must be taken to prevent homeowners from abusing the law to avoid paying hardworking contractors, say Gary Strong and Madison Calkins at Gfeller Laurie.