Residential

  • June 25, 2024

    Warhol, Monet Artwork Forfeited To US In 1MDB Clawback

    Andy Warhol and Claude Monet paintings are among the items that will be forfeited to the United States as part of a deal resolving the government's civil complaints looking to recover assets allegedly related to money laundering by a Malaysian state-owned investment fund, according to a consent judgment entered Monday.

  • June 25, 2024

    Va. Judge Tosses Bulk Of Brookfield Homebuyer Class Claims

    A Virginia federal judge on Tuesday dismissed most of a proposed class action filed by homebuyers who allege Brookfield Asset Management Inc. entities built their homes without being licensed and left them with construction problems and invalidated warranties.

  • June 25, 2024

    $3M Broker Commission Deal Stayed To Await NAR Settlement

    A Massachusetts federal court will not consider a $3 million settlement reached between home sellers and a multiple listing service over broker commission rules until after a decision on a much larger settlement in the separate sprawling case against the National Association of Realtors.

  • June 25, 2024

    LaVie Creditors Object To Landlord-Backed DIP Package

    Unsecured creditors in the Chapter 11 case of nursing facility operator LaVie Care Centers have told a Georgia bankruptcy judge they oppose a proposed debtor-in-possession funding package, saying one of the lenders is the debtor's biggest landlord and would be getting an inappropriately advantageous deal.

  • June 25, 2024

    DC Council OKs Tax Hikes On High-End Property, Payroll

    Washington, D.C., would impose a special tax rate on high-end residential properties, boost the premium for the district's paid leave program and make other tax and spending changes under legislation passed Tuesday by the district council.

  • June 25, 2024

    Military Families, Army Housing Managers Reach Settlement

    A putative class of service members and their families, and a military housing landlord and the property managers urged a Virginia federal court on Tuesday to approve the global settlement of the putative class's claims alleging that the landlord and the property managers neglected the conditions of their military housing in a U.S. Army base in Fairfax, Virginia.

  • June 25, 2024

    Gibson Dunn, Troutman Rep $2.1B Multifamily Deal

    KKR & Co. Inc., advised by Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP, paid $2.1 billion to buy a portfolio of 18 apartment properties from Quarterra Multifamily, guided by Troutman Pepper Hamilton Sanders LLP, the private equity giant announced Tuesday.

  • June 25, 2024

    Ariz. Court Slashes Value Of Low-Income Housing Complex

    An Arizona housing complex subject to restrictions related to federal low-income housing tax credits was overvalued by a local assessor, the Arizona Tax Court said, slashing the valuation of the property by about three-fourths.

  • June 25, 2024

    Meadow Partners Raises $530M For Latest Real Estate Fund

    Real estate investment manager Meadow Partners announced Tuesday it raised $530 million for the sixth installment of its flagship real estate fund, with capital commitments from a mix of new investors and longtime partners.

  • June 25, 2024

    How Real Estate Attys Should Prep For Possible Chevron Shift

    The U.S. Supreme Court is likely only days away from deciding on the future of Chevron deference, a potential change that Holland & Knight LLP partner Lynn Calkins and her team expect to have widespread real estate ramifications touching everything from federal policy to local zoning.

  • June 24, 2024

    Lloyd's Seeks To Avoid Coverage For Beach Umbrella Death

    Certain underwriters at Lloyd's, London told a South Carolina federal court Monday they should have no coverage obligations to a vacation rental owner over a wrongful death suit alleging that a woman was impaled by a "wind-driven" beach umbrella.

  • June 24, 2024

    HUD, VA Want Early Win In Homeless Vets' Los Angeles Suit

    The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development pushed for a quick win in California federal court against a certified class action that claims the federal government failed to build supportive housing on Los Angeles land for homeless, disabled military veterans.

  • June 24, 2024

    Ill. Landowners Challenge FERC Moves On $7B Power Line

    Illinois residents, farmers and landowners launched a fresh challenge to the $7 billion Grain Belt Express high-voltage power line, telling the D.C. Circuit that when the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approved an amended negotiated rate authority, it ignored clean energy giant Invenergy's unsanctioned purchase of the project in 2020.

  • June 24, 2024

    NJ Fund Gets $169M Loan For Mixed-Use Project

    A development fund that's working on a 477-unit, mixed-use project in Jersey City, New Jersey, agreed to a loan agreement where its nominee entity borrowed $169.3 million, according to an official Monday announcement.

  • June 24, 2024

    Ex-Chicago Alderman Gets Two Years For Boosting Law Firm

    An Illinois federal judge on Monday sentenced former Chicago Alderman Ed Burke to two years in prison and fined him $2 million for using his official position to steer tax business to his personal law firm, closing what prosecutors called "another sordid chapter" in the city's history of public corruption.

  • June 24, 2024

    IRS Finalizes Limits To Partnership Conservation Easements

    The Internal Revenue Service finalized rules Monday that curb the conservation easement tax deduction claimed by certain partnerships, with some changes to last year's proposed version, such as limiting the opportunity for entities to adjust their tax returns to avoid the new restrictions.

  • June 24, 2024

    Mortgage Co. Fights To End Borrowers' RICO 'Smear' Suit

    United Wholesale Mortgage has urged a Michigan federal judge to toss a putative class action claiming it violated the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act by forcing brokers to originate loans through UWM, arguing the suit is an illegitimate "smear" attempt to tarnish UWM's reputation to benefit hedge fund short-sellers.

  • June 24, 2024

    NY Warns Property Insurers Of Low-Income Renter Bias Ban

    New York's Department of Financial Services warned insurers Monday that they can no longer deny coverage to owners or increase premiums for residential properties solely because they house low-income tenants.

  • June 24, 2024

    REIT Hits Back At Board Takeover Bid Following Ponzi Case

    Texas-based United Development Funding urged shareholders on Monday to ignore a bid for control from an activist investor that nominated a slate of board candidates to run the real estate investment trust, which was previously used as a vessel for a Ponzi scheme by its former executives.

  • June 24, 2024

    Washington Federal Bank Sells $2.8B CRE Loan Porfolio

    Washington Federal Bank announced Monday it has completed the sale of about $2.8 billion in multifamily commercial real estate loans that are set to be purchased by Pacific Investment Management Company LLC.

  • June 24, 2024

    Landlord Says Insurer Botched Coverage For $1M State Deal

    A Colorado landlord is accusing an insurance broker and carrier of secretly adding an endorsement to its policy to bar coverage for a $1 million settlement the landlord entered into to resolve a state investigation over alleged misuse of tenant funds.

  • June 24, 2024

    NM Sued Over Sustainable Building Credit Award Process

    A New Mexico apartment complex alleges that the state violated its due process rights after it was denied sustainable building tax credits for most of its units, according to a complaint filed in federal court.

  • June 24, 2024

    Mass. Tax Board Won't Trim Home Value Over Area Conditions

    A Massachusetts homeowner's testimony of the poor condition of nearby properties was insufficient to lower his home's assessed value, a state tax panel said in a decision released Monday, upholding the value found by a local assessor.

  • June 21, 2024

    After Surfside Collapse, Safety Reform And A 'Condo Crisis'

    In the three years since 98 lives were lost in the partial collapse of the Champlain Towers South condominium in Surfside, Florida, several states have worked on legislation to address building safety. But their efforts to back the pledge of "never again" are stirring up concerns that they are fostering a whole new quandary for millions of condo owners.

  • June 21, 2024

    Financial Advice Guru Says Timeshare Suit Must Be Arbitrated

    A famous financial advice guru and his company have urged a Washington federal court to pause a proposed timeshare exit fraud class action and send it into arbitration, arguing that several of the named plaintiffs signed related agreements that include arbitration clauses.

Expert Analysis

  • 11th Circ. Ruling May Foreshadow Ch. 15 Clashes

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    The Eleventh Circuit's recent decision in In re: Talal Qais Abdulmunem Al Zawawi has introduced a split from the Second Circuit regarding whether debtors in foreign proceedings must have a domicile, calling attention to the understudied nature of Chapter 15 of the Bankruptcy Code, say attorneys at Cleary.

  • Teaching Yoga Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Being a yoga instructor has helped me develop my confidence and authenticity, as well as stress management and people skills — all of which have crossed over into my career as an attorney, says Laura Gongaware at Clyde & Co.

  • A Look At New IRS Rules For Domestically Controlled REITs

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    The Internal Revenue Services' finalized Treasury Regulations addressing whether real estate investment trusts qualify as domestically controlled adopt the basic structure of previous proposals, but certain new and modified rules may mitigate the regulations' impact, say attorneys at Simpson Thacher.

  • What CRA Deadline Means For Biden Admin. Rulemaking

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    With the 2024 election rapidly approaching, the Biden administration must race to finalize proposed agency actions within the next few weeks, or be exposed to the chance that the following Congress will overturn the rules under the Congressional Review Act, say attorneys at Covington.

  • How New Rule Would Change CFIUS Enforcement Powers

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    Before the May 15 comment deadline, companies may want to weigh in on proposed regulatory changes to enforcement and mitigation tools at the disposal of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, including broadened subpoena powers, difficult new mitigation timelines and higher maximum penalties, say attorneys at Venable.

  • 2nd Circ. Eminent Domain Ruling Empowers Municipalities

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    The Second Circuit's recent decision in Brinkmann v. Town of Southold, finding that a pretextual taking does not violate the Fifth Amendment's takings clause, gives municipalities a powerful tool with which to block unwanted development projects, even in bad faith, say James O'Connor and Benjamin Sugarman at Phillips Lytle.

  • SEC Should Be Allowed To Equip Investors With Climate Info

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    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's new rule to require more climate-related disclosures will provide investors with much-needed clarity, despite opponents' attempts to challenge the rule with misused legal arguments, say Sarah Goetz at Democracy Forward and Cynthia Hanawalt at Columbia University’s Sabin Center for Climate Change.

  • 8 Fla. Statutes That Construction Cos. Should Prepare For

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    In this article, Jason Lambert at Hill Ward discusses a number of recent bills out of the Florida Legislature targeting construction companies in the Sunshine State that have been sent to the governor for signature, at least some of which will have broad impacts that affected companies should prepare for ahead of the July 1 effective date.

  • Time To Fix NYC's Broken Property Assessment System

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    A New York appellate court's decision to revive Tax Equity Now New York v. City of New York may force the city to revamp its outdated and unfair real estate tax assessment system, which could be fixed with a couple of simple changes, says Seth Feldman at Romer Debbas.

  • Understanding The IRC's Excessive Refund Claim Penalty

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    Taxpayers considering protective refund claims pending resolution of major questions in tax cases like Moore v. U.S., which is pending before the U.S. Supreme Court, should understand how doing so may also leave them vulnerable to an excessive refund claim penalty under Internal Revenue Code Section 6676, say attorneys at McDermott.

  • Bankruptcy Ruling Shifts Lease Rejection Claim Calculation

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    A New York federal court’s recent ruling in In re: Cortlandt provides guidance on how to calculate a landlord's damages claim when a bankruptcy debtor rejects a lease, changing from an approach that considers the remaining rent due under the lease to one that considers the remaining time, say Bethany Simmons and Noah Weingarten at Loeb & Loeb.

  • Do Not Overstate Fla. Condo Termination Ruling's Impact

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    A close look at the unique language at issue in Avila v. Biscayne, in which a Florida appellate court deemed a condo termination to be invalid, shows that the case is unlikely to significantly affect other potential terminations, say Barry Lapides and Edward Baker at Berger Singerman.

  • Takeaways From FDIC's Spring Supervisory Highlights

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    The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.'s spring 2024 consumer compliance supervisory report found that relatively few institutions had significant consumer compliance issues last year, but the common thread among those that did were inadequacies or failures in disclosures to consumers, says Matthew Hanaghan at Nutter.