Residential
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June 18, 2024
Allen Matkins Attys Break Down CEQA Reform Blueprint
The Little Hoover Commission, a nonpartisan oversight agency, delivered lawmakers a set of recommendations last month for finally addressing a series of persistent complaints with the California Environmental Quality Act, the state's keystone environmental law.
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June 18, 2024
Short-Term Rental Laws And The Litigation They've Sparked
Short-term rentals are a contentious topic in the U.S., disrupting the hospitality industry and sometimes the neighborhoods where they’re located. Here, Law360 Real Estate Authority rounds up the state and local policies involving short-term rentals and the ongoing cases challenging them.
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June 17, 2024
Fla. Condo Board Says Group Wrongly Accused It Of Crimes
A Florida condominium association has brought a Miami-Dade County state court lawsuit against a residents group over defamation, accusing the group of luring tenants into a WhatsApp chat to disseminate false statements, including that board members committed crimes.
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June 17, 2024
Pastor Tied To NYC Mayor Gets 9 Years For Fraud Conviction
A clergyman and self-described mentee of New York City Mayor Eric Adams on Monday was sentenced to nine years in federal prison following his conviction at trial for a series of fraudulent real estate and business loans, among other misdeeds.
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June 17, 2024
PennyMac 'Shocked' Investors With Post-Libor Fix, Suit Says
PennyMac's mortgage investment arm has been hit in California federal court with a proposed class action accusing it of using last year's discontinuation of Libor to unfairly and unlawfully lock in a lower dividend for some of its preferred stock, stiffing investors out of millions.
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June 17, 2024
Wash. Property Manager Hit With Suit Over Extra Fee
A proposed class of former tenants accused a Bellevue, Washington, property management company of violating state law by charging a $100 security deposit disposition fee when tenants move out.
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June 17, 2024
HUD Freed From Pa. Pot Patients' Suit Over Housing Rebuff
Unless the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development fulfills its threat to withhold a Pennsylvania county housing agency's funding for complying with a state court order to admit licensed medical marijuana patients, a lawsuit by the county agency and two potential tenants is premature, a federal judge ruled Monday.
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June 17, 2024
Ginnie Mae, HUD Want Bank's Loan Lien Suit Sent To Dallas
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and Ginnie Mae pushed for the transfer of Texas Capital Bank's suit in Texas federal court over a vacated loan lien, arguing that the bank is contractually required to file its suit in a different division within the same district.
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June 17, 2024
Consulting Firms To Pay $11.3M Over Rent Help Site Breach
A consulting firm and its subcontractor have agreed to pay $11.3 million to resolve a False Claims Act suit alleging that they allowed the personal data of low-income New Yorkers to be compromised while operating a pandemic-era rental assistance program website.
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June 17, 2024
Archer Daniels Wants Groundwater Wells Suit Tossed
Archer Daniels Midland Co. urged an Illinois state court to dismiss a proposed class action that accuses the food processing giant of damaging local properties by digging groundwater wells.
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June 17, 2024
RI Allows Unrestricted Property Tax Rates In Providence
Rhode Island is authorizing the city of Providence to adopt a classification system that allows unrestricted tax rates for residential, commercial, industrial and tangible personal property under bills that became law without the governor's signature.
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June 17, 2024
NJ Tax Court Upholds Town's $1M Valuation Of Residence
The New Jersey Tax Court affirmed the township of Montclair's roughly $1 million valuation of a single-family residence, saying the homeowners failed to account for differences in other properties that they argued warranted cutting the assessment.
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June 14, 2024
Property Plays: Net Lease REIT, Vornado, Citadel
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.
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June 14, 2024
Zillow Settles Antitrust Case Against ShowingTime Rival
Zillow has reached a settlement ending its case in Arizona federal court accusing a pair of multiple listing services of blocking members from using its ShowingTime tool in order to protect a rival tool that allows real estate agents and others to manage property showings.
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June 14, 2024
Colo. Town Says It Took Resort Co.'s Land To Protect Sheep
A Colorado town has told a state appeals court it was justified in condemning and taking over local land that was owned by The Vail Corp. because the town needed to preserve wildlife space for a bighorn sheep herd.
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June 14, 2024
Miami Tower Takes $668M In Fla.'s Biggest Construction Loan
Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP and Saul Ewing LLP advised developer Property Markets Group on taking out a $668 million construction loan — the largest in state history — for its Waldorf Astoria Hotel and Residences Miami.
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June 14, 2024
Political Speech Groups Challenge NJ Judicial Privacy Case
Two voting-integrity groups moved Friday to dismiss federal claims brought against them under New Jersey's Daniel's Law on the grounds that their business of publishing voter registration information is political speech protected by the First Amendment and federal voting rights laws.
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June 14, 2024
Polsinelli Adds Ex-Withers Real Estate Atty In NY
Polsinelli PC has hired a commercial real estate attorney from Withers as a shareholder in New York.
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June 13, 2024
CRE Expert Joins Emmet Marvin's Real Estate Finance Group
Emmet Marvin & Martin LLP announced that the firm has added a partner to its real estate finance group, bringing with her the commercial real estate expertise she gained from Cadwalader Wickersham & Taft LLP.
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June 13, 2024
NexPoint Asks Investors To Shake Up REIT After Ponzi Case
In a letter to shareholders June 13, an investor accused four incumbent trustees of repeatedly acting against their fiduciary duties in overseeing United Development Funding, a Texas-based firm controlled by four executives now serving time for running a Ponzi scheme.
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June 13, 2024
Mich. Bill Seeks Income Tax Credit For Home Down Payments
Michigan would create an income tax credit for homebuyers who purchase a single-family residence that would equal a portion of the down payment amount as part of a bill introduced in the state House of Representatives.
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June 13, 2024
Fla. Developer Inks $50M Capital Stack for Affordable Complex
Developer and construction company Pinnacle announced that it has secured $49.9 million in financing from various sources, which will allow the company to begin construction on a 120-unit expansion of an affordable housing community in unincorporated Miami-Dade County.
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June 13, 2024
Blackstone's $10B AIR Buy Gets Nod From Top 2 Proxy Firms
Denver-based Apartment Income REIT Corp.'s shareholders have recommendations from the two leading proxy advisory firms to approve an agreement to sell off the real estate investment trust to private equity giant Blackstone for $10 billion, the company announced June 13.
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June 13, 2024
Thompson Thrift Closes $250M Multifamily Development Fund
Thompson Thrift announced that the national real estate firm raised more than $250 million for its latest multifamily development fund, which will enable work on seven housing communities in suburban markets across the nation.
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June 13, 2024
Ohio Senate OKs Requiring Tax Payments For Property Splits
Ohio would require delinquent property taxes to be paid before a real parcel was subdivided or transferred and would prohibit tax-delinquent property owners from buying tax-foreclosed property under a bill passed by the state Senate.
Expert Analysis
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Key Limited Partnership Provisions During Market Downturns
With a recession potentially on the horizon, fund managers should carefully examine their funds' limited partnership agreements for items that may be affected by economic downturns, and assess whether modifications may be appropriate, says Matthew Posthuma at Ropes & Gray.
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Firm Tips For Helping New Lawyers Succeed Post-Pandemic
Ten steps can help firms significantly enhance the experience of attorneys who started their careers in the coronavirus pandemic era, including facilitating opportunities for cross-firm connection, which can ultimately help build momentum for business development, says Lana Manganiello at Equinox Strategy Partners.
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Fla. Foreign Real Estate Law Brings Broad Investment Risks
Last month, Florida became the latest state to enact legislation prohibiting Chinese investors from acquiring certain interests in real property, introducing significant legal uncertainty and consequences for real estate stakeholders and the private equity industry, say attorneys at Simpson Thacher.
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Prepping Your Business Ahead Of Affirmative Action Ruling
The U.S. Supreme Court's upcoming ruling on whether race should play a role in college admissions could potentially end affirmative action, and companies will need a considered approach to these circumstances that protects their brand power and future profits, and be prepared to answer tough questions, say Nadine Blackburn at United Minds and Eric Blankenbaker at Weber Shandwick.
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Tackling Judge-Shopping Concerns While Honoring Localism
As the debate continues over judge-shopping and case assignments in federal court, policymakers should look to a hybrid model that preserves the benefits of localism for those cases that warrant it, while preventing the appearance of judge-shopping for cases of a more national or widespread character, says Joshua Sohn at the U.S. Department of Justice.
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How Attorneys Can Help Combat Anti-Asian Hate
Amid an exponential increase in violence against Asian American and Pacific Islander communities, unique obstacles stand in the way of accountability and justice — but lawyers can effect powerful change by raising awareness, offering legal representation, advocating for victims’ rights and more, say attorneys at Gibson Dunn.
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Congress Needs To Enact A Federal Anti-SLAPP Statute
Although many states have passed statutes meant to prevent individuals or entities from filing strategic lawsuits against public participation, other states have not, so it's time for Congress to enact a federal statute to ensure that free speech and petitioning rights are uniformly protected nationwide in federal court, say attorneys at Skadden.
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Banking Tips For Lending To Calif. Homeowners Associations
With current financial markets and recent changes to California law putting a brighter spotlight on lending, banks should understand the special considerations involved in lending to homeowners associations and the various possible remedies in the event of a default, says Alex Grigorians at Hanson Bridgett.
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Some Client Speculations On AI And The Law Firm Biz Model
Generative artificial intelligence technologies will put pressure on the business of law as it is structured currently, but clients may end up with more price certainty for legal services, and lawyers may spend more time being lawyers, says Jonathan Cole at Melody Capital.
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How Rent Proposals May Affect Most Populous Md. County
Of the various legislative changes concerning rent controls and property taxes that are being considered in Montgomery County, Maryland, comparatively milder controls are likely to prevail, but even these lenient measures may make it more difficult for the county to fulfill its needs for new housing, says Michael Murray at Greysteel.
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A Lawyer's Guide To Approaching Digital Assets In Discovery
The booming growth of cryptocurrency and non-fungible tokens has made digital assets relevant in many legal disputes but also poses several challenges for discovery, so lawyers must garner an understanding of the technology behind these assets, the way they function, and how they're held, says Brett Sager at Ehrenstein Sager.
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High Court's Ethics Statement Places Justices Above The Law
The U.S. Supreme Court justices' disappointing statement on the court's ethics principles and practices reveals that not only are they satisfied with a status quo in which they are bound by fewer ethics rules than other federal judges, but also that they've twisted the few rules that do apply to them, says David Janovsky at the Project on Government Oversight.
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Texas Justices' PNC Opinion Clarifies Subrogation Questions
Thanks to the sorely needed clarification provided by the Texas Supreme Court in PNC Mortgage v. Howard, a home equity lender now has a better understanding of what it can do when its own lien is constitutionally invalid but is either equitably or contractually subrogated to a prior lien, say Daron Janis and Dave Foster at Locke Lord.