Residential
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June 26, 2024
Conn. Firm Settles Suit Against Insurer Over Office Damage
A Connecticut law firm and a real estate company on Wednesday agreed to drop a federal lawsuit accusing their insurer of failing to fully cover damage from a leak at their New Haven offices, less than two weeks after the insurer notified the court of a pending settlement, court records show.
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June 26, 2024
NJ, Pa. Apartment Co. Accused Of Migrant Discrimination
A Guatemalan immigrant who has received protections under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program accused a real estate development and management company of alienage discrimination on Wednesday after she was informed that the company could not accept her housing applications without a valid permanent resident card or visa.
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June 26, 2024
Mack Real Estate Faces $189M NYC Apt. Foreclosure Suits
Mack Real Estate Group is facing a spate of foreclosure suits covering 37 multifamily buildings in Manhattan's East Harlem neighborhood, which allege the property owner is on the hook for $189 million in Freddie Mac loans.
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June 26, 2024
Orbital Witness Offers Property Diligence AI With Confidence
London-based Orbital Witness has built an AI assistant focused on the laborious task of property due diligence and backed it with what it calls a first-of-its-kind AI insurance.
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June 26, 2024
Tenants Say REIT Owes $26M For Illegal Late Fees
A certified class of about 190,000 tenants urged a California federal court to grant them a final judgment of more than $26.1 million in their class action accusing real estate investment trust Equity Residential of charging them excessive fees for late rent.
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June 26, 2024
$10B AIR-Blackstone Deal Set To Close After Investor Nod
Denver-based Apartment Income REIT Corp.'s shareholders have approved an agreement to sell off the real estate investment trust to private equity giant Blackstone for $10 billion, paving the way for its close within the next several days.
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June 26, 2024
HUD Official On 'Exploitative' Plays In Manufactured Housing
Private equity owners of manufactured home projects sometimes take advantage of the affordable housing crunch by raising rents, so the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development is offering financing to give those communities a chance to run themselves, a senior staffer said.
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June 26, 2024
HUD Unveils $185M Program To Bolster Housing Production
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced Wednesday that the agency has earmarked $85 million in grants to help 21 cities remove barriers to building new housing stock, adding that another $100 million will be awarded later this summer.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
Expert Analysis
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SEC Should Be Allowed To Equip Investors With Climate Info
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.
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8 Fla. Statutes That Construction Cos. Should Prepare For
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.
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Time To Fix NYC's Broken Property Assessment System
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.
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Understanding The IRC's Excessive Refund Claim Penalty
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.
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Bankruptcy Ruling Shifts Lease Rejection Claim Calculation
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.
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Do Not Overstate Fla. Condo Termination Ruling's Impact
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.
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Takeaways From FDIC's Spring Supervisory Highlights
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.
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Walking With My Dog Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Thanks to my dog Birdie, I've learned that carving out an activity different from the practice of law — like daily outdoor walks that allow you to interact with new people — can contribute to professional success by boosting creativity and mental acuity, as well as expanding your social network, says Sarah Petrie at the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office.
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What Calif. Eviction Ruling Means For Defaulting Borrowers
A California appellate court's recent decision in Homeward Opportunities v. Taptelis found that a defaulting borrower could not delay foreclosure with an improperly served notice of pendency of action, but leaves open a possibility for borrowers to delay eviction proceedings merely by filing lawsuits, say Anne Beehler and Krystal Anderson at Holland & Knight.
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How 3D Printing And Prefab Are Changing Construction
The growing popularity of trends like 3D printing technology and prefabrication in the construction industry have positive ramifications ranging from reducing risks at project sites to streamlining construction schedules, say Josephine Bahn and Jeffery Mullen at Cozen O'Connor.
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Wave Of Final Rules Reflects Race Against CRA Deadline
The flurry of final rules now leaping off the Federal Register press — some of which will affect entire industries and millions of Americans — shows President Joe Biden's determination to protect his regulatory legacy from reversal by the next Congress, given the impending statutory look-back period under the Congressional Review Act, say attorneys at Jenner & Block.
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A Deep Dive Into High Court's Permit Fee Ruling
David Robinson and Daniel Golub at Holland & Knight explore the U.S. Supreme Court's recent ruling that a local traffic impact fee charged to a California property owner may be a Fifth Amendment taking — and where it leaves localities and real estate developers.
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The Case For Overturning Florida Foreclosure Ruling
A Florida appellate court's recent decision in Desbrunes v. U.S. Bank National Association will potentially put foreclosure cases across the state in jeopardy, and unless it is reconsidered, foreclosing plaintiffs will need to choose between frustrating and uncertain options in the new legal landscape, say Sara Accardi and Paige Knight at Bradley.