Residential
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February 27, 2025
How Adams' Latest Move Might Checkmate The DOJ
New York City Mayor Eric Adams' push to permanently dismiss his federal corruption case is a clever legal strategy that appears to have backed the government into a corner, experts say.
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February 27, 2025
Q&A: Minnesota Law Prof On Hard-To-Read Insurance Policies
How hard is it to understand a homeowners insurance policy? For many, reading a policy will often raise more confusion about what's covered than if they hadn't read a policy at all, according to a new paper from experts in insurance and consumer law. Here, Law360 discusses the subject with Daniel Schwarcz, a University of Minnesota Law School professor who has built a career in studying the transparency of insurance markets.
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February 27, 2025
Housing Project To Drop Receiver After US Trustee Concern
New York City affordable housing complex Valdesia Gardens is transferring control of the property from a receiver back to the debtor after the U.S. Trustee's Office objected to the receiver's involvement and sought instead to appoint a Chapter 11 trustee.
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February 27, 2025
Mich. Bill Would Bar Local Tax Caps That Require Rate Cuts
Michigan would bar local governments from enacting property tax caps on annual revenue that require an automatic tax rate cut under a bill introduced in the state House of Representatives.
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February 26, 2025
Mich. Judge Demands RICO Pattern Details In Foreclosure Suit
A Michigan federal judge on Wednesday pressed attorneys for homeowners to point to specific criminal activities that would help the proposed class establish a pattern of racketeering activity to support their claim that a real estate developer conspired with county and city leaders in a tax foreclosure scheme.
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February 26, 2025
Ga. Judge OKs Deal To End Feds' Apartment Access Probe
A Georgia federal judge has signed off on a series of consent orders resolving a civil suit brought by the federal government against a Savannah apartment complex and a local housing authority over allegations that they denied a disabled resident an accessible apartment in spite of her repeated accommodation requests.
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February 26, 2025
NYCHA Disputes Eviction Hikes At Section 8 Conversions
New York City Housing Authority officials refuted claims that eviction rates varied significantly between the city's public housing units and those developments converted to Section 8 housing, directly disputing a report from the comptroller's office during a Wednesday oversight hearing.
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February 26, 2025
Dewberry Ruling May Lead To More Defendants In TM Fights
Plaintiffs in trademark disputes likely will consider including multiple defendants in their complaints when it's unclear who holds the profits from the alleged infringement, according to intellectual property attorneys, after the U.S. Supreme Court remanded a case because nonparty affiliates of a defendant were ordered to pay an award that reached nearly $47 million.
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February 26, 2025
Low-Key Fort Lauderdale Draws Big-Time Development
Sitting between posh Palm Beach and cosmopolitan Miami, Fort Lauderdale can feel a little overshadowed with its low-key vibe, but during South Florida's recent real estate boom, the city has carved out its own middle ground that has attracted new residents — and developers have taken notice.
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February 26, 2025
Wash. Judge Says Officials Are Immune To Energy Code Suit
A Seattle federal judge has thrown out a building industry coalition's renewed legal challenge to Washington regulations that discourage natural gas appliances in new construction, ruling the state officials named as defendants are protected because they aren't responsible for enforcing the rules.
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February 26, 2025
How One Atty Approached AI Price Gouging Amid LA Wildfires
In a recent Q&A, an LA-area lawyer who helped a hotel handle inadvertent price spikes following the January fires discussed that matter, as well as the larger question of price gouging at hotel and rental properties.
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February 26, 2025
Ariz. Sen. OKs Extending Property Tax Oversight Commission
Arizona would extend the life of its Property Tax Oversight Commission by eight years under legislation approved Wednesday by the state Senate.
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February 26, 2025
Simpson Thacher Guides $1B Real Estate Secondaries Fund
Neuberger Berman, an investment management firm advised by Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP, has capped its second real estate private equity secondary fund at $1.05 billion, surpassing its target by $200 million, according to a Wednesday announcement.
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February 26, 2025
DOJ Says RealPage Can't Ditch Antitrust Claims
The U.S. Department of Justice and a group of states are urging a North Carolina federal judge to reject a move by RealPage Inc. and a group of landlords to escape claims that use of the company's software paves the way for collusion on setting rental prices.
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February 26, 2025
Michigan Counties Say Firm's Client Solicitations Merit DQ
Michigan counties sought to disqualify plaintiff firm Visser & Associates PLLC Tuesday, telling a federal judge that the lawyers went back on their word by soliciting potential class members in a suit claiming the government entities improperly kept a surplus of foreclosed home sales.
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February 26, 2025
Real Estate Group Of The Year: Weil
Weil Gotshal & Manges LLP served as lead real estate adviser in Home Depot's $18.3 billion acquisition of SRS Distribution Inc. and helped shepherd an $8 billion merger between two rival amusement park companies, earning the firm a spot among the 2024 Law360 Real Estate Groups of the Year.
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February 26, 2025
Vets Press 9th Circ. To Affirm LA Campus Housing Judgment
A group of veterans' organizations, retired military officers and legal scholars are urging the Ninth Circuit to uphold a California federal judge's decision that the federal government must build veterans housing on a Los Angeles campus, saying such housing is greatly needed and complies with federal law.
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February 26, 2025
Adams Says SDNY Memo Leaks Doom His Bribery Case
New York City Mayor Eric Adams opened up a new line of attack against his federal corruption case Wednesday, arguing that the judge must dismiss the charges due to the "extreme prejudice" caused by leaked Justice Department memos alleging a quid pro quo between the mayor and the Trump administration.
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February 26, 2025
Former Trust GC On NYC's Changing Development Game
In this Q&A, Lisa Lim, a partner at Rosenberg & Estis PC, talks about her work as general counsel setting up a new entity to finance public housing repairs and the outlook for New York City development after dramatic changes to its zoning law.
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February 26, 2025
Justices Vacate TM Award That Put Co.'s Affiliates On Hook
The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday vacated an award that reached nearly $47 million in a trademark dispute that questioned whether affiliates of a real estate development company should be liable for the payment even though they were not defendants in the case.
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February 25, 2025
Fla. Bill Targets Last-Resort Coverage For Unsafe Condos
A bill introduced ahead of Florida's 2025 legislative session looks to bar the state's Citizens Property Insurance Corp. from providing or renewing coverage policies for condominiums that fall short of inspection requirements.
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February 25, 2025
NY AG Probe Latest Headache For Crumbling Property Empire
Following New York's passage of a tenant-friendly rent law in 2019, a spate of distressed Emerald Equity Group LLC properties are facing foreclosure or bankruptcy. Now, scrutiny by the state Attorney General's Office has added a new layer to the landlord's ongoing struggles.
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February 25, 2025
Report: 2025 Seen As A Year Of Opportunity For Real Estate
Commercial real estate executives see 2025 as a period of opportunity for investment, according to a Seyfarth Shaw LLP report released Tuesday.
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February 25, 2025
Law Firm Leasing Reaches Highest Level Since Before COVID
Law firms in the United States have broken through years of pandemic-related uncertainty about market conditions and the need for office space to record the highest volume of lease activity in more than five years, according to newly released data.
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February 25, 2025
Silicon Valley City Planners Say Landowners Can't Duck Suit
A company backed by a group of Silicon Valley business people looking to build a mini-city has urged a California federal court not to toss price-fixing claims against Solano County property owners, arguing that doing so at this point would be "premature."
Expert Analysis
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What's New In Kentucky's Financial Services Overhaul
Kentucky's H.B. 726 will go into effect in July and brings with it some significant restructuring to the Kentucky Financial Services Code, including changes to mortgage loan license fees and repeals of provisions relating to installment term loans and savings associations, say attorneys at Frost Brown.
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A Comparison Of FDIC, OCC Proposed Merger Approaches
Max Bonici and Connor Webb at Venable take a closer look at the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.'s and Office of the Comptroller of the Currency's respective bank merger proposals and highlight certain common themes and important differences, in light of regulators continually rethinking their approaches to bank mergers.
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Tax Assessment: Recapping Georgia's Legislative Session
Jonathan Feldman and Alla Raykin at Eversheds Sutherland examine tax-related changes from Georgia’s General Assembly — such as the governor’s successful push to accelerate income tax cuts — and suggest steps to take before certain tax incentives are challenged in the state's next legislative session.
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11th Circ. Ruling May Foreshadow Ch. 15 Clashes
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.
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A Look At New IRS Rules For Domestically Controlled REITs
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.
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What CRA Deadline Means For Biden Admin. Rulemaking
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.
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How New Rule Would Change CFIUS Enforcement Powers
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.
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2nd Circ. Eminent Domain Ruling Empowers Municipalities
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.
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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.