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Real Estate
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August 23, 2024
Real Estate Recap: Key Cases, Proptech Pain, RealPage Suit
Catch up on the past week's key developments by state from Law360 Real Estate Authority — including the residential real estate cases to watch in 2024's second half, proptech's recent funding lapse and long-term potential, and a new lawsuit from the U.S. Department of Justice against property management software company RealPage.
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August 23, 2024
Cypriot Cos. Say Serbia Must Face $32M Real Estate Claim
A group of Cypriot companies claiming that the Republic of Serbia owes them about $32 million for allegedly expropriated real estate are urging an international tribunal not to toss their claims, saying the country asserts wrongly that the arbitral body doesn't have jurisdiction in the dispute.
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August 23, 2024
PE Fund Says SEC Is Overstepping With 'Fishing Expedition'
A large South Carolina private equity fund has sued the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for allegedly overstepping its authority by trying to regulate the business' activities through an unconstitutional "fishing expedition" investigation that threatens the building of thousands of housing units.
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August 23, 2024
Insurer Must Cover Flooded Basements, Mich. Panel Says
An insurer must pay a property owner over $150,000 in damages stemming from drain backups and water damage, a Michigan state appeals court ruled, finding that the property owner inquired about increased coverage before the discovery of the loss.
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August 23, 2024
Wire Verification Not Vital In Fla. Fraud Suit, Wells Fargo Says
Wells Fargo urged a Florida federal court Friday to toss a lawsuit alleging the bank allowed a hacker to steal a real estate transaction's proceeds, saying there's no obligation to match a wire beneficiary to their account, and it didn't know the transfer was fraudulent because the process is automated.
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August 23, 2024
Colo. Board Wrong In Nixing Fees From Valuation, Court Rules
The Colorado Board of Assessment Appeals improperly applied a state Supreme Court decision that erroneously revived a dispute over whether fees should be included in a resort's property valuation, a state appeals court ruled.
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August 23, 2024
Brokerage Startup Challenges NAR Listing Rules
A Utah-based residential brokerage startup has accused the National Association of Realtors, an affiliated Utah multiple listing service and several major brokerages including Keller Williams Realty Inc. of engaging in an antitrust conspiracy that involved the defendants blocking the startup from accessing the NAR's MLS because the startup offers cheaper commission fees.
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August 23, 2024
Insurer Scores Coverage Win Over Retaining Wall Failure
A contractor's insurer has no duty to help cover a $2.66 million settlement over the contractor's faulty construction of retaining walls, a Washington federal court ruled, finding an "impaired property" exclusion applicable.
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August 23, 2024
Wachtell Reps As MLB's Braves Announce Executive Shakeup
The parent company of the Atlanta Braves on Friday announced that Chairman and CEO Terry McGuirk will have increased voting power, representing a major shift in control after Liberty Media Corp. split off from the MLB team and its associated real estate development company in November 2022 to become a separate publicly traded entity.
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August 23, 2024
Williams Mullen Rehires Ellis & Winter Atty In NC
Williams Mullen has brought back a former associate, who is rejoining the firm's Raleigh, North Carolina, team as a partner to work on a range of commercial real estate-related matters.
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August 23, 2024
DOJ Sues RealPage For Helping Fix Rental Rates
The U.S. Department of Justice filed an antitrust lawsuit Aug. 23 accusing RealPage of helping residential landlords across the country fix rental prices through the use of its revenue management software.
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August 22, 2024
Homeowner Loses Atty Fees In Suit Over HOA Fence Policy
A Texas appeals court reversed a homeowner's win in a dispute with his neighbors over privacy fences facing a road, finding that a new state law prevents homeowners associations from enacting any covenant barring homeowners from putting up security measures, so the homeowner couldn't collect attorney fees.
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August 22, 2024
Pennsylvania Hospital Gets 1 Week Reprieve In Steward Ch. 11
A Texas bankruptcy judge on Thursday approved an order setting general closing procedures for bankrupt hospital operator Steward Health Care, but gave Pennsylvania authorities a week's reprieve as they try to arrange a hospital sale.
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August 22, 2024
Texas Court Backs Nate Paul's Co. In Real Estate Receiver Row
A Texas state appeals court on Thursday reversed a decision allowing a receiver to settle a lawsuit on behalf of a company owned by real estate investor Nate Paul, relying largely on a dispute from an El Paso appeals court involving Paul's companies with "nearly identical" facts.
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August 22, 2024
Ex-Morgan Stanley Representative Concedes SEC Suit
A former Morgan Stanley representative who was criminally convicted in a $4.8 million Ponzi scheme has conceded in a suit brought by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, saying he agrees with the agency that judgment should be issued against him.
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August 22, 2024
Kenya's Justices May Ax Part Of Tax Act That Set Off Unrest
The Supreme Court of Kenya agreed to stay a lower court's ruling declaring unconstitutional the government's entire 2023 tax package, which sparked deadly nationwide protests, but it looks likely to scrap at least part of the law next month, attorneys told Law360 on Thursday.
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August 22, 2024
Apache Carry Petition To High Court With A Prayer Journey
Members of an Apache nonprofit fighting to save an Indigenous worship site from destruction are making stops to visit other tribes throughout the country for prayers and support as they deliver a petition to the Supreme Court that seeks to undo a Ninth Circuit ruling and block a mining project.
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August 22, 2024
Auburn Wants Out Of 11th Circ. Arguments Over Burial Ground
Auburn University has asked the Eleventh Circuit to be excused from oral arguments next month in a dispute between two Native American groups over a burial ground where centuries-old human remains were exhumed to make way for construction of a multimillion-dollar casino.
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August 22, 2024
King & Spalding Grows New York Real Estate Group
An attorney specializing in transactional work and fund formation moved his practice this week to King & Spalding LLP's New York office after four and a half years with Schulte Roth & Zabel LLP.
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August 22, 2024
Chinese Developer Seeks US Recognition For $7.4B Reorg
A Chinese real estate developer is asking a New York bankruptcy judge for U.S. recognition for its efforts to restructure more than $7.4 billion in overseas debt held in Hong Kong and the Cayman Islands.
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August 21, 2024
Top New York Real Estate News This Summer
Catch up on the hottest real estate news out of New York so far this summer, from office sales and foreclosures to casino projects and housing policies.
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August 21, 2024
Fla. Co. To Pay $5M To End CFPB's Illegal Foreclosure Claims
Florida-based mortgage servicer Fay Servicing agreed Wednesday to pay a total of $5 million and its founder and CEO Edward Fay faces potential pay restrictions to resolve the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's claims the company violated a prior 2017 agreement and multiple federal laws that protect borrowers against illegal foreclosure practices.
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August 21, 2024
Finance Guru Can't Send Timeshare Fraud Suit To Arbitration
Celebrity financial planner David L. Ramsey III and his company can't pause and arbitrate a proposed class action alleging they promoted a timeshare exit fraud scheme on his radio show, a Washington federal judge said Wednesday, finding they were not included in arbitration agreements with the timeshare owners.
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August 21, 2024
Insurers Escape Calif. Starbucks Drive-Thru Easement Row
A California appeals court affirmed a lower court decision, finding commercial property insurers didn't have to defend an owner who allegedly tricked one tenant into signing an easement agreement for a parking lot, neglecting to mention it would be used by a Starbucks drive-thru.
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August 21, 2024
Fla. Real Estate Co.'s Assets Frozen After $56M Ponzi Claims
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has secured an asset freeze in its suit against a Florida-based real estate investment company whose managers misused tens of millions of investor proceeds, including by paying investors "in a Ponzi-like fashion."
Expert Analysis
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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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Litigation Inspiration: A Source Of Untapped Fulfillment
As increasing numbers of attorneys struggle with stress and mental health issues, business litigators can find protection against burnout by remembering their important role in society — because fulfillment in one’s work isn’t just reserved for public interest lawyers, say Bennett Rawicki and Peter Bigelow at Hilgers Graben.
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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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Series
Skiing Makes Me A Better Lawyer
A lifetime of skiing has helped me develop important professional skills, and taught me that embracing challenges with a spirit of adventure can allow lawyers to push boundaries, expand their capabilities and ultimately excel in their careers, says Andrea Przybysz at Tucker Ellis.
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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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Think Like A Lawyer: Forget Everything You Know About IRAC
The mode of legal reasoning most students learn in law school, often called “Issue, Rule, Application, Conclusion,” or IRAC, erroneously frames analysis as a separate, discrete step, resulting in disorganized briefs and untold obfuscation — but the fix is pretty simple, says Luke Andrews at Poole Huffman.
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The Corporate Transparency Act Isn't Dead Yet
After an Alabama federal court's ruling last week rendering the Corporate Transparency Act unconstitutional, changes to the law may ultimately be required, but ongoing compliance is still the best course of action for most, says George Singer at Holland & Hart.
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New FinCEN Guide Provides Useful BOI Context For Banks
Financial institutions should review a new Financial Crimes Enforcement Network compliance guide for helpful details about how the agency's beneficial ownership information database should be used, though questions remain about the access rule and whether it will truly streamline bank borrowers' Corporate Transparency Act due diligence, says George Singer at Holland & Hart.
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How Firms Can Ensure Associate Gender Parity Lasts
Among associates, women now outnumber men for the first time, but progress toward gender equality at the top of the legal profession remains glacially slow, and firms must implement time-tested solutions to ensure associates’ gender parity lasts throughout their careers, say Kelly Culhane and Nicole Joseph at Culhane Meadows.
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Opinion
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.
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Opinion
NY Shouldn't Pair 421-a Restoration And Good Cause Eviction
The good cause eviction system of rent control should not be imposed in New York, nor should its legislation be tied to renewal of the 421-a tax abatement program, which New York City desperately needs, says Alexander Lycoyannis at Holland & Knight.
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7 Common Myths About Lateral Partner Moves
As lateral recruiting remains a key factor for law firm growth, partners considering a lateral move should be aware of a few commonly held myths — some of which contain a kernel of truth, and some of which are flat out wrong, says Dave Maurer at Major Lindsey.
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Series
Cheering In The NFL Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Balancing my time between a BigLaw career and my role as an NFL cheerleader has taught me that pursuing your passions outside of work is not a distraction, but rather an opportunity to harness important skills that can positively affect how you approach work and view success in your career, says Rachel Schuster at Sheppard Mullin.
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Series
ESG Around The World: Gulf Cooperation Council
The Gulf Cooperation Council is in the early stages of ESG policy implementation, but recent commitments by both states and corporations — including increases in sustainable finance transactions, environmental commitments, female representation on boards and human rights enforcement — show continuing progress toward broader ESG goals, say attorneys at Cleary.