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Real Estate
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November 21, 2024
9th Circ. Told $500K To Huizar Not Intended As Bribe
A real estate developer convicted of bribing former Los Angeles City Councilor José Huizar with $500,000 for help overcoming challenges to a downtown project asked the Ninth Circuit for a new trial, arguing Thursday the lower court erroneously excluded evidence showing the developer didn't know the money would be used as a bribe.
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November 21, 2024
Wash. Justices Unsure CARES Act Protects Violent Tenants
Two Washington Supreme Court justices on Thursday seemed to doubt whether the CARES Act blocked landlords from quickly evicting violent tenants, as opposed to just those behind on rent, a question that resulted in opposing opinions from two lower appellate panels.
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November 21, 2024
DOD Needs To Do More To Fix Military Housing, OIG Says
The U.S. Department of Defense failed to properly identify and fix health, safety and environmental hazards in military housing, according to a Thursday report from the DOD's Office of Inspector General.
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November 21, 2024
Key Informant Who Recorded Madigan Takes The Stand
A former Chicago alderman who prosecutors have deemed one of their "most significant cooperators in the last several decades" took the stand Thursday afternoon and began what is expected to be multiple days of testimony in the racketeering trial of ex-Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan, whom he secretly recorded while working with the government.
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November 21, 2024
Ill. High Court Won't Shield Sun-Times In Trump Tax Case
The Illinois Supreme Court ruled Thursday that the Chicago Sun-Times can't use an anti-SLAPP law to duck a defamation suit over the paper's coverage of an investigation into a $1 million property tax reduction granted to Trump Tower during the president-elect's first term.
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November 21, 2024
Oklahoma Tribe Asks DC Circ. To Revive Creek Land Lawsuit
An Oklahoma tribe is asking the D.C. Court of Appeals to revive its challenge to a U.S. Department of the Interior decision that rejected the tribe's proposed liquor ordinance in a dispute over shared jurisdiction with the Muscogee Creek Nation, arguing federally recognized Indigenous nations should stand on equal footing.
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November 21, 2024
Big Lots Seeks To Include Claims Against Execs In Asset Sale
Discount retailer Big Lots on Thursday asked a Delaware bankruptcy judge to approve a $760 million asset sale to a private equity group and override creditor objections to the inclusion of potential litigation claims against company insiders in the package.
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November 21, 2024
Weed Co. Must Pay $5M To Entrepeneur In Investor Dispute
A marijuana consulting firm must pay $5 million to a former business partner after allegedly derailing plans to purchase a marijuana grow facility in Michigan by convincing the main investors to put their money into a Colorado weed business instead.
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November 21, 2024
Tenant Class Attys Get $1.1M Fee In Race Bias Suit Deal
A federal judge awarded a nearly $1.1 million fee to class counsel for housing applicants who accused a tenant screening company of disproportionately excluding Black and Hispanic renters, saying the requested fee was reasonable for the $2.2 million settlement the attorneys struck.
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November 21, 2024
Insurers Sued Over Defense Costs In Fort Bragg Housing Row
An infrastructure company and related entities providing housing for military families told a North Carolina federal court that three of its primary commercial general liability insurers must cover their defense bill from a class action accusing them of providing "unfit and uninhabitable" housing at Fort Bragg.
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November 21, 2024
Justices Urged To Uphold Alaska Beachfront Boundary Ruling
Alaska and an Alaskan property owner told the U.S. Supreme Court to uphold an Alaska Supreme Court ruling that determined that the boundary between two beachfront properties owned by feuding neighbors is set by where a shoreline ended up in 1938.
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November 21, 2024
Data Co. Gets Remand Of Suits Over Judicial Privacy
A federal judge sent 39 lawsuits alleging violations of a New Jersey judicial privacy law back to state courts, finding the district lacks subject matter jurisdiction.
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November 21, 2024
Feds Outline Next Steps For Colo. River Basin Agreement
The U.S. Department of the Interior released five proposed alternatives for the Colorado River's post-2026 operations aimed at ensuring the long-term stability of the drought-stricken Colorado River Basin for the communities and habitats that rely on it.
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November 21, 2024
Pa. Enviro Hearing Board Can Sanction Atty, Court Affirms
Pennsylvania's Environmental Hearing Board was within its power to issue its first-ever sanctions against an attorney for trying to delay an appeal with false claims that the state Attorney General's Office and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency were looking to talk to Cabot Oil & Gas Corp. over her case, a state appellate court ruled Thursday.
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November 21, 2024
Ga. Attys' Easement Fraud Class Suit Shipped To State Court
A Georgia federal judge kicked back to state court a proposed class action accusing conservation easement fund organizers of racketeering and defrauding investors, saying the organizers failed to prove that the proposed class had at least 100 investors or that the case hinged on federal law.
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November 21, 2024
Experts Cool On 'Chill' Defense In NJ RICO Case
Former prosecutors and academics are doubtful two of New Jersey's most politically connected attorneys can convince a judge that the racketeering case against them will have a chilling effect on lawyering, given that prosecutors only have to show they knew the end game of the notorious Democratic power broker they're accused of helping.
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November 21, 2024
Suit Against Mortgage Co. Axed Despite Atty's Bad Faith Claim
A Texas state court judge has dismissed for good an attorney's lawsuit against the mortgage company she formerly worked for in-house, despite a dispute over whether the matter should have ended with or without prejudice.
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November 21, 2024
Insurer Seeks Subrogation Over Sprinkler Claims
An insurer for a contractor facing property damage claims told a New York federal court that a subcontractor and its insurers must pitch in for over $1.9 million the contractor's insurer has paid in coverage so far, even though it said the subcontractor failed to procure insurance covering the contractor.
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November 21, 2024
Chubb Unit Denies Coverage In Conn. Water Damage Dispute
An insurer told a Connecticut federal court it shouldn't have to help cover at least $1.8 million in water damage suffered by a commercial property owner because policy exclusions apply and the owner failed to mitigate the losses.
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November 21, 2024
Ohio City Tax Exemption Isn't Retroactive, Court Affirms
An Ohio property in a reinvestment area is not eligible for a city's tax exemption offered to remodeled homes, as the remodel was completed before the property was included in the reinvestment district, an Ohio appellate court affirmed Thursday.
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November 21, 2024
Ex-Connecticut Town Officials Appeal Toss Of Defamation Claims
A group of former officials from Newington, Connecticut, including its onetime town attorney, have appealed a state judge's decision to throw out all of their claims against the town and nearly all against tax assessors they had accused of defaming them with a false ethics complaint.
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November 21, 2024
Minn. Tax Court Won't Revisit Stipulated $1M Property Value
The Minnesota Tax Court rejected a challenge to a $1 million property valuation, saying it had already set that value to reflect a stipulation reached between the local assessor and the previous owner for the assessment date at issue.
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November 20, 2024
DC Circ. Judge Blasts 'Bogus' Bid To Nix Discrimination Rule
One judge on a D.C. Circuit panel ripped into an insurance trade group Wednesday over its contention that it is mounting a facial challenge to a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development rule expanding what is considered a discriminatory housing practice.
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November 20, 2024
Arizona Governor Settles Tribal Water Rights Claims
Two agreements signed by Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs settled four tribal nations' water rights claims and will help to provide safe drinking water to thousands of Native Americans on reservation lands that depend on the Colorado River Basin System.
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November 20, 2024
Suit Alleges Fraud In Scuttled Deal Over Calif. Pot Grow
A California company is looking to claw back a $250,000 down payment to purchase a cannabis entity's cultivation operation, claiming a grower and others involved in the failed deal conspired to take the money, according to a lawsuit filed in California state court.
Expert Analysis
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Co-Tenancy Clause Pointers For Shopping Center Landlords
Large retail tenants often require co-tenancy provisions in their leases, entitling them to remedies if a shopping center's occupancy drops in certain ways, but landlords must draft these provisions carefully to avoid giving tenants too much control, says Gary Glick at Cox Castle.
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Assessing Algorithmic Versus Generative AI Pricing Tools
A comparison of traditional algorithmic pricing models and those powered by generative artificial intelligence can help regulators and practitioners weigh the pros and cons of relying on large language models to price products or services, say Maxime Cohen at McGill University, and Tim Spittle and Jimmy Royer at Analysis Group.
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Navigating A Potpourri Of Possible Transparency Act Pitfalls
Despite the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network's continued release of guidance for complying with the Corporate Transparency Act, its interpretation remains in flux, making it important for companies to understand potentially problematic areas of ambiguity in the practical application of the law, say attorneys at Sidley.
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Series
After Chevron: Conservation Rule Already Faces Challenges
The Bureau of Land Management's interpretation of land "use" in its Conservation and Landscape Health Rule is contrary to the agency's past practice and other Federal Land Policy and Management Act provisions, leaving the rule exposed in four legal challenges that may carry greater force in the wake of Loper Bright, say Stacey Bosshardt and Stephanie Regenold at Perkins Coie.
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DOJ Must Overcome Hurdles In RealPage Antitrust Case
The U.S. Department of Justice's recent claims that RealPage's pricing software violates the Sherman Act mark a creative, and apparently contradictory, shift in the agency's approach to algorithmic price-fixing that will face several key challenges, say attorneys at Clifford Chance.
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Keys To Successful Commercial Property Insurance Claims
Excerpt from Practical Guidance
While insurance needs for commercial leasing arrangements are driven by the characteristics of the premises and the nature of the tenants' intended operations, there are several universal best practices landlords and their counsel can follow when making claims after loss or damage.
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How Companies Are Approaching Insider Trading Policies
An analysis of insider trading policies recently disclosed by 49 S&P 500 companies under a new U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission rule reveals that while specific provisions vary from company to company, certain common themes are emerging, say attorneys at Gibson Dunn.
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Tips For Handling Single Asset Real Estate Bankruptcy Cases
Excerpt from Practical Guidance
Bankruptcy counsel should consider several strategies when representing either a debtor or lender in single asset real estate debtor Chapter 11 cases, which generally arise when a debtor is forced to file for relief to stop an impending foreclosure sale.
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What To Know About CFPB Stance On Confidentiality Terms
A recent circular from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau represents a growing effort across government agencies to address overbroad confidentiality agreements, and gives employers insight into the bureau's perspective on the issue as it relates to the Consumer Financial Protection Act, say Holly Williamson and Elizabeth King at Hunton.
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How Methods Are Evolving In Textualist Interpretations
Textualists at the U.S. Supreme Court are increasingly considering new methods such as corpus linguistics and surveys to evaluate what a statute's text communicates to an ordinary reader, while lower courts even mull large language models like ChatGPT as supplements, says Kevin Tobia at Georgetown Law.
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What's Next For Federal Preemption In Financial Services
The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency's review of its preemption interpretations and growing pressure from state regulators signal potential changes ahead for preemption in U.S. financial services, and the path forward will likely involve a reevaluation of the entire framework, say attorneys at Clark Hill.
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Increased Scrutiny Raises Int'l Real Estate Transaction Risks
Recently proposed regulations expanding the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States' oversight, a White House divestment order and state-level legislative efforts signal increasing scrutiny of real estate transactions that may trigger national security concerns, say Luciano Racco and Aleksis Fernández Caballero at Foley Hoag.
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Financial Incentives May Alleviate Affordable Housing Crisis
There is a wide array of financial incentives and assistance that the government can provide to both real estate developers and individuals to chip away at the housing affordability problem from multiple angles, say Eric DeBear and Madeline Williams at Cozen.
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Why Attorneys Should Consider Community Leadership Roles
Volunteering and nonprofit board service are complementary to, but distinct from, traditional pro bono work, and taking on these community leadership roles can produce dividends for lawyers, their firms and the nonprofit causes they support, says Katie Beacham at Kilpatrick.
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Firms Must Offer A Trifecta Of Services In Post-Chevron World
After the U.S. Supreme Court’s Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo decision overturning Chevron deference, law firms will need to integrate litigation, lobbying and communications functions to keep up with the ramifications of the ruling and provide adequate counsel quickly, says Neil Hare at Dentons.