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Real Estate
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September 26, 2024
Healthcare REIT Defeats Investor Suit For Good
An Alabama federal judge on Thursday permanently tossed an investor suit against a healthcare-focused real estate investment trust, Medical Properties Trust Inc., that alleged the trust hid the poor performance of four acute care hospitals it owns in Pennsylvania, saying the plaintiff's asserted theory in the suit "is somewhat Jekyll and Hyde."
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September 26, 2024
Pa. Supreme Court Upholds Taxes On Like-Kind Exchanges
A group of Pennsylvania real estate partners owe the state personal income tax assessed on their like-kind exchange, Pennsylvania's highest court ruled Thursday, with the majority upholding a lower court finding that the state Department of Revenue correctly issued the assessment.
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September 26, 2024
Colo. Property Tax Deferral Program Could Balloon, Panel Told
Use of a property tax deferral program in Colorado is expected to rise under a recent legislative change opening it to nearly all property owners, the state's treasurer told a legislative commission Thursday, calling the extent of the program's growth difficult to predict.
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September 26, 2024
Feds Send Message To Adams' City Hall: Buckle Up
The seizure of another of New York City Mayor Eric Adams' phones ahead of his corruption indictment Thursday and a prosecutor's cryptic vow to "hold more people accountable" suggest the landmark case may only just be getting started, experts say.
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September 26, 2024
Judge Says DOI Didn't Satisfy Cherokee Accounting Duties
A D.C. federal judge ruled that the U.S. government has not fulfilled its duty to provide the Cherokee Nation with a full accounting of its assets held in federal trust, handing a win to the Oklahoma-based tribe after five years of litigation.
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September 26, 2024
Pa. Justices Reject New Tax Hearing For Charter School
The Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court erred in sending a charter school's retroactive property tax appeal back to a county board, because the charter school had failed to exhaust statutory remedies, the state Supreme Court ruled Thursday.
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September 26, 2024
Ga. Judge Halts Election Over Sapelo Island Zoning Change
A Georgia state judge pulled the plug on a special election Gullah Geechee residents of Sapelo Island initiated to try to overturn a McIntosh County zoning change that more than doubled the size of dwellings allowed in their Hogg Hummock community.
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September 26, 2024
US Census, Osage Nation Sign Info Sharing Agreement
The U.S. Census Bureau and the Osage Nation signed an agreement to share the federally recognized Oklahoma tribe's aggregated administrative data in an effort to provide a more accurate picture of Indian Country and its needs.
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September 26, 2024
4th Circ. Hints Rocket Mortgage Class Cert. Is On Shaky Ground
The Fourth Circuit on Thursday seemed skeptical that all potential class members who accused Rocket Mortgage of inflating their home values could prove they were injured under the U.S. Supreme Court's heightened pleading standard in TransUnion, putting the lower court's certification order on rocky footing.
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September 26, 2024
Conn. Atty's Suit Against Willkie Partner Tossed
A Connecticut state court has dismissed a solo practitioner's lawsuit that alleged a partner at Willkie and his wife abused the court process by suing him over his contribution to an unflattering New York Post story about the couple.
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September 26, 2024
NJ Atty Rips AG For 'Grossly Distorted' Power Broker Case
A New Jersey attorney charged in the state's sweeping indictment against power broker George E. Norcross III accused the Attorney General's Office on Thursday of "attempting to criminalize the routine practice of law" with its charges against him.
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September 25, 2024
Developer's NorCal Spree Ends With Fraud Claims In Ch. 11
Northern California real estate company LeFever Mattson stockpiled more than $400 million in real estate, including several local landmarks in a small town north of San Francisco. The firm now seeks bankruptcy protection amid claims following an alleged scheme by one executive to pocket millions by selling bunk equity stakes to investors.
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September 25, 2024
Basel Edits 'Encouraging' But Incomplete, Republicans Say
House Republicans signaled at a Wednesday hearing that they want further softening of federal banking regulators' so-called Basel III endgame proposal for tougher big-bank capital requirements, casting recently floated potential changes as insufficient to ensure the plans won't pose an economic threat.
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September 25, 2024
Cherokee Nation Asks Court To Reject Descendant Rehearing
The Cherokee Nation has asked a D.C. federal judge to deny a request by a descendant of persons of African descent, who were once enslaved by the tribe, for a rehearing after the court threw out her bid for $90 million in damages.
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September 25, 2024
3 NJ Attys Charged With Bank Fraud In Short-Sale Scheme
A trio of attorneys and a real estate agent have been criminally indicted on bank fraud charges on allegations they participated in a yearslong scheme to defraud financial institutions in connection with short-sale transactions of residential properties in New Jersey, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New Jersey announced Wednesday.
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September 25, 2024
Suit Over Fla. Law Restricting Foreign Land Buys Paused
A Florida federal judge on Wednesday paused a challenge to a Florida law that restricts land purchases of Chinese citizens and others, saying it was prudent to wait to see what the Eleventh Circuit does with a similar challenge that has already been argued before the appeals court.
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September 25, 2024
Navajo Nation Inks $31M Deal With Bitco For Veteran Housing
The Navajo Nation said it has signed a $31 million contract with tribally owned Bitco Corp. to build 95 homes for Navajo veterans, using funds provided by President Joe Biden's American Rescue Plan Act.
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September 25, 2024
Developer Says Minn. City Made Rule To Block Mosque
A developer and its Muslim founders claimed in federal court that Islamophobia motivated Lino Lakes, Minnesota, and several of its lawmakers to approve a moratorium that blocked the construction of a mixed-use development project that featured a mosque.
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September 25, 2024
Fla. Condo's Irma Suit Dismissed After Settlement With Insurer
A Florida federal court on Wednesday dismissed a lawsuit brought by a Fort Myers Beach condominium association after it settled with an insurance company for an appraisal award that was allegedly owed for damage caused by Hurricane Irma in 2017.
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September 25, 2024
Pa. Panel Says Misspellings Don't Sink Service Of Tax Notice
The misspelling of a landowner's name on a notice of an impending tax sale did not prevent the owner from understanding their property would be auctioned off to cover unpaid taxes, a Pennsylvania appellate court ruled Wednesday.
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September 25, 2024
10th Circ. To Hear Arguments In Utah Monument Row
A Tenth Circuit panel will hear arguments on Thursday in a dispute over President Joe Biden's redesignation of 1.4 million acres of land in Utah that reclaimed the Bears Ears National Monument.
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September 25, 2024
Accountant Used Fake Tax Docs For Mortgage, Feds Say
A managing director at consulting firm Alvarez & Marsal was charged in D.C. federal court with failing to file his personal tax returns for over a decade and falsifying tax documents as part of a mortgage application.
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September 25, 2024
Seattle Suburb Settles Biz Group's Suit Over Pro-Tenant Rules
A business group agreed to drop a lawsuit after a Seattle suburb backed off a pair of recently passed rules setting up just cause eviction protections and banning "abusive and deceptive" practices among landlords, even as the city kept other policies favoring tenants in effect.
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September 25, 2024
11th Circ. Weighs Sovereignty In Ala. Burial Ground Fight
An Eleventh Circuit judge on Wednesday described a lower court's ruling in a dispute between two tribes over an ancient Alabama burial site as problematic, arguing that it failed to evaluate sovereign immunity status on a claim-by-claim basis and instead lumped it together, against precedent.
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September 25, 2024
Marriott Gets $8M Default Win In TM Robocall Scam Case
A Virginia federal judge has granted Marriott International Inc. the maximum damages that the law allows for the company's trademark infringement claims against a pair of Mexican firms it accused of using its "Marriott Marks" for a robocall scam, ending the claims with an $8 million default judgment.
Expert Analysis
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Opinion
Requiring Leave To File Amicus Briefs Is A Bad Idea
A proposal to amend the Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure that would require parties to get court permission before filing federal amicus briefs would eliminate the long-standing practice of consent filing and thereby make the process less open and democratic, says Lawrence Ebner at the Atlantic Legal Foundation and DRI Center.
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4 Ways To Motivate Junior Attorneys To Bring Their Best
As Gen Z and younger millennial attorneys increasingly express dissatisfaction with their work and head for the exits, the lawyers who manage them must understand and attend to their needs and priorities to boost engagement and increase retention, says Stacey Schwartz at Katten.
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Calif. Ruling Shows Limits Of Exculpatory Lease Clauses
A California court's recent decision in Epochal Enterprises v. LF Encinitas Properties, finding a landlord liable for failing to disclose the presence of asbestos on the subject property, underscores the limits of exculpatory clauses' ability to safeguard landlords from liability where known hazards are present, say Fawaz Bham and Javier De Luna at Hunton.
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What Nevada 'Superbasin' Ruling Means For Water Users
The Nevada Supreme Court's recent decision in Sullivan v. Lincoln County Water District, affirming that the state can manage multiple predesignated water basins as one "superbasin," significantly broadens the scope of water constraints that project developers in Nevada and throughout the West may need to consider, say attorneys at Perkins Coie.
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Series
Calif. Banking Brief: All The Notable Legal Updates In Q1
The first quarter of the year brought the usual onslaught of new regulatory developments in California — including a crackdown on junk fees imposed by small business lenders, a big step forward for online notarizations and a ban on predatory listing agreements, says Alex Grigorians at Hanson Bridgett.
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2nd Circ. Ruling Clarifies When Demand Letters Are Claims
The Second Circuit’s decision last week in Pine Management v. Colony Insurance, affirming that an insurer had no obligation to defend an insured for claims made before the policy period, provides clarity on when presuit demands for relief constitute claims — an important issue that may be dispositive of coverage, says Bonnie Thompson at Lavin Rindner.
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Series
Serving As A Sheriff's Deputy Made Me A Better Lawyer
Skills developed during my work as a reserve deputy — where there was a need to always be prepared, decisive and articulate — transferred to my practice as an intellectual property litigator, and my experience taught me that clients often appreciate and relate to the desire to participate in extracurricular activities, says Michael Friedland at Friedland Cianfrani.
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Former Minn. Chief Justice Instructs On Writing Better Briefs
Former Minnesota Supreme Court Chief Justice Lorie Gildea, now at Greenberg Traurig, offers strategies on writing more effective appellate briefs from her time on the bench.
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Preparing For Possible Calif. Criminal Antitrust Enforcement
Though a recent announcement that the California Attorney General's Office will resume criminal prosecutions in support of its antitrust enforcement may be mere saber-rattling, companies and their counsel should nevertheless be prepared for interactions with the California AG's Antitrust Section that are not limited to civil liability issues, say Dylan Ballard and Lillian Sun at V&E.
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Stay Interviews Are Key To Retaining Legal Talent
Even as the economy shifts and layoffs continue, law firms still want to retain their top attorneys, and so-called stay interviews — informal conversations with employees to identify potential issues before they lead to turnover — can be a crucial tool for improving retention and morale, say Tina Cohen Nicol and Kate Reder Sheikh at Major Lindsey.
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Payment Provision Lessons From NJ Construction Ruling
A New Jersey appellate court's decision in Bil-Jim v. Wyncrest, holding that an American Institute of Architects contract was not an installment contract, highlights both the complexities of statute of limitations calculations and the significant consequences that can arise from minor differences in contract language, say Mitchell Taraschi and Zac Brower at Connell Foley.
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Series
Spray Painting Makes Me A Better Lawyer
My experiences as an abstract spray paint artist have made me a better litigator, demonstrating — in more ways than one — how fluidity and flexibility are necessary parts of a successful legal practice, says Erick Sandlin at Bracewell.
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Conn. Loan Law Tweaks May Have 3 Major Effects On Lenders
Recently proposed minor amendments to Connecticut’s consumer protection laws could nonetheless mean major and unexpected changes to state consumer financial services regulations that dictate how lenders and their customer-facing service providers handle fee payments, mortgage servicer licensing and private student loans, says Jonathan Joshua at Joshua Law Firm.
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A Legal Playbook For Stadium Construction Agreements
As a new wave of construction in the professional sports arena space gets underway, owners must carefully consider the unique considerations and risks associated with these large-scale projects and draft agreements accordingly, say attorneys at Akerman.
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Opinion
Judicial Independence Is Imperative This Election Year
As the next election nears, the judges involved in the upcoming trials against former President Donald Trump increasingly face political pressures and threats of violence — revealing the urgent need to safeguard judicial independence and uphold the rule of law, says Benes Aldana at the National Judicial College.