Real Estate

  • November 15, 2024

    Pa. Top Court Snapshot: Silent Partners, Skill Games In Nov.

    The Pennsylvania Supreme Court's November argument schedule will task the justices with determining whether a property owner's absentee partner is an "indispensable party," whether CBD oil is reimbursable under workers' comp, and whether operating legally gray "skill games" should disqualify someone from getting a gaming license.

  • November 15, 2024

    Political Fundraiser Avoids Jail In LA 'Casino Loyale' Probe

    A former political fundraiser was sentenced by a California federal judge Friday to one year of home detention for facilitating a bribe to former Los Angeles City Councilman José Huizar, the latest in a string of recent sentences handed out to cooperating witnesses in the FBI's "Casino Loyale" probe.

  • November 15, 2024

    Denver Voters Reject Sales Tax Hike For Affordable Housing

    Denver voters narrowly rejected a ballot measure that would have increased the city's sales and use tax by 0.5 percentage points and dedicated the anticipated $100 million in revenue to the city's affordable housing efforts.

  • November 15, 2024

    Ga. Panel Says Homeowners Must Arbitrate Boundary Spat

    The Georgia Court of Appeals on Friday ordered a property line spat between a construction company and a homeowner sent to arbitration, reversing a trial court's ruling that the issue fell outside the bounds of an arbitration provision within the original sale contract.

  • November 15, 2024

    Detroit 'Rain Tax' Stormwater Fees Upheld By Appellate Court

    Fees that Detroit charges property owners to maintain its stormwater drainage system are not illegal taxes, a Michigan Court of Appeals panel held, finding that although the charges are effectively compulsory, they are not subject to constitutional restrictions on tax increases.

  • November 15, 2024

    Ga. Attys Named Co-Class Counsel In BioLab Fire Suit

    The judge overseeing a proposed class action filed against chemical manufacturer BioLab Inc. in the aftermath of an industrial fire at its Conyers, Georgia, plant gave four firms the green light to take the helm of the plaintiffs' case, clearing the way for the filing of a consolidated amended complaint.

  • November 15, 2024

    Ex-McElroy Deutsch Exec Says Firm Has No Claim On House

    The former McElroy Deutsch Mulvaney & Carpenter LLP business development director whose husband pled guilty to stealing millions from the firm has argued that the time has come for the court to toss an attempt by the firm to put her house in a constructive trust.

  • November 15, 2024

    NASA Shopping For New DC-Area Headquarters

    NASA said it is assessing options for a new headquarters in the Washington, D.C., area, in anticipation of the 2028 expiration of its current lease.

  • November 15, 2024

    UK Litigation Roundup: Here's What You Missed In London

    This past week in London has seen Ocado file an intellectual property claim against an African fruit and vegetable importer, a claim filed against a Swiss bank founded by Indian billionaire Srichand Parmanand Hinduja and 300 individuals sue travel company TUI. Here, Law360 looks at these and other new claims in the U.K.

  • November 14, 2024

    Judge Presses SEC Over 'Rogue Employee' In PE Fund Fight

    A Texas federal judge grilled the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission over the circumstances that led to a private equity fund suing the regulator alleging it carried out a "fishing expedition" investigation, asking the agency about a "rogue employee" during a hearing Thursday.

  • November 14, 2024

    Biden Admin Backs Controversial Alaskan Land Swap, Road

    The Biden administration is backing a federal land swap that will allow a road to be built through Alaska's Izembek National Wildlife Refuge, while conservation groups and tribes say the move will cause major impacts to the area's migratory birds and cut off a food source for Indigenous communities.

  • November 14, 2024

    McDonald's Vendor Says Partner Owes Him $6M Over Ice-Out

    A longtime property management vendor for McDonald's Corp. is accusing a business partner of pushing him out of their company just as it was poised to triple the number of sites it would maintain for the fast-food chain, in a $6 million lawsuit filed Thursday in Massachusetts state court.

  • November 14, 2024

    Atlanta Developer Says City Dodging Discovery In Property Fight

    An Atlanta landowner suing the city over its allegedly illegal condemnation of a disused fast food joint has asked a Georgia federal judge to keep the suit alive, telling the court the city can't win a recent summary judgment bid while discovery remains open.

  • November 14, 2024

    DC Council Issues Housing Tax Break Emergency Resolution

    The District of Columbia Council approved an emergency resolution to enact legislation to implement a competitive process for the provision of tax abatements for housing developments while a recently passed measure to permanently authorize that process faces congressional review before it becomes law.

  • November 14, 2024

    Conn. Atty Must Pay $282K Default In Estate's Home Sale Suit

    A Connecticut attorney must pay a $282,000 default judgment for distributing real estate proceeds to at least one "unknown party" and writing a bad check to a trust beneficiary after a $1.2 million home sale, a state trial court judge has ruled.

  • November 14, 2024

    NY Contractor Cops To Aiding Theft In Commercial Bribe Case

    A New York contractor pled guilty on Thursday in the Manhattan district attorney's commercial bribery case alleging dozens of construction industry defendants conspired to steal from developers in a sprawling kickback scheme involving $100 million in contracts.

  • November 13, 2024

    Telecom Co. Lumen's Contract Breach Suit Survives, For Now

    A Colorado federal judge on Tuesday ruled that an engineering consulting firm is liable to telecommunications company Lumen Technologies for damages caused by a subcontractor's faulty structural analysis, but said she couldn't yet rule on whether Florida law and a two-year statute of limitation barred Lumen's claims against the firm.

  • November 13, 2024

    Boston Says Celebrity Chef Owes $1.6M In Taxes

    The city of Boston is taking celebrity chef Barbara Lynch to court, alleging that for more than a decade she has failed to pay over $1.6 million in personal property taxes for her group of restaurants, which she is in the process of closing and attempting to sell.

  • November 13, 2024

    Detroit Fire Fee Ruling Concerns Mich. Justice

    A Michigan Supreme Court justice on Wednesday said he was troubled by a lower appellate ruling he said seemed to imply that municipalities can work around a state law barring sneaky taxes, in this case by stating a charge for fire prevention services is really just the cost of a permit allowing property owners to do business in Detroit.

  • November 13, 2024

    Madigan's Atty Seeks To Discredit Key Government Witness

    The cross-examination of a former ComEd executive who wore a wire for the government as it built its corruption case against ex-Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan veered Wednesday into the informant's messy divorce proceedings and his failure to disclose felony charges when trying to buy a gun to kill snakes, as Madigan's attorneys tried to call his credibility into question.

  • November 13, 2024

    Short-Term Rental Owners 'Unreasonable,' Dallas Tells Court

    A Dallas short-term rental advocacy organization loves to focus on property rights, but it never considered the rights of neighbors who want safe neighborhoods and don't want to live next to an active business, a city attorney told a Fifth Court of Appeals panel during oral arguments Wednesday.

  • November 13, 2024

    Judge To Confirm Ambri Ch. 11 Wind-Down Plan

    A Delaware bankruptcy judge Wednesday agreed to approve the Chapter 11 plan of battery company Ambri Inc., which will sell its assets to its lenders and wind down.

  • November 13, 2024

    Insurer Says Condo That Prevented Hunting Has No Coverage

    The insurer for a homeowners association asked a South Carolina federal court Wednesday to determine that a dispute over the organization's attempt to ban residents from hunting deer on their property was not owed coverage under its policy's provisions.

  • November 13, 2024

    $1.2M Excessive Hammering Spat Not Covered, Insurer Says

    An insurer for a Nashville subcontractor told a Tennessee federal court that it doesn't owe coverage for an underlying $2.5 million lawsuit brought by residents surrounding a project site where the subcontractor was doing demolition work, arguing that the underlying suit falls under several exclusions.

  • November 13, 2024

    Insurer Says No Coverage For House Fire Caused By Owner

    A property insurer said it doesn't owe coverage to a woman whose Biloxi, Mississippi, home was destroyed in a fire, telling a federal court that its investigation into the loss suggested that the owner started the blaze.

Expert Analysis

  • Co-Tenancy Clause Pointers For Shopping Center Landlords

    Author Photo

    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.

  • Assessing Algorithmic Versus Generative AI Pricing Tools

    Author Photo

    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.

  • Navigating A Potpourri Of Possible Transparency Act Pitfalls

    Author Photo

    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.

  • Series

    After Chevron: Conservation Rule Already Faces Challenges

    Author Photo

    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.

  • DOJ Must Overcome Hurdles In RealPage Antitrust Case

    Author Photo

    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.

  • Keys To Successful Commercial Property Insurance Claims

    Excerpt from Practical Guidance
    Author Photo

    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.

  • How Companies Are Approaching Insider Trading Policies

    Author Photo

    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.

  • Tips For Handling Single Asset Real Estate Bankruptcy Cases

    Excerpt from Practical Guidance
    Author Photo

    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.

  • What To Know About CFPB Stance On Confidentiality Terms

    Author Photo

    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.

  • How Methods Are Evolving In Textualist Interpretations

    Author Photo

    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.

  • What's Next For Federal Preemption In Financial Services

    Author Photo

    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.

  • Increased Scrutiny Raises Int'l Real Estate Transaction Risks

    Author Photo

    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.

  • Financial Incentives May Alleviate Affordable Housing Crisis

    Author Photo

    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.

  • Why Attorneys Should Consider Community Leadership Roles

    Author Photo

    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.

  • Firms Must Offer A Trifecta Of Services In Post-Chevron World

    Author Photo

    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.

Want to publish in Law360?


Submit an idea

Have a news tip?


Contact us here
Can't find the article you're looking for? Click here to search the Real Estate archive.
Hello! I'm Law360's automated support bot.

How can I help you today?

For example, you can type:
  • I forgot my password
  • I took a free trial but didn't get a verification email
  • How do I sign up for a newsletter?
Ask a question!