Real Estate

  • June 04, 2024

    SEC Shutters Salt Lake City Office, Shifts Cases To Denver

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission said on Tuesday that it will close its Salt Lake City office for budgetary and organizational purposes, saying that the caseload of the office, which among other things handled the troubled Debt Box case, will now be handled by staff in Denver.

  • June 04, 2024

    Developer, Buyer Settle $10M Miami Condo Dispute

    A German citizen and a developer have settled their dispute over a $9.6 million deal to buy a highly customized duplex condominium unit in a new Miami high rise, according to a notice filed in Florida federal court Monday.

  • June 04, 2024

    Experian Accuses Firms Of Fake Mortgage Denial Scheme

    Credit reporting law firm Stein Saks PLLC headed up a nationwide scheme to "extort" Experian into settling "sham" lawsuits by consumers through creating fake credit denial letters in order to inflate damages and bolster their consumers' suits, according to a federal lawsuit filed by the credit reporting agency.

  • June 04, 2024

    Simpson Reps Frontdoor On $585M Home Warranty Co. Buy

    Simpson Thacher is representing Frontdoor Inc. on a newly inked deal to buy fellow home warranties provider 2-10 Home Buyers Warranty, guided by Ropes & Gray, for $585 million in cash, according to a statement Tuesday.

  • June 04, 2024

    11th Circ. Affirms Nix Of IRS Easement Disclosure Guidance

    The Eleventh Circuit affirmed Tuesday that an Internal Revenue Service notice imposing reporting requirements on potentially abusive conservation easements was invalid because the agency failed to solicit the public feedback required by administrative law.

  • June 04, 2024

    GRSM50 Gains Liability Partner In San Diego

    Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani LLP, the firm now known as GRSM50, has hired an attorney from Murchison & Cumming LLP, who joins the firm in California to continue her general liability practice, the firm announced Monday.

  • June 03, 2024

    PacifiCorp To Pay $178M To 400 Oregonians Over Fires

    PacifiCorp has agreed to pay $178 million to more than 400 Oregon residents affected by a cluster of wildfires that burned more than a million acres of land on Labor Day 2020 amid dangerously dry and windy weather conditions, the utility announced Monday.

  • June 03, 2024

    Some Racketeering Claims In $92M Award Suit Can Proceed

    A Monaco bank and a Luxembourg lawyer and trust administrator must face racketeering claims accusing them of helping to hide the fortune of a Russian businessman who's on the hook for a $92 million arbitral award, a California federal judge ruled on Friday.

  • June 03, 2024

    Treasury Aims To Salvage Corp. Transparency Act At 11th Circ.

    The Corporate Transparency Act is a valid exercise of congressional authority to curb money laundering under the commerce clause and the necessary and proper clause in the Constitution, the U.S. Treasury Department told the Eleventh Circuit on Monday in a bid to restore the law's reporting requirements.

  • June 03, 2024

    Corcoran Settles Nonprofit's Housing Voucher Bias Suit

    A housing rights nonprofit has agreed to drop its housing voucher bias claims against real estate company Corcoran Group, which was accused in New York state court of discriminating against prospective tenants who use federal Housing Choice vouchers.

  • June 03, 2024

    'Luxury' Wasn't Part Of Mansion Deal, 3rd Circ. Told

    An attorney for a luxury home-building company asked the Third Circuit on Monday to throw out a six-figure judgment against the company for allegedly falling short on its promise to construct a high-end house for two Western Pennsylvania homeowners, arguing the customers' suit was not based on promises made in the contract but on vague marketing statements.

  • June 03, 2024

    Catching Up With Delaware's Chancery Court

    Delaware's Court of Chancery pushed out tons of decisions last week, along with a second round of new rules and letters of concern over pending changes to the state's corporate law code. The court's docket was as busy as ever, with new cases involving Tesla CEO Elon Musk, FTX cryptocurrency claims, and more. In case you missed it, here's the latest from Delaware's Chancery Court.

  • June 03, 2024

    Bid To Disqualify Firm In Hawaii Warehouse Suit Denied

    A Hawaii federal magistrate judge has denied a bid to disqualify McCorriston Miller Mukai MacKinnon LLP from representing Schulte Building Systems in litigation accusing the manufacturer of producing shoddy steel components for certain agricultural warehouses in Oahu.

  • June 03, 2024

    Real Estate Co., Nationwide Settle CFO Theft Dispute

    A New York federal judge agreed to dismiss a coverage dispute between a property management company and Nationwide Mutual Insurance Co. over nearly $1 million that the company's former chief financial officer was accused of stealing, following the parties' notice that they reached an agreement.

  • June 03, 2024

    Calif. Justices Free Woman From Misdemeanor Pot Charges

    The California Supreme Court has thrown out misdemeanor cannabis-related charges against an 85-year-old woman, finding the trial court was within its discretion to consider her lack of knowledge of the unlicensed operation happening in her building.

  • June 03, 2024

    Minn. Tax Court Lowers Home Value Over Native Burial Mound

    The valuation of a lakeside parcel including a legally protected Native American burial mound must be lowered because a split of the property as envisioned by assessors would have been unlikely to gain the needed approvals, the Minnesota Tax Court said.

  • June 01, 2024

    Blockbuster Summer: 10 Big Issues Justices Still Must Decide

    As the calendar flips over to June, the U.S. Supreme Court still has heaps of cases to decide on issues ranging from trademark registration rules to judicial deference and presidential immunity. Here, Law360 looks at 10 of the most important topics the court has yet to decide.

  • May 31, 2024

    Real Estate Recap: Courthouse Facelifts, Appraisal Bias

    Catch up on this week's key developments by state from Law360 Real Estate Authority — including how federal money will refresh seven courthouses around the country and what Freddie Mac's former multifamily appraisal chief thinks about appraisal bias and market distress.

  • May 31, 2024

    Zillow Rival Tells 9th Circ. Listing Snub Not 'Optional'

    Defunct brokerage platform REX-Real Estate Exchange Inc. urged the Ninth Circuit to revive its deceptive practices suit against Zillow, arguing a Washington federal judge wrongly let the property listing giant off the hook for relegating REX home sale listings to a secondary tab on its website.

  • May 31, 2024

    Texas Justices To Take On Parking Garage Easement Suit

    The Texas Supreme Court agreed Friday to review a Texas appellate court's decision granting judgment to a garage owner who refused to allow the tenants and employees of a downtown office building continue parking in the garage despite a written parking easement.

  • May 31, 2024

    Judge Axes Class Claims In Navy Federal Discrimination Suit

    A Virginia federal judge has cut claims and denied class certification in a suit accusing Navy Federal Credit Union of racial lending discrimination, saying the statistical evidence from media reports does not establish intentional discrimination.

  • May 31, 2024

    9th Circ. Says LA's COVID-19 Eviction Ban Was No Taking

    The Ninth Circuit on Friday declined to reinstate a Los Angeles landlord's $100 million suit challenging the city's pandemic-era eviction ban, finding it didn't constitute a physical taking since the landlord "voluntarily opened" his property to tenants, and that loss of rental income itself doesn't establish a governmental taking.

  • May 31, 2024

    Utah Sues To Throttle Federal Glenn Canyon ATV Limits

    The state of Utah is arguing that federal officials can't enforce a 2021 ban on ATVs and other off-road vehicles in sections of the Glenn Canyon National Recreational Area, in a federal lawsuit claiming immunity from rules that grew out of a 2005 lawsuit brought by environmental groups.

  • May 31, 2024

    Colo. Establishes Middle-Income Housing Tax Credits

    Colorado is creating a pilot program to provide a tax credit for developers of housing aimed at middle-income residents under a bill signed into law by Gov. Jared Polis.

  • May 31, 2024

    Race Bias Suit Against Ga. Housing Authority Trimmed

    A Georgia federal judge has narrowed the scope of a civil rights lawsuit filed by a woman who said she was denied a senior position with a local housing authority after leaders found out she'd sued her prior employer, tossing several claims Friday against the ex-chairman of the authority's board.

Expert Analysis

  • What Recent Study Shows About AI's Promise For Legal Tasks

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    Amid both skepticism and excitement about the promise of generative artificial intelligence in legal contexts, the first randomized controlled trial studying its impact on basic lawyering tasks shows mixed but promising results, and underscores the need for attorneys to proactively engage with AI, says Daniel Schwarcz at University of Minnesota Law School.

  • How FinCEN Proposal Expands RE Transaction Obligations

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    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.

  • How Calif. Video Recording Ruling May Affect Insured Exams

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    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.

  • Litigation Inspiration: A Source Of Untapped Fulfillment

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    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.

  • Unpacking FinCEN's Proposed Real Estate Transaction Rule

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    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.

  • Series

    Skiing Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    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.

  • Texas Insurance Ruling Could Restore Finality To Appraisal

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    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.

  • Think Like A Lawyer: Forget Everything You Know About IRAC

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    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.

  • The Corporate Transparency Act Isn't Dead Yet

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    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.

  • New FinCEN Guide Provides Useful BOI Context For Banks

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    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.

  • How Firms Can Ensure Associate Gender Parity Lasts

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    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.

  • Opinion

    Contractors Need Protection From NJ Homeowner Protections

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    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.

  • Opinion

    NY Shouldn't Pair 421-a Restoration And Good Cause Eviction

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    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.

  • 7 Common Myths About Lateral Partner Moves

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    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.

  • Series

    Cheering In The NFL Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    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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