Real Estate

  • October 15, 2024

    Simpson Thacher, Milbank Guide $2B DataBank Equity Raise

    Data center developer and operator DataBank announced on Tuesday it has raised $2 billion in equity, led by AustralianSuper's $1.5 billion commitment, in an investment round arranged by Simpson Thacher and Milbank.

  • October 15, 2024

    Law Firms Diverge As Anti-ESG Pushback Continues

    A continuing onslaught of legislation and litigation opposing corporate environmental, social and governance actions has created a fork in the road for law firms, with some choosing to scale back efforts and others pushing ahead with their internal ESG and diversity, equity and inclusion goals.

  • October 15, 2024

    The 2024 Law360 Pulse Social Impact Leaders

    Check out our Social Impact Leaders ranking, analysis and interactive graphics to see which firms stand out for their engagement with social responsibility and commitment to pro bono service.

  • October 15, 2024

    Justices Reject Homebuilder Case Over Minn. Fee Scale

    The U.S. Supreme Court has refused to hear claims from a homebuilders' trade group that a court failed to consider whether "valuation-based" permit fees that scale higher for more expensive projects should match the support two Minneapolis suburbs provide.

  • October 11, 2024

    Real Estate Recap: Rating Climate Risk, Window Tech, Towers

    Catch up on this past week's key developments by state from Law360 Real Estate Authority — including a data-driven look at how climate risk is calculated for property owners, what one proptech company is doing to improve high-rise window-washing, and a new tracker following the tallest tower projects in the United States.

  • October 11, 2024

    11th Circ. Reinstates, Remands Alabama Burial Ground Fight

    An Eleventh Circuit panel on Friday vacated and remanded a lower court's order in a fight between two Alabama tribes over a sacred burial site, saying it failed to review the litigation's sovereign immunity issues on a claim-by-claim basis.

  • October 11, 2024

    Fla. Suit Over $79M Bezos Property Purchase Moves Forward

    A Florida state court judge on Friday denied a motion to dismiss a lawsuit accusing a real estate broker of misrepresenting that Amazon founder Jeff Bezos wasn't the true purchaser of a $79 million property on Miami's exclusive Indian Creek Island, causing the seller to reduce the listing price by millions.

  • October 11, 2024

    Wash. Tribal Panel Upholds Eviction Ruling Against Families

    An appeals court for Washington state's Nooksack Indian Tribe has declined to reconsider a ruling that would evict a group of families claiming title under a federal homeownership program.

  • October 11, 2024

    Parties Look To Vacate 40-Year-Old Ore. Tribal Fishing Decree

    The U.S. government, Oregon and a Native American tribe are asking a federal court to vacate a 1980 agreement that established hunting and fishing rights for the tribe, arguing that the consent decree was a product of its time and represented a distorted view on tribal sovereignty.

  • October 11, 2024

    RICO Suit Accuses VC Co. Of Falsely Claiming Native Ties

    Three California corporations have hit the owners and operators of a venture capital firm with a racketeering suit in federal court, accusing them of falsely claiming they have Native American ties and can procure grants and loans for development projects managed by non-Native entrepreneurs.

  • October 11, 2024

    EB-5 Investor Urges Rollback Of Immigration Fee Hikes

    An EB-5 immigrant investor urged a Colorado federal judge to set aside controversial immigration fee increases that took effect in April, arguing that a 2022 law required a study from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security before the immigrant investor program fees could be raised.

  • October 11, 2024

    Bellwether Plaintiffs Let Halliburton Escape Pollution Dispute

    Two bellwether plaintiffs in litigation seeking to hold the owners and operators of a former pipe manufacturing facility liable for contamination have agreed to permanently drop their claims against Halliburton Energy Services.

  • October 11, 2024

    J&J Should Pay $30M For Developer's Cancer, Conn. Jury Told

    Attorneys for a western Massachusetts real estate developer on Friday urged a Connecticut jury to award $30 million for past and future suffering to a lifelong Johnson & Johnson baby powder user diagnosed with mesothelioma, but the company's attorneys suggested $4 million was a more reasonable figure while contesting liability whatsoever.

  • October 11, 2024

    Julie Chrisley Appeals Ga. Judge's Resentencing Ruling

    Former real estate mogul and reality television star Julie Chrisley, who was convicted of running a yearslong bank fraud scheme with her husband, Todd, is appealing a federal judge's decision to resentence her to the same seven-year prison term she first received nearly two years ago.

  • October 11, 2024

    Feds Designate 3rd-Largest Marine Sanctuary Off Calif. Coast

    The Biden administration on Friday said the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is designating more than 4,500 square miles of ocean off California's central coast as the Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary.

  • October 11, 2024

    Fox Rothschild Aims To Exit Malpractice Suit Over Land Row

    Fox Rothschild LLP has called on a New Jersey state court to throw out malpractice claims leveled against it by two siblings who accused a lawyer at the firm of bungling a 1984 property deed and 1993 trust belonging to their stepfather, arguing the sisters are trying to improperly hold it responsible for purported, decades-old negligence by other law firms.

  • October 11, 2024

    Indicted NJ Power Broker Says Civil Suit Belongs In Biz Court 

    Indicted Garden State power broker George E. Norcross III has asked a New Jersey state judge to transfer the civil racketeering suit brought against him and his attorney brother by a Philadelphia developer to the state's complex business litigation program.

  • October 11, 2024

    More Ga. PFAS Suits Are Coming. Here's How Attys Prepare

    Leading attorneys in PFAS litigation say new regulations and ever-increasing lawsuits require attorneys to think carefully about proactive measures clients can take to limit PFAS use, and about the latest scientific research into how the so-called forever chemicals impact humans and the environment.

  • October 11, 2024

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

    This past week in London has seen billionaire Lakshmi Mittal sue steel magnate Sanjeev Gupta in a long-running clash to claw back €140 million ($153 million) of debt, a high-profile AI researcher take action against the Intellectual Property Office to register his software as a listed patent inventor and troubled housing trust Home Reit face a claim by a real estate developer. Here, Law360 looks at these and other new claims in the U.K.

  • October 11, 2024

    Minn. Tax Court Cuts $100K From Lakefront Cabin Value

    A Minnesota lakefront cabin property was overvalued by a county assessor, the state's tax court said, reducing the assessment by more than $100,000 and rejecting the county's comparable sales analysis.

  • October 11, 2024

    Taxation With Representation: Davis Polk, Latham, Kirkland

    In this week's Taxation With Representation, Rio Tinto agrees to acquire Arcadium Lithium for roughly $6.7 billion, Ares Management Corp. and GCP International reach a $3.7 billion deal, and Butterfly Equity announces plans to buy The Duckhorn Portfolio for $2 billion.

  • October 10, 2024

    Citadel Credit Union Reaches $6.5M Redlining Deal With DOJ

    The U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania announced Thursday it reached a deal with Citadel Federal Credit Union to settle allegations it engaged in lending discrimination in Black and Latino neighborhoods, with the credit union agreeing to invest $6.5 million in neighborhoods of color in Philadelphia.

  • October 10, 2024

    Homebuyers Tell 8th Circ. Broker Deal Gives Them Nothing

    Homebuyers are urging the Eighth Circuit to undo the approval of $208.5 million in settlements struck by real estate brokerages in the sprawling litigation over industry rules covering broker fees, saying the deals only provide money for sellers.

  • October 10, 2024

    3M, Other Cos. Hit With PFAS Contamination Class Action

    Nantucket, Massachusetts, residents seek to hold the 3M Co., The Chemours Co. and other companies liable for perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances that allegedly contaminated their properties, their drinking water and the residents themselves.

  • October 10, 2024

    Too Early To Decide Indemnification In Flood Row, BNSF Says

    Railway giant BNSF told a California federal court that it's too early for the court to decide whether two Travelers units have a duty to indemnify BNSF in a lawsuit alleging that a track relocation project BNSF undertook caused significant flooding, noting the case is still pending.

Expert Analysis

  • Series

    Round-Canopy Parachuting Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Similar to the practice of law, jumping from an in-flight airplane with nothing but training and a few yards of parachute silk is a demanding and stressful endeavor, and the experience has bolstered my legal practice by enhancing my focus, teamwork skills and sense of perspective, says Thomas Salerno at Stinson.

  • Dealmaker Lessons From CFIUS' New Enforcement Webpage

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    The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States’ recently launched webpage, which details the actions — and inactions — that led to enforcement activity, provides important insights for dealmakers about filing requirements, mitigation commitments and the cost of noncompliance, say attorneys at Dechert.

  • Why Now Is The Time For Law Firms To Hire Lateral Partners

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    Partner and associate mobility data from the second quarter of this year suggest that there's never been a better time in recent years for law firms to hire lateral candidates, particularly experienced partners — though this necessitates an understanding of potential red flags, say Julie Henson and Greg Hamman at Decipher Investigative Intelligence.

  • Reassessing Lease Provisions To Account For ESG Initiatives

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    As companies seek to build ESG considerations into their businesses, it's crucial to understand how such initiatives can quickly become significant enough to compel reassessment of lease agreement provisions, and how best to modify leases accordingly, say Julian Freeman and Gabe Pitassi at Cox Castle.

  • Considering Possible PR Risks Of Certain Legal Tactics

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    Disney and American Airlines recently abandoned certain litigation tactics in two lawsuits after fierce public backlash, illustrating why corporate counsel should consider the reputational implications of any legal strategy and partner with their communications teams to preempt public relations concerns, says Chris Gidez at G7 Reputation Advisory.

  • It's No Longer Enough For Firms To Be Trusted Advisers

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    Amid fierce competition for business, the transactional “trusted adviser” paradigm from which most firms operate is no longer sufficient — they should instead aim to become trusted partners with their most valuable clients, says Stuart Maister at Strategic Narrative.

  • Avoid Getting Burned By Agencies' Solar Financing Spotlight

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    Recently coordinated reports and advisories from the U.S. Department of the Treasury, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the Federal Trade Commission maximize the spotlight on the consumer solar financing market and highlight pitfalls for lenders to avoid in this burgeoning field, says Mercedes Tunstall at Cadwalader.

  • Co-Tenancy Clause Pointers For Shopping Center Landlords

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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
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    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

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    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
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    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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