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Real Estate
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July 12, 2024
Conn. Justices Avoid Entanglement Issues In Rabbi Land Row
The Connecticut Supreme Court on Friday agreed that a property dispute between the Chabad Lubavitch of Western and Southern New England Inc. and a Stamford rabbi belongs before a private religious panel, settling the case on arbitration principles and declining to analyze broader entanglement questions.
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July 12, 2024
FCC Warns NY Landowners To Shut Down Pirate Radio
The Federal Communications Commission has warned more than a dozen landowners in metro New York to shut down pirate radio broadcasting from their properties or face fines up to nearly $2.4 million.
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July 12, 2024
Real Estate Recap: Mall Makeovers, Military Land, Fundraising
Catch up on this week's key developments by state from Law360 Real Estate Authority, including one Big Four retail leader's take on mall potential, the U.S. Treasury's increasing scrutiny of land deals with national security concerns, and a midyear look at private real estate fundraising trends.
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July 12, 2024
Payments To Ex-Wife Should Be Deductible, 11th Circ. Told
A Georgia man told the Eleventh Circuit on Friday that his payments to his ex-wife as part of a marital settlement should qualify as alimony and therefore be deductible from his federal income taxes, asking the court to reverse a U.S. Tax Court decision.
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July 12, 2024
Lawmakers Unveil $1B Water Infrastructure Bill For Ariz. Tribe
A bipartisan group of Arizona federal lawmakers has introduced legislation in both houses of Congress to ratify and provide just over $1 billion in funding to resolve the Yavapai-Apache Nation's water rights claims and bring additional supplies to the Verde Valley.
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July 12, 2024
Pa. Drive-In Dinged For Sleepovers In No-Campground Zone
A Pennsylvania drive-in movie theater's "overnight passes" for guests to stay after a late-night showing or for multiple days of a movie marathon effectively made the theater into a campground and ran afoul of township zoning ordinances, a state appellate court ruled Friday.
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July 12, 2024
Va. Tax Head Upholds Denial Of Resident's Subtraction
Virginia residents were properly denied an income tax subtraction that they claimed because of recaptured depreciation that came from the sale of a rental property, the state tax commissioner ruled.
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July 12, 2024
Wayfair Says Contractor On 1st Megastore Stiffed Vendors
Online retailer Wayfair LLC says the company it hired to oversee the build-out of its first "large-format" brick and mortar location failed to pay multiple subcontractors on the project, forcing Wayfair to pay the subcontractors directly to ensure that the store opened on time, according to a complaint filed Friday.
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July 12, 2024
Saul Ewing Adds Entertainment, Real Estate Litigator In LA
Saul Ewing has added as a partner in its Los Angeles office a trial attorney with a nearly 30-year track record of representing public and private companies, along with executives and investors in entertainment and real estate disputes.
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July 12, 2024
Conn. Landlord Loses COVID-Era Lease Fight With Eatery
A Connecticut landlord did not tender an "unequivocal ultimatum" booting an eatery from a parcel of property, an appellate panel ruled Friday, finding that since the landlord vacillated between kicking the tenant off its Wallingford land and accepting payments, a 2020 eviction notice had no effect.
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July 12, 2024
UK Litigation Roundup: Here's What You Missed In London
This past week in London has seen the owner of the Lambretta scooter brand Innocenti SA embroiled in a trademark dispute with a property developer, a clash between two art dealers over a collection of tapestries, Telecom Italia pursue a debt claim against a competing telecommunications company, and performing arts trade union Equity hit a casting directory for charging unfair subscription fees on actors. Here, Law360 looks at these and other new claims in the U.K.
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July 11, 2024
2nd Circ. Backs Disbarred Atty's Prison Term For Fraud Plea
A disbarred California attorney can't reverse a Manhattan federal court's 5½-year prison sentence and $5.5 million restitution order that followed his guilty plea to wire fraud for a real estate and venture fraud scheme, the Second Circuit ruled Thursday.
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July 11, 2024
Biden's FDIC Pick Hangs Tough Amid GOP Doubts On Record
President Joe Biden's candidate for Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. chair faced scrutiny Thursday as Republican senators at her nomination hearing expressed their skepticism about her readiness to lead the agency, but her critics nevertheless appeared unlikely to derail her prospects for confirmation outright.
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July 11, 2024
Texas AG Claims He's About To Be Impeached Again
In a social media post about an upcoming Texas House committee meeting, Attorney General Ken Paxton said "weak-kneed" establishment Republicans and Democrats are conspiring on a second impeachment effort to try to remove him from office — a claim the committee chair called "farfetched fantasy."
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July 11, 2024
All Grand Jury Witnesses Get Civil Immunity, Colo. Panel Says
A Colorado state appeals court held for the first time Thursday that all types of grand jury witnesses have absolute immunity for their testimony, though they don't have sweeping protection for statements made before the proceedings start.
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July 11, 2024
7th Circ. Revives CFPB's Lender Redlining Suit
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau should be allowed to pursue claims that a mortgage lender illegally disparaged majority-Black neighborhoods, the Seventh Circuit said Thursday, finding the agency was empowered to enforce violations against prospective borrowers.
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July 11, 2024
Allstate Must Face Deflated Payments Suit, Judge Rules
Allstate cannot escape a proposed class action accusing the insurer of wrongfully depreciating labor costs as part of actual cash value payments to insureds for property damage, an Arizona federal judge ruled, finding that the named plaintiff didn't lack standing and that her claims weren't time-barred.
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July 11, 2024
Fire Fee Reversal Risks 'Chaos' For Cities, Detroit Says
The city of Detroit urged Michigan Supreme Court justices to leave in place a decision that said its fire inspection fees are not a disguised unlawful tax because reversing it could send municipalities into "chaos" over their permit and license fee practices.
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July 11, 2024
Condo Owner Can Sue Over Icy Sidewalk, Mich. Justices Rule
A condominium owners' association can be sued by a member who slipped on ice in a common area, the Michigan Supreme Court ruled Thursday, finding an association has a duty to exercise reasonable care to protect condo owners in shared spaces.
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July 11, 2024
Judge Grants Tesoro Injunction In Pipeline Fight With Feds
A North Dakota federal judge has granted a Marathon Petroleum Corp. subsidiary's request for an injunction to block an Interior Department order vacating several decisions related to a pipeline crossing through part of the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation.
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July 11, 2024
Pa. Condo Owner Group Takes Inner-Tower Conflict To Court
The residents association of a downtown Pittsburgh condo building sued the building's commercial association in state court, alleging they have been improperly denied access to commercial sections of the building needed to complete HVAC repair work.
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July 11, 2024
'Bridgegate' Defense Offers Road Map For NJ RICO Case
Counsel for the powerful New Jersey mogul and Democratic operatives facing explosive racketeering charges are likely to justify their actions as just business, experts told Law360, describing defense tactics similar to the ones that absolved defendants in "Bridgegate," New Jersey's most notorious politics-fueled crime in recent history.
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July 10, 2024
Utah Goes 'Too Far' In Seeking Order Clarity, Tribe Says
A Native American tribe asked a federal district judge Tuesday to deny a bid by Utah to clarify a June order that dismissed the tribe's racial-bidding scheme claims against several state officials, arguing that the state is using the request as a vehicle to ax all remaining allegations in the tribe's suit.
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July 10, 2024
Washington Justices To Tackle CARES Act Eviction Split
Washington's Supreme Court has agreed to review whether the CARES Act eviction notice only applies to tenants who are late on rent, and not to violent tenants targeted by landlords for quick removal.
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July 10, 2024
NJ Panel Says Tax Amendment Challenge Had No Real Claim
A New Jersey state appeals court on Wednesday tossed a challenge to an amendment blocking certain appeals from being litigated in the state's tax court, reasoning that parties can still fight tax matters in trial court.
Expert Analysis
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A Checklist For Lenders Preparing For CRE Loan Defaults
Considering the recent interest rate environment, lenders should brush up on the proper steps that they should take when preparing to respond to a borrower's default on a commercial real estate loan, and borrowers should understand what lenders will be reviewing, says attorney Norma Williams.
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7th Circ Joins Trend Of No CGL Coverage For Structural Flaws
The Seventh Circuit, which recently held potential structural instability did not count as property damage under a construction company's commercial general liability policy, joins a growing consensus that faulty work does not implicate coverage without tangible and present damage to the project, say Sarah Abrams at Baleen Specialty, and Elan Kandel and James Talbert at Bailey Cavalieri.
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Series
In The CFPB Playbook: Making Good On Bold Promises
The U.S. Supreme Court's decision upholding the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's funding structure in the second quarter cleared the way for the bureau to resume a number of high-priority initiatives, and it appears poised to charge ahead in working toward its aggressive preelection agenda, say Andrew Arculin and Paula Vigo Marqués at Blank Rome.
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Opinion
States Should Loosen Law Firm Ownership Restrictions
Despite growing buzz, normalized nonlawyer ownership of law firms is a distant prospect, so the legal community should focus first on liberalizing state restrictions on attorney and firm purchases of practices, which would bolster succession planning and improve access to justice, says Michael Di Gennaro at The Law Practice Exchange.
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FBI Raid Signals Growing Criminal Enforcement Of Algorithms
The U.S. Department of Justice Antitrust Division's increased willingness to pursue the use of algorithmic pricing as a potential criminal violation means that companies need to understand the software solutions they employ and stay abreast of antitrust best practices when contracting with providers, say attorneys at Rule Garza.
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State Licensing Pitfalls Mortgage Servicers Must Beware
A recent enforcement action from the Washington Department of Financial Institutions demonstrates how subtle distinctions in state mortgage servicer licensing laws may come as a surprise to some companies, even if they never directly receive payments or interact with borrowers, says Clayton Swears at Hudson Cook.
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Keys To Strong Parking, Storage Contracts For NYC Buildings
Drafting and enforcing unambiguous parking and storage unit license agreements are essential tasks for co-op and condo boards in New York City, with recent cases highlighting how prudent terms can minimize potential headaches, says Matthew Eiben at Rosenberg & Estis.
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Series
Solving Puzzles Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Tackling daily puzzles — like Wordle, KenKen and Connections — has bolstered my intellectual property litigation practice by helping me to exercise different mental skills, acknowledge minor but important details, and build and reinforce good habits, says Roy Wepner at Kaplan Breyer.
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Texas Ethics Opinion Flags Hazards Of Unauthorized Practice
The Texas Professional Ethics Committee's recently issued proposed opinion finding that in-house counsel providing legal services to the company's clients constitutes the unauthorized practice of law is a valuable clarification given that a UPL violation — a misdemeanor in most states — carries high stakes, say Hilary Gerzhoy and Julienne Pasichow at HWG.
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Realtor Settlement May Create New Antitrust Pitfalls
Following a recent antitrust settlement between the National Association of Realtors and home sellers, practices are set to change and the increased competition may benefit both brokers and homebuyers, but the loss of the customary method of buyer broker compensation could lead to new antitrust concerns, says Colin Ahler at Snell & Wilmer.
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In Memoriam: The Modern Administrative State
On June 28, the modern administrative state, where courts deferred to agency interpretations of ambiguous statutes, died when the U.S. Supreme Court overruled its previous decision in Chevron v. Natural Resources Defense Council — but it is survived by many cases decided under the Chevron framework, say Joseph Schaeffer and Jessica Deyoe at Babst Calland.
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What Fla. Ruling Means For Insurer Managed Repair Programs
A recent Florida state court ruling in Fraga v. Citizens Property Insurance, holding that the insurer could not seek to add additional terms in its managed repair program consent form, should promote clear written contract terms that clarify the relationship between insurers, policyholders and contractors, says Chip Merlin at Merlin Law Group.
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Preparing For CFPB 'Junk Fee' Push Into Mortgage Industry
As the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau considers expanding its "junk fee" initiative into mortgage closing costs, mortgage lenders and third parties must develop plans now that anticipate potential rulemaking or enforcement activity in this space, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.
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How To Clean Up Your Generative AI-Produced Legal Drafts
As law firms increasingly rely on generative artificial intelligence tools to produce legal text, attorneys should be on guard for the overuse of cohesive devices in initial drafts, and consider a few editing pointers to clean up AI’s repetitive and choppy outputs, says Ivy Grey at WordRake.
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Series
After Chevron: Opportunities For Change In FHFA Practices
The U.S. Supreme Court's overturning of the Chevron doctrine should lead to better cooperation between the Federal Housing Finance Agency and Congress, and may give the FHFA a chance to embrace transparency and innovation and promote sustainable housing practices, says Mehdi Sinaki at Michelman & Robinson.