Residential

  • April 05, 2024

    LA Agrees To Pay $1M For Delay In Homeless Camp Reduction

    The city of Los Angeles has consented to getting rid of nearly 10,000 homeless camps in the city over four years and paying $1 million in sanctions for failing to abide by its settlement agreement with a local coalition that sued Los Angeles over how it has handled its homelessness crisis.

  • April 05, 2024

    DC Circ. Says DOJ Can Reopen Realtor Antitrust Probe

    The D.C. Circuit said on Friday that the U.S. Department of Justice can reopen an antitrust investigation into the National Association of Realtors, despite an earlier agency settlement over the association's rules.

  • April 05, 2024

    Shelter Network Fights Public Camping Ban At High Court

    A network of more than 200 women's and family shelters told the U.S. Supreme Court that an Oregon city's prohibition on camping in public spaces subjects involuntarily homeless women and children — who are often put in that position due to gender-based violence — to further potential harm.

  • April 05, 2024

    Cos. Say Fair Housing Groups Can't 'Manufacture' Injury

    Property management company AION Management LLC and multiple property owners urged a Delaware federal court to dismiss a disability bias suit filed by the federal government, arguing that the government's opposition to their dismissal motion "relies on mischaracterizations" of case law and federal law.

  • April 05, 2024

    Pa. Supreme Court Snapshot: COVID Coverage Starts Spring

    The Pennsylvania Supreme Court's April lineup will prepare the justices to deliver highly anticipated guidance on whether business losses stemming COVID-19 pandemic orders should be covered by insurance and if Pittsburgh can compel rental-property owners to register and undergo training.

  • April 05, 2024

    Conn. Fraudulent Property Transfer Suit Against Atty Resolved

    A New York doctor and the real estate attorney and developer he accused of transferring his Fairfield, Connecticut, property to benefit a scammer have resolved a federal lawsuit, agreeing to quiet the title and dismiss all other causes of action, following the reported settlement of a separate state court action.

  • April 05, 2024

    NC High Court Snapshot: Law Firm Battles Defamation Suit

    The Supreme Court of North Carolina has a stacked calendar heading into spring arguments, from an appeal over Black-owned properties targeted for demolition to a law firm's attempt at dodging defamation claims over allegations of voter fraud.

  • April 05, 2024

    Redwood Trust REIT CLO Earned $2.7M In 2023

    Mill Valley, California-based real estate investment trust Redwood Trust paid Chief Legal Officer Andrew P. Stone $2.7 million in total compensation in 2023, according to a regulatory filing from the housing investor.

  • April 04, 2024

    Judge Punts 'Warning Shot' Condo Sale Bid In Giuliani Ch. 11

    A New York bankruptcy judge held off on deciding if Rudy Giuliani must sell his Florida condo Thursday, cautioning attorneys for the former New York City mayor that the official committee of unsecured creditors might take more extreme steps in the Chapter 11 case if its concerns over Giuliani's expenses aren't addressed.

  • April 04, 2024

    Homeowner Asks 9th Circ. To Rethink Fire Coverage Ruling

    A woman who was prevented from coverage of a 2021 house fire by the Ninth Circuit asked the court to rehear her case, arguing among other things that she did not lie to her insurer about renting her home, because she didn't fill out the insurance application.

  • April 04, 2024

    ISP Tells FCC Bulk Billing Deals Are Pro-Consumer

    An internet service provider is trying to convince the Federal Communications Commission that banning bulk billing in apartment buildings is not the way to go and that the arrangements are actually a "key tool for closing the digital divide."

  • April 04, 2024

    FDIC Reports Discriminatory Lending At SouthStar Bank

    The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. has downgraded SouthStar Bank's community lending rating, reporting that a review of the institution's lending practices revealed evidence of redlining, according to an evaluation released by the agency.

  • April 04, 2024

    Ginnie Mae, HUD Must Face Bank's Vacated Lien Suit

    A Texas federal judge trimmed but declined to dismiss Texas Capital Bank's suit against the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and its Government National Mortgage Association program over a vacated loan lien that the bank says was worth tens of millions of dollars.

  • April 04, 2024

    Last-Resort Insurers Grapple With Increasing Exposure

    Insurance pools meant to serve as backstops for consumers shut out of traditional markets are grappling with increased exposure to natural disasters, according to experts and market data, a trend that observers say is concerning as climate change intensifies storms.

  • April 04, 2024

    Ex-NY Court Atty Found Guilty Of Official Misconduct

    A New York state jury on Thursday found a former appeals court attorney guilty of official misconduct for using her position to provide a legal opinion that helped her husband and his law firm secure a $55,000 payment from a new client.

  • April 04, 2024

    Va. Ups Income Tax Credits For Landlords In Housing Program

    Virginia doubled the maximum amount of income tax credits that may be issued to qualifying landlords who participate in a housing choice voucher program under a bill signed by Gov. Glenn Youngkin.

  • April 04, 2024

    MV Realty Abusing Ch. 11 Process, Bankruptcy Court Told

    State prosecutors, federal agencies and consumer advocates have told a Florida bankruptcy judge that MV Realty is using the Chapter 11 process to avoid enforcement and enshrine a set of predatory agreements designed to extract millions in junk fees from homeowners over the next 40 years.

  • April 04, 2024

    Surfside, Fla., Condo Collapse Victims To Get Additional $4.8M

    A Florida judge signed off Thursday on an additional $4.8 million distribution to the victims of the deadly collapse of the Champlain Towers South condominium after the receiver overseeing the defunct condominium association told the court the association had fewer financial obligations and tax liabilities than expected. 

  • April 03, 2024

    Nationstar Adds 'Junk Fee' For Loan Payoff Quote, Suit Says

    A proposed class hit Nationstar Mortgage LLC with a suit alleging the mortgage servicing firm illegally charges homeowners a "junk fee" for written payoff quotes in violation of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act.

  • April 03, 2024

    US Bank Beats $100M Suit Over Role As CDO Trustee

    A New York federal judge has freed U.S. Bank from a more than $100 million conflict-of-interest lawsuit brought by a group of mortgage-backed CDOs, which accused the bank of obstructing their efforts to sue over underlying mortgage bond losses tied to the 2008 financial crisis.

  • April 03, 2024

    Tenants Seek To Join NJ Rent Control Exemption Suit

    Two Jersey City tenant associations have urged a New Jersey federal judge to allow them to intervene in a suit filed by a landlord and its property manager over a revoked rent control exemption.

  • April 03, 2024

    EPA Faces Down Water Rule Challenge In Texas

    The federal government has asked a Texas federal judge to toss lawsuits filed by Texas, Idaho and more than a dozen industry groups challenging the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Army Corps of Engineers' rule defining the extent of the Clean Water Act's reach.

  • April 03, 2024

    Md. Lawmakers OK Special Tax Rates For Vacant Property

    Maryland would authorize its counties and the city of Baltimore to impose special tax rates on vacant or abandoned property under legislation approved by lawmakers and headed to the governor.

  • April 03, 2024

    Colo. Judge Rejects Landlord's Bid To Toss Unfair Fee Suit

    A Colorado state judge rejected a property management company's bid to toss a class action accusing it of charging unfair rental application fees, writing in an order that a Denver renter has done enough to allege the company violated a 2019 law aimed at protecting renters from inflated charges.

  • April 03, 2024

    San Francisco Leaders Back Ax Of Public Camping Ban

    A coalition of San Francisco stakeholders has accused the city and California of overstepping their bounds in an amicus brief urging the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn an Oregon city's prohibition on camping in public spaces, discounting their "alarmist claims" that the ruling rendered jurisdictions powerless.

Expert Analysis

  • Identifying Trends And Tips In Litigation Financing Disclosure

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    Growing interest and controversy in litigation financing raise several salient concerns, but exploring recent compelled disclosure trends from courts around the country can help practitioners further their clients' interests, say Sean Callagy and Samuel Sokolsky at Arnold & Porter.

  • Key Drivers Behind Widespread Adoption Of NAV Financing

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    While net asset value-based lending has existed for years, NAV lending has only started to move into the mainstream recently — likely due to difficult market conditions faced by sponsors including persistent inflation, high interest rates and a lack of exit opportunities, say Matthew Kerfoot and Jinyoung Joo at Proskauer.

  • The Pop Culture Docket: Judge Elrod On 'Jury Duty'

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    Though the mockumentary series “Jury Duty” features purposely outrageous characters, it offers a solemn lesson about the simple but brilliant design of the right to trial by jury, with an unwitting protagonist who even John Adams may have welcomed as an impartial foreperson, says Fifth Circuit Judge Jennifer Elrod.

  • Beware Unique Compliance Risks In Home Equity Lending

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    As borrowers increasingly look to junior-lien mortgages and home equity lines of credit instead of first-lien mortgages, regulators will pay increased attention in turn and lenders will have to watch for a number of legal and regulatory pitfalls as they rush to meet this newfound demand, say attorneys at Orrick.

  • 4 Business-Building Strategies For Introvert Attorneys

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    Introverted lawyers can build client bases to rival their extroverted peers’ by adapting time-tested strategies for business development that can work for any personality — such as claiming a niche, networking for maximum impact, drawing on existing contacts and more, says Ronald Levine at Herrick Feinstein.

  • New AI Lending Tech Could Exacerbate Old Bias Risks

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    As credit and mortgage lending businesses increasingly utilize artificial intelligence technology to help make decisions, they must be aware of the legal risks that may arise under familiar anti-discrimination laws, say Kali Bracey and Grace Wallack at Jenner & Block.

  • Caregiver Flexibility Is Crucial For Atty Engagement, Retention

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    As the battle for top talent continues post-pandemic, many firms are attempting to attract employees with progressive hybrid working environments — and supporting caregivers before, during and after an extended leave is a critically important way to retain top talent, says Manar Morales at The Diversity & Flexibility Alliance.

  • AI Road Ahead Is Promising For Cautious Fintechs

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    Financial institutions should understand the conceptions and misconceptions about artificial intelligence likely to influence regulators, and proactively study potential adverse impacts and establish use case strategies and other guardrails for deploying AI, say attorneys at Jones Day.

  • In-Office Engagement Is Essential To Associate Development

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    As law firms develop return-to-office policies that allow hybrid work arrangements, they should incorporate the specific types of in-person engagement likely to help associates develop attributes common among successful firm leaders, says Liisa Thomas at Sheppard Mullin.

  • How To Recognize And Recover From Lawyer Loneliness

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    Law can be one of the loneliest professions, but there are practical steps that attorneys and their managers can take to help themselves and their peers improve their emotional health, strengthen their social bonds and protect their performance, says psychologist and attorney Traci Cipriano.

  • Why All Eyes Are On Florida's Affordable Housing Reform

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    Florida's Live Local Act, which took effect last month, promotes much-needed affordable housing developments with a mix of zoning preemption provisions and tax benefits that may attract interest from developers across the nation, say attorneys at Nelson Mullins.

  • What Came Of Texas Legislature's Long-Promised Tax Relief

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    Following promises of historic tax relief made possible by a record budget surplus, the Texas legislative session as a whole was one in which taxpayers that are large businesses could have done somewhat better, but the new legislation is clearly still a positive, say attorneys at Baker Botts.

  • Looking Behind The Curtain Of Residential Transition Loans

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    As residential transition loans and securitizations of such loans grow increasingly popular, real estate stakeholders should take care to understand both the unique features and potential challenges offered by this novel asset class, say attorneys at Mayer Brown.