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Real Estate
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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.
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April 05, 2024
NJ Recycler's Fire Damage Suit To Remain In NJ, Judge Rules
A New Jersey federal judge declined to move a paper recycler's fire coverage dispute to New York, but did agree to toss one of its claims against its insurer, finding the recycler's declaratory judgment and breach of contract claims were duplicative.
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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.
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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.
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April 05, 2024
Homeowners' Energy Efficient Rebates Not Income, IRS Says
The U.S. Department of Energy rebates awarded to taxpayers who bought an energy efficient home or retrofitted their current residence to reduce energy consumption won't need to be reported in the property owner's gross income, the IRS announced Friday.
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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.
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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.
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April 05, 2024
5th Circ. Won't Touch Texas Oil Export Terminal License
The Fifth Circuit has rejected environmentalists' attempt to undo federal approval for a deepwater oil export terminal off Texas' Gulf Coast, finding the U.S. Coast Guard adequately considered the environmental consequences of the facility in its environmental assessment.
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April 05, 2024
Chinese Insurer Awarded Nearly $15M Over Hotel Theft Suit
A California federal judge awarded a Chinese insurer nearly $15 million in damages after a man accused of conspiring to fraudulently claim ownership of New York City's JW Marriott Essex House Hotel and other luxury properties failed to appear in the action.
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April 05, 2024
Calif. Cannabis Delivery Workers Vote To Authorize Strike
California cannabis delivery company Eaze Technologies and its subsidiary Stachs LLC face a possible work stoppage just ahead of the April 20 weekend, after the union representing drivers announced they have rejected the companies' contract proposal and secured strike authorization from its members.
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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.
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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.
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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."
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April 04, 2024
Texts Were Intentionally Deleted In Hotel Suit, Investors Say
Two investors have urged a Florida state court to impose severe penalties on the managers of a hotel enterprise after WhatsApp text messages in a $15 million lawsuit were allegedly deleted intentionally, saying the communications were critical to proving that their equity interests were wrongly taken from them.
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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.
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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.
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April 04, 2024
NY AG Wants Trump Insurer To Guarantee $175M Bond
New York Attorney General Letitia James asked a Manhattan judge Thursday to make sure the California insurer that agreed to post Donald Trump's $175 million bond in his civil business fraud case can actually pay.
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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.
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April 04, 2024
Real Estate Fraudster Wins 3rd Circ. Bid To Testify
The real estate agent who helped ex-NFL player Irving Fryar in a scheme to defraud several banks out of $1 million in mortgages was wrongly denied the ability to testify on his own behalf at a hearing over alleged violations of his supervised release, the Third Circuit ruled in a precedential opinion Thursday.
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April 04, 2024
MLB's Athletics To Play In Sacramento Before Move To Vegas
The Oakland Athletics will play the 2025 to 2027 seasons in Sacramento's 14,000-capacity minor-league ballpark while their planned stadium in Las Vegas is built, the franchise and Major League Baseball announced Thursday morning, officially making this season the team's last in Oakland after 57 years.
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April 04, 2024
Md. Lessee Owes Tax On Gov't Property, Appeals Court Says
A lessee of government property in Maryland that was sublet to other users was correctly denied a partial property tax abatement, the state appeals court has said, even though some subtenants were government entities.
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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.
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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.
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April 04, 2024
Project Owners Eager To Sell Energy Tax Credits, Report Says
Project owners are pursuing new financing strategies that would support the early sale of their clean energy tax credits as more projects in their initial development stage this year seek to capitalize on the incentives as early as possible, a report released Thursday said.
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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.
Expert Analysis
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Series
The Pop Culture Docket: Judge D'Emic On Moby Grape
The 1968 Moby Grape song "Murder in My Heart for the Judge" tells the tale of a fictional defendant treated with scorn by the judge, illustrating how much the legal system has evolved in the past 50 years, largely due to problem-solving courts and the principles of procedural justice, says Kings County Supreme Court Administrative Judge Matthew D'Emic.
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4 Key Types Of Coming FHLBank Reforms To Watch
Though the Federal Housing Finance Agency's recent report on the Federal Home Loan Bank System has received relatively little attention, the regulatory and legislative changes it proposes in four categories herald the start of a significant effort by the agency to reform the system’s structure and operations and overhaul requirements for member banks, say attorneys at Mayer Brown.
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Series
Performing Music Makes Me A Better Lawyer
The discipline of performing live music has directly and positively influenced my effectiveness as a litigator — serving as a reminder that practice, intuition and team building are all important elements of a successful law practice, says Jeff Wakolbinger at Bryan Cave.
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The SEC's Cooled Down But Still Spicy Private Fund Rules
Timothy Spangler and Lindsay Trapp at Dechert consider recently finalized U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission rules, which significantly alter the scope of obligations private fund advisers must meet under the Investment Advisers Act, noting the absence of several contentious proposals and litigation that could result in implementation delays.
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Breaking Down High Court's New Code Of Conduct
The U.S. Supreme Court recently adopted its first-ever code of conduct, and counsel will need to work closely with clients in navigating its provisions, from gift-giving to recusal bids, say Phillip Gordon and Mateo Forero at Holtzman Vogel.
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Trump NY Fraud Trial Shows Civil, Criminal Case Differences
Former President Donald Trump’s civil fraud trial currently unfolding in New York provides a reminder that civil bench trials can be just as damaging, if not more so, than criminal prosecutions, due to several key elements of civil litigation procedure, says retired attorney David Moskowitz.
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Opinion
Legal Profession Gender Parity Requires Equal Parental Leave
To truly foster equity in the legal profession and to promote attorney retention, workplaces need to better support all parents, regardless of gender — starting by offering equal and robust parental leave to both birthing and non-birthing parents, says Ali Spindler at Irwin Fritchie.
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Why NYC Building Owners Shouldn't Ignore Emissions Rule
New rules from the New York City Department of Buildings clarify the previously vague good faith efforts that building owners may make to mitigate penalties for not complying with a major carbon emission law that takes effect in January, and should discourage owners from simply paying the fines instead of decarbonizing, says William McCracken at Moritt Hock.
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Series
Writing Thriller Novels Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Authoring several thriller novels has enriched my work by providing a fresh perspective on my privacy practice, expanding my knowledge, and keeping me alert to the next wave of issues in an increasingly complex space — a reminder to all lawyers that extracurricular activities can help sharpen professional instincts, says Reece Hirsch at Morgan Lewis.
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Unpacking Long-Awaited Clean Energy Tax Credit Guidance
Recently proposed Internal Revenue Service regulations provide welcome confirmatory guidance on the application of investment tax credits as reworked by 2022's Inflation Reduction Act, prevailing wage and apprenticeship rules that are largely consistent with market expectations, and broader eligibility criteria that should please the wind power industry in particular, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.
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What Lawyers Must Know About Calif. State Bar's AI Guidance
Initial recommendations from the State Bar of California regarding use of generative artificial intelligence by lawyers have the potential to become a useful set of guidelines in the industry, covering confidentiality, supervision and training, communications, discrimination and more, say attorneys at Debevoise.
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Industry Must Elevate Native American Women Attys' Stories
The American Bar Association's recent research study into Native American women attorneys' experiences in the legal industry reveals the glacial pace of progress, and should inform efforts to amplify Native voices in the field, says Mary Smith, president of the ABA.
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A Year-End Look At Florida's Capital Investment Tax Credit
Notwithstanding the Walt Disney Co.’s feud with Gov. Ron DeSantis this year, Florida's capital investment tax credit will continue to make the state a favored destination for large corporations, particularly in light of the new federal alternative minimum tax and the Pillar Two top-up tax, says Alan Lederman at Gunster.
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Understanding Discovery Obligations In Era Of Generative AI
Excerpt from Practical Guidance
Attorneys and businesses must adapt to the unique discovery challenges presented by generative artificial intelligence, such as chatbot content and prompts, while upholding the principles of fairness, transparency and compliance with legal obligations in federal civil litigation, say attorneys at King & Spalding.
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Navigating USCIS' New Minimum EB-5 Investment Period
Recent significant modifications to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services’ EB-5 at-risk requirement are causing uncertainty for several reasons, but investors who consider certain key aspects of prospective projects can mitigate the immigration and investment risks, say Samuel Silverman at EB5AN, Ronald Klasko at Klasko Immigration, and Kate Kalmykov at Greenberg Traurig.