Commercial
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September 25, 2025
Flagstar Seeks Instant Win In Ex-Live Well VP Fraud Case
Flagstar Bank has urged a Michigan federal judge to grant it an early win against a former executive of the now-bankrupt Live Well for his role in a scheme to defraud lenders by inflating the value of bonds, saying because the executive already pled guilty to securities fraud, he cannot now deny liability in the bank's civil case.
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September 25, 2025
Casinos In Queens, Yonkers Advance In Race For Licenses
Two existing New York gaming facilities moved forward in the high-stakes competition for three full casino licenses, after two committees appointed by local elected officials approved their plans.
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September 25, 2025
SmartLabs Accused Of Dodging Rent On Cambridge Lab
Boston-headquartered SmartLabs is facing a lawsuit over millions in unpaid rent owed to the landlord of one of its Cambridge facilities, according to a complaint filed in Massachusetts state court.
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September 25, 2025
Wis. Judge Backs Wildlife Refuge Land Swap Deal
A Wisconsin federal judge has granted summary judgment to the federal government and two utility companies against all claims in a suit filed by conservationist groups that alleged that the government wrongfully approved a land exchange deal with the utilities so the companies could build part of a 101-mile transmission line project through a wildlife refuge.
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September 25, 2025
Holland & Knight Launches Real Estate Dispute Team
Holland & Knight LLP announced it has formed a new real estate disputes and advocacy team, noting the group will provide counsel to clients on lease litigation matters, complex contract claims and other commercial property disputes.
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September 25, 2025
The Torch Tower, With A Thrill Ride, Back Online In Manhattan
Construction has resumed at Extell Development's supertall hotel and thrill ride project in Manhattan known as The Torch, and Law360 has updated the status of that project on its tall buildings tracker.
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September 24, 2025
Tower Developer Linked To Menendez Ally Wants Suit Tossed
The developer behind a disputed high-rise project — once led by a businessman convicted in the bribery scheme involving former U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez — is asking a New Jersey judge to dismiss a lawsuit brought by a neighboring municipality, arguing the case is incurably flawed.
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September 24, 2025
Calf. Property Owner Renews Ch. 11 With $10M+ In Debt
The owner of a lot in California estimated to be worth $46 million renewed efforts to perform a Chapter 11 and address unsustainable debt, having filed for bankruptcy earlier this year but not completing the process.
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September 24, 2025
Hyperscalers Say Spend Hits $400B With 5 New US Sites
OpenAI, Oracle and SoftBank on Wednesday said they are planning five additional U.S. sites to host artificial intelligence data centers, in a step toward spending $500 billion on their Stargate project by the end of 2025.
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September 24, 2025
Davis Polk Guides $1B Manhattan Buy Across The Finish Line
New York City recently saw its first single-asset commercial real estate deal above the $1 billion mark in 2025, and a Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP lawyer who worked on the matter told Law360 that the trade is a sign of strength in the Manhattan office market.
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September 24, 2025
Final JC Penney Ch. 11 Distributions On Horizon, Atty Says
Lawyers winding down the bankruptcy estate of department store J.C. Penney told a Texas bankruptcy judge on Wednesday they expect to be able to make final creditor payments shortly, nearly five years after the Chapter 11 plan took effect.
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September 24, 2025
Rick Perry's Data Center REIT Launches Plans For $550M IPO
Fermi America, a venture by former U.S. Energy Secretary Rick Perry to build a 5,000-acre Amarillo, Texas, energy and data center, sought a $13.1 billion valuation Wednesday in an initial public offering guided by Haynes Boone and Vinson & Elkins LLP.
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September 24, 2025
Marsh US Real Estate Leader On Insurance Landscape
Commercial real estate companies, squeezed by higher interest rates in recent years, have also seen a dramatic increase in insurance premiums. Duncan C. Ellis, who leads Marsh's U.S. and Canada real estate and hospitality practice, spoke to Law360 Real Estate Authority about what's behind the trends in commercial real estate insurance.
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September 24, 2025
Ohio House Bill Seeks Approval Rule For Some Property Tax
Ohio would require some political subdivisions to obtain approval from their member governing bodies before imposing property tax above a statutory limit under a bill introduced in the state House of Representatives.
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September 24, 2025
11th Circ. Asked To Combine Easement Deduction Appeals
The Eleventh Circuit should consolidate two cases appealing U.S. Tax Court rulings that cut $47 million in deductions for conservation easement donations, a partnership argued, saying the government's opposition to combining them overlooks the opportunity to save resources.
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September 23, 2025
Task Force Advances $3.5B NYC Marine Terminal Plans
A key task force has advanced the New York City Economic Development Corp.'s $3.5 billion plan to revitalize a 122-acre section of the Brooklyn waterfront, which would modernize and expand the Brooklyn Marine Terminal.
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September 23, 2025
Wilmington Trust Seeks Receiver After $19M Loan Default
A single-asset real estate firm that owns an office building in the Denver Technological Center, or DTC, filed for Chapter 11 and faces a request for a receiver over the building it owns after it defaulted on a $19 million loan last year, according to court filings.
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September 23, 2025
Conn. Atty Denies Blame For Title Co.'s $920K Refinancing Loss
A Connecticut lawyer sought to fend off arguments in state court by Fidelity National Title Insurance Co. that his alleged mistakes on a $2.5 million refinancing led to a $920,000 loss for the insurer, claiming he and the company owed distinct duties to a policy-holder.
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September 23, 2025
Pelorus Kicks Off $1B Fund To Bolster Cannabis Businesses
Pelorus Capital Group has launched a $1 billion fund for investing in marijuana operating businesses to coincide with its existing cannabis real estate strategy, in a bet on the industry's capital needs, the company said Sept. 23.
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September 23, 2025
Star Chef Didn't Violate 'Vague' Pact With Boston, Judge Says
A Massachusetts state court has ruled that a "vague" agreement between celebrity chef Barbara Lynch and the city of Boston to escrow proceeds from the sale of her flagship No. 9 Park restaurant while the city seeks to collect her unpaid taxes doesn't prevent Lynch from using the funds to pay other creditors.
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September 23, 2025
Windels Marx Leads $27.5M Houston Multifamily Financing Deal
Private markets investment firm Siguler Guff & Co. LP originated a $27.5 million mezzanine loan that is part of $86 million worth of refinancing for a 404-unit Houston luxury multifamily property in a mezzanine loan deal guided by Windels Marx.
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September 23, 2025
Savannah-Area Industrial Portfolio Scores $102M Refi
Washington D.C.-based alternative asset manager EJF Capital and Connecticut real estate firm North Signal Capital said Tuesday that they've closed on a $102 million refinancing for an industrial portfolio near Savannah, Georgia.
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September 22, 2025
EB-5 Industry Leaders Ponder Path To Long-Term Future
While the 35-year-old EB-5 investment visa program has been enjoying arguably its strongest period, following recent reforms, the program's fate came up frequently during the Advanced EB-5 Industry Conference last week in Miami — and that was before President Donald Trump signed an order to roll out his own "gold card" investment visa program late Friday.
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September 22, 2025
Catching Up With Delaware's Chancery Court
Last week, Match.com secured approval for a $30M settlement over its 2019 reverse spinoff from IAC, and Vice Chancellor Morgan T. Zurn urged decorum among Delaware lawyers, comparing recent legal turmoil to dark times in British monarchy history. Here's the latest from the Chancery Court.
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September 22, 2025
Developer Gets 8 Years For Fraud That Sunk Belize Project
A Manhattan federal judge sentenced a California real estate developer with a previous fraud conviction Monday to eight years in prison, after a jury convicted him of defrauding investors who backed a big luxury development he controlled called Sanctuary Belize.
Expert Analysis
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NY CRE Lenders Need Clarity On Foreclosure Standing
Recent contradictory New York case law regarding issues of standing in commercial real estate litigation creates confusion for borrowers and lenders alike, and should be addressed by courts in advance of the anticipated onslaught of commercial mortgage-backed securities foreclosures, say Christopher Gorman and John Muldoon at Rosenberg & Estis.
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Adjusting Deals To Reflect Shifts In The CRE Market
As the commercial real estate market strengthens and moves out from a challenging time, industry participants should consider any concessions made due to recent trends and update transaction documents accordingly before entering into new deals, says Alexander Davis at Mayer Brown.
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4 International Arbitration Trends To Monitor In 2024
Global growth slowed substantially in 2023, and may continue into 2024 due to geopolitical instability, which could fuel four key trends in international arbitration in the coming year, including investor-state and commercial arbitration, an increase in arbitration out of China, and more, say Gregory Litt and Sharmistha Chakrabarti at Skadden.
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How DOI Aims To Modernize Resource Damage Assessments
The U.S. Department of the Interior's recent proposal to redesign its Type A rule for conducting natural resource damage assessment and restoration activities could lead to a more streamlined, flexible assessment process that would benefit both natural resource trustees and potentially responsible parties, says Brian Ferrasci-O'Malley at Nossaman.
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Key Issues When Navigating A Tenant's Bankruptcy
In light of recent Chapter 11 filings by Rite Aid and WeWork — companies with thousands of commercial leases — practitioners should review issues that can arise when bankruptcy is used to exit a lease, including the consequences of lease rejection and the statutory cap on landlord damage claims for a rejected lease, say attorneys at Proskauer.
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The Year Ahead In Foreign Investment And National Security
In 2024, expect the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, already at the forefront of addressing national security threats, to increase monitoring and enforcement related to outbound investment, focus on supply chain resilience in nondefense sectors, and heighten oversight of agricultural transactions, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.
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Sale-Leasebacks May Provide A Safe Financing Alternative
Amid rising interest rates and unpredictable market conditions, sale-leasebacks can be a useful investment option for both buyers and sellers, though their potential drawbacks demand careful consideration, says Chanel Di Blasi at Crosbie Gliner.
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5 Recent Developments Family Offices Are Watching In 2024
Although family offices have long been exempt from many of the more onerous regulations and reporting requirements governing U.S. investment advisers and asset managers, recent amendments to federal rules will have an impact on how family offices invest and operate in 2024, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.
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A Challenging CRE Environment Holds Opportunities In 2024
As the commercial real estate market faces reduced occupancy levels and rising financing costs, the new landscape will be favorable to those who can leverage capital, strategic vision and expertise to meet challenges like taking on distressed properties and converting office space to residential use, say Nesa Amamoo and Vered Rabia at Skadden.
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What The 2023 Bank Failures Taught Us, And What's To Come
As 2023 draws to a close, it's apparent that the bank failures this past spring sparked a seismic shift in the regulatory and supervisory landscape for banking organizations, and the consequences are still continuing to be felt throughout the financial sector as we head into 2024, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.
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A Difficult Year For CRE, But Future May Be Brighter
2023 was a challenging year for the commercial real estate industry, marked by significant uncertainty, but market pressure and signs of rising interest rates provide some reasons to be cautiously optimistic for the year ahead as pandemic headwinds and gridlock fade away, say attorneys at Ropes & Gray.
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3 Developments That Will Affect Hospitality Companies In 2024
As the hospitality industry continues its post-pandemic recovery, it faces both challenges and opportunities to thrive in 2024, including navigating new labor rules, developing branded residential living spaces and cautiously embracing artificial intelligence, says Lauren Stewart at Sheppard Mullin.
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What WeWork's Ch. 11 Filing Means For Landlords
WeWork’s recent Chapter 11 filing in New Jersey has the potential to be one of the most consequential cases in the real estate industry in many years, and presents a number of issues for landlords, including unexpired leases, assumption, assignment and more, say attorneys at Mayer Brown.