Commercial

  • May 16, 2024

    CBRE Biz's Software Liable For NY Sales Tax, Judge Rules

    A facilities management business owned by CBRE is liable for New York sales tax on its bundled services, which included sales of prewritten software, an administrative law judge said in a determination released Thursday.

  • May 16, 2024

    Oversight Hearing Adds Pressure On Calif. Insurance Chief

    Under growing pressure from Gov. Gavin Newsom and the insurance industry, California’s top insurance regulator defended its process of implementing proposals to stabilize the Golden State’s faltering homeowners insurance market.

  • May 16, 2024

    Ex-Execs Accuse Truist Of Hijacking Control Of Mortgage Unit

    Three former executives who spearheaded the real estate finance arm of Truist Financial Corp. before they left for a competitor are countersuing the bank for allegedly usurping control of the business, saying Truist then tried forcing them out to skirt paying severance.

  • May 16, 2024

    NYS Conservation Dept. Regional Leader Joins Harris Beach

    Harris Beach has brought a former Capital Region director for the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation into its commercial real estate practice, saying Thursday that he will tap his environmental knowledge to serve entities like commercial developers, institutional lenders, corporations, partnerships and nonprofits.

  • May 16, 2024

    Dechert Guides $232M Loan For Manhattan Apartments

    Dechert LLP advised on a deal in which a property owner borrowed a consolidated, amended and restated $232 million leasehold mortgage loan from JPMorgan Chase Bank for a Manhattan apartment building, according to official property records.

  • May 16, 2024

    Ex-Connecticut Budget Official Denies 22 Corruption Charges

    A former Connecticut state budget official and beleaguered attorney who oversaw millions in state school construction funds pled not guilty on Thursday to a host of corruption charges, including that he coerced contractors into paying him kickbacks.

  • May 15, 2024

    Real Estate Seller Can't Show He Was Stiffed On Commission

    A Texas appellate court ruled that a man claiming he was cheated out of a commission for assisting in a real estate sale didn't have enough to back up his claims, agreeing Tuesday that a lower court was correct in granting an early win to the property's seller.

  • May 15, 2024

    6th Circ. Frees Ex-Ohio Pol Pending Bribery Appeal

    A former member of the Cincinnati City Council convicted of bribery and attempted extortion in connection with a sports betting redevelopment project spearheaded by a former Cincinnati Bengals player can stay out of prison while an appeal plays out, the Sixth Circuit said Wednesday.

  • May 15, 2024

    Family, Cos. Seek $440M Zimbabwe Award Enforcement

    Two forestry and sawmill companies plus a family have asked the D.C. Circuit to enforce approximately $440 million of arbitral awards they won against the Republic of Zimbabwe, saying the court "plainly" has jurisdiction under the arbitration exception contained in the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act.

  • May 15, 2024

    Special-Servicer Work Heats Up, Revealing CMBS Tensions

    As more loans head to special servicing than at any time since 2021, the loan doctors called in when CMBS deals sour — special servicers — are navigating difficult terrain. Here, attorneys, researchers and ratings agencies discuss the potential for conflicts of interest and the repercussions of aggressive tactics.

  • May 15, 2024

    Miami Not Immune To Office Distress, Foreclosure Bid Shows

    In the third in a series of stories on distressed office properties in various U.S. markets, Law360 Real Estate Authority looks at what the struggles facing a newer office building in one of Miami's hippest neighborhoods mean for one of the nation’s strongest markets.

  • May 15, 2024

    Accusations Execs Looted RE Platform To Play Out In NY

    Two directors of Fang Holdings Ltd. and their affiliates will have to face claims in New York of orchestrating a scheme to strip the Chinese operator of an online real estate portal of its value for personal gain after the court refuted arguments that the litigation belongs elsewhere.

  • May 15, 2024

    11th Circ. Judge Doubts Defense Of IRS Easement Notice

    An Eleventh Circuit judge was skeptical Wednesday of the government's arguments that the Internal Revenue Service could issue a notice imposing reporting requirements on potentially abusive conservation easements without soliciting public feedback that administrative law requires.

  • May 15, 2024

    Minn. Tax Court OKs Trim To Restaurant Property's Value

    A Minnesota restaurant property should have its valuation lowered after the property owner provided a more reliable appraisal report, the state Tax Court ruled. 

  • May 15, 2024

    Colo. Will Extend Property Tax Assessment Rate Cuts

    Colorado will extend its current temporary property tax rate reductions into 2024 and will lower tax rates for future years under a bill signed by Democratic Gov. Jared Polis. 

  • May 15, 2024

    Dechert Advises $232M Financing For Harlem Apt. Complex

    An Urban American and Brookfield Property joint venture closed on a $232 million mortgage for Harlem's 3333 Broadway apartment complex in a transaction advised by Dechert LLP.

  • May 15, 2024

    Lender Drops $4M Fraud Suit Against Ga. Golf Course Owner

    Lender U.S. Strategic Capital Advisors has moved to voluntarily drop its lawsuit accusing the owner of an Atlanta-area golf course of using a more than $4 million loan to prop up other businesses, shortly after a Georgia federal judge denied successive efforts to wrest control of his assets.

  • May 15, 2024

    Morgan Stanley Sells 4 Warehouses On US Border For $178M

    Morgan Stanley Investment Management said Wednesday that it has sold four industrial properties in El Paso and Laredo, Texas, for a combined $178 million to two unidentified institutional investors.

  • May 15, 2024

    Holland & Knight Hospitality Leader Sees Mixed-Use Boom

    As hotel companies ride a rebound in travel following occupancy lows in 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the hospitality sector is also benefiting from a boom in demand for mixed-use residential and hotel projects, one of Holland & Knight LLP's hospitality leaders told Law360 in a recent interview.

  • May 15, 2024

    Philly Landlord Settles Paralegal Assault Case For $6M

    The landlord of a Philadelphia office tower will pay $6 million to settle a suit claiming that negligent security allowed a man to sneak into the building and sexually assault a paralegal at a small law firm working upstairs, according to the plaintiff's attorneys.

  • May 14, 2024

    NC State Fights Cancer Patient's Presuit Building Access

    North Carolina State University is pressing the state appeals court to find it is insulated from an "unusual" order allowing a former graduate student worker diagnosed with cancer to inspect a campus building that tested high for levels of carcinogens.

  • May 14, 2024

    CBRE Report Finds Alternative Lenders Replaced Banks In Q1

    Commercial broker CBRE has said high interest rates slowed the lending market in the first quarter, with alternative lenders stepping in to fill the gap left by less bank activity. 

  • May 14, 2024

    Data Center Co. Plans $283M Project For Texas City

    Data center company Skybox is planning to build a $283 million data center project in Hutto, Texas, that will have a two-story office and a two-story data center shell, according to the company's registration notice with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation.

  • May 14, 2024

    Fed Finds Big Banks Lack Data To Model Climate Risk

    A Federal Reserve analysis found that a group of the biggest banks in the U.S. mostly lacked the data to forecast the hypothetical effects of future climate-related disasters, even if such events are likely to drive up loan defaults.

  • May 14, 2024

    Cos. Ask NY Court To Invalidate 100s Of Pot Licenses

    New York state's beleaguered cannabis oversight agency has been hit with another lawsuit, this one seeking to invalidate hundreds of retail licenses that regulators issued to those most directly affected by the enforcement of marijuana prohibition laws.

Expert Analysis

  • Key Provisions In Florida's New Insurer Accountability Act

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    Florida's recent bipartisan Insurer Accountability Act introduces a range of new obligations for insurance companies and regulatory bodies to strengthen consumer protection, and other states may follow suit should it prove successful at ensuring a reliable insurance market, say Jan Larson and Benjamin Malings at Jenner & Block.

  • Best Practices For Lenders To Limit Recourse Liability

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    As projects face loan maturities in a higher interest rate environment, lenders should diligently observe even seemingly innocuous formalities following an event of default in order to minimize potential recourse liability, especially when borrowers have certain covenants, say Ryan Goins and Matthias Kleinsasser at Winstead.

  • The Basics Of Being A Knowledge Management Attorney

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    Michael Lehet at Ogletree Deakins discusses the role of knowledge management attorneys at law firms, the common tasks they perform and practical tips for lawyers who may be considering becoming one.

  • Rising Interest Rates Bring Risk For Construction Contractors

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    With rising interest rates causing many construction projects to be slowed or halted, it's important for general contractors to implement safeguard measures against the risk of significant financial losses caused by owner-driven schedule modifications, says Kevin Riexinger at Gfeller Laurie.

  • Keys To Navigating The Post-Pandemic CRE Market

    Excerpt from Practical Guidance
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    As the commercial real estate market continues to face repercussions from the COVID-19 pandemic, lawyers should use office occupancy and leasing volume numbers to anticipate future trends and help guide clients through an uncertain landscape, says Joseph Calvanico at J2C Valuations.

  • To Hire And Keep Top Talent, Think Beyond Compensation

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    Firms seeking to appeal to sophisticated clients and top-level partners should promote mentorship, ensure that attorneys from diverse backgrounds feel valued, and clarify policies about at-home work, says Patrick Moya at Quaero Group.

  • How Rate Exportation Is Shifting Amid Regulatory Trends

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    All banks and their partners, including fintechs, that wish to lend to borrowers in multiple states and charge uniform interest rates should heed regulatory developments across the country and determine how best to mitigate risks in their efforts to offer credit to consumers on a nationwide basis, say attorneys at Ballard Spahr.

  • How The Commercial Real Estate Slump May Weigh On Banks

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    The continuing underperformance of the U.S. commercial real estate market has significant implications for the financial performance and disclosure requirements for various banks, especially regional ones with large debt exposures, say Atanu Saha and Yong Xu at StoneTurn.

  • Negotiating Material Escalation In Construction Contracts

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    As material price escalation clauses have remained popular in construction contracts despite an easing of recent supply chain issues, attorneys representing owners should understand key considerations for negotiating such clauses, and strategies to mitigate potential exploitation by contractors, says H. Arthur Black II at Brooks Pierce.

  • Landlords Should Prep As WeWork Faces Potential Ch. 11

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    After years of financial trouble and the recent announcement that it has substantial doubt that it would be able to continue as a going concern, WeWork may have a bankruptcy filing in its future that would have a significant impact on landlords and other stakeholders who are owed money by the company, say attorneys at Cadwalader.

  • 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.

  • Conn. Ruling Highlights Keys To Certificate-Of-Need Appeals

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    The Connecticut Supreme Court's recent decision in High Watch Recovery Center v. Department of Public Health, rejecting rigid application of statutes concerning certificate-of-need procedure, provides important guidance on building an administrative record to support a finding that a case is contested, say attorneys at Robinson & Cole.