Commercial

  • May 29, 2024

    NYC Real Estate Week In Review

    Kriss & Feuerstein and BakerHostetler were among the law firms that guided the largest New York City real estate deals that hit public records last week, a slow period that saw only four transactions at or above $15 million.

  • May 29, 2024

    Ind. Tax Court Says Hotel In Construction Was Fairly Assessed

    An Indiana hotel that was under construction in 2010 was properly assessed despite claims that the county assessor had not assessed all unfinished commercial properties equally, the state tax court ruled.

  • May 29, 2024

    Walker & Dunlop GC Departs As Deputy Fills Shoes For Now

    The longtime top attorney for commercial real estate finance and advisory services firm Walker & Dunlop Inc. has left the company after nearly 14 years, and Walker & Dunlop's deputy general counsel is taking over in the interim.

  • May 29, 2024

    Greenberg Traurig Gets 30-Year Tax Break From Saudi Arabia

    Greenberg Traurig LLP is among the first law firms to get licensed as a regional headquarters, or RHQ, company in Saudi Arabia, allowing the firm to take advantage of a major tax break, the firm announced Tuesday.

  • May 29, 2024

    Grocery Exec Ends Claims Over $20M Meant For New Stores

    With a trial set for August, an investor has settled a federal court lawsuit accusing the president of North Carolina-based grocery chain Earth Fare of boosting his own personal wealth with $20 million intended to develop new stores.

  • May 28, 2024

    Chancery Finds Ex-CEO Owed $79M For Share Lockup Losses

    The former CEO of a 3D building imaging company is owed more than $79 million in damages in his share value suit against the company, but not the more than $141 million he sought, the Delaware Chancery Court ruled Tuesday.

  • May 28, 2024

    Seattle Landlord Affiliates Fight To Skip $6.8M Renovation Suit

    Three entities tied to Martin Selig Real Estate have asked a Washington state court to drop them from a tenant's $6.8 million lawsuit alleging they are on the hook for a fourth affiliate's contractual obligation to shoulder contractor fees, arguing the plaintiff mischaracterized their corporate structure.

  • May 28, 2024

    Goldman Family Battles Over Evidence In Property Biz Suit

    Relatives of Jane Goldman, an heiress of Sol Goldman's New York City property empire, argued that a contract she has said establishes her authority over the family's real estate business is of "dubious origin."

  • May 28, 2024

    Tribe Says Enbridge's Trespass Concern Wasted Court's Time

    A Wisconsin tribe has told the Seventh Circuit that Enbridge Energy wasted the court's time raising concerns that an old tribal trespass ordinance could cost the company millions in fines, saying it has nothing to do with the tribe's attempts to stop the Line 5 pipeline.

  • May 28, 2024

    Apartment Co. Says Insurer Owes Millions For Hail Damage

    The owners of an apartment building blamed an insurer for breaching its contract in Kansas federal court Tuesday, alleging the carrier failed to cover over $13 million in wind, hail and water damages and underestimated the loss despite clear evidence.

  • May 28, 2024

    Jones Day, King & Spalding Rep Blackstone, Bank's $1B Deal

    Blackstone has bought a $1 billion senior mortgage loan portfolio from Deutsche Pfandbriefbank after the German bank revealed plans to offload it, with the all-cash transaction shaped by Jones Day and King & Spalding LLP. 

  • May 28, 2024

    Simpson Thacher Hires US Treasury Alum From Blackstone

    An experienced fund transactions attorney has moved from an in-house role at Blackstone to private practice at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP, the firm said Tuesday.

  • May 28, 2024

    Texas Real Estate Investment Manager Closes $1.6B Fund

    Pennybacker, an Austin, Texas-based investment manager, closed its latest fund for opportunistic investments in real estate at $1.6 billion, exceeding the vehicle's target, according to an announcement Tuesday.

  • May 28, 2024

    Colo. Creates Tax Credits For Agricultural Stewardship

    Colorado farms and ranches that use certain agricultural stewardship practices will be eligible for tax credits of up to $300,000 under legislation signed into law by Gov. Jared Polis.

  • May 24, 2024

    Lender Says Ch. 11 Triggers Payment Obligation for NYC Lofts

    A lender filed suit against Rudy Gabsi, CEO of Israeli investment firm Leny Group, alleging Gabsi is on the hook for $82 million after a borrower tied to the firm thwarted a foreclosure sale involving New York City properties by filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protections.

  • May 24, 2024

    NY AG Sues Over Illegal Long Island Wetland Construction

    New York prosecutors on Friday sued to force a contractor to pay nearly $600,000 and restore a Long Island wetland area the company has been using as a storage site after illegally clearing vegetation and building a parking lot more than a decade ago.

  • May 24, 2024

    Cell Tower Operator's Trade Secret Suit Tossed For Now

    A Pennsylvania federal judge has thrown out a cell tower operator's allegations that a rival used its confidential information on pricing from landlords and made misleading statements to buy out tower leases.

  • May 24, 2024

    DC Circ. Says Bainbridge Can't Have Argentina's Building

    The D.C. Circuit on Friday denied an appeal from Bainbridge Fund Ltd. in a property dispute with Argentina, saying the company can't take possession of the property in an effort to satisfy a $95 million judgment over defaulted bonds.

  • May 24, 2024

    Healthcare REIT Nabs $800M Despite Tenant Turbulence

    Medical Properties Trust Inc. announced Friday that the real estate investment trust has secured a £631 million ($804 million) financing from a group of investors led by real estate investment firm Song Capital, in a deal led by Goodwin Procter LLP and Slaughter and May.

  • May 24, 2024

    NYC Apartment Hotel May Qualify For Tax Break, Dept. Says

    A planned 150-unit apartment hotel building in New York City catering to a nearby hospital's patients and staff and to university students could be eligible for an industrial and commercial abatement program, the city Department of Finance said in a letter ruling.

  • May 23, 2024

    Entrepreneur Ordered To Pay $15M For Unlicensed Pot Stores

    A New York state court hit a cannabis seller with a $15 million judgment Thursday after he was found to be selling marijuana without a license at seven locations inside the state, according to an announcement by the state's attorney general.

  • May 23, 2024

    Fla. Broker Can't Collect Fees For $54M Real Estate Deal

    A real estate broker isn't owed a 1% commission on a $53.65 million deal despite introducing the eventual buyer, as the broker was not involved in the final sale, a Florida appeals court ruled.

  • May 23, 2024

    Ill. Justices OK $28M Tax Value Appeal Without Payment

    A power company's property in Illinois was not required to pay disputed property taxes before appealing a valuation, the Illinois Supreme Court affirmed Thursday, upholding a reduction in the assessment of about $28 million.

  • May 23, 2024

    JV Inks $48.5M Ft. Lauderdale Shopping Center Buy

    BH Group, PEBB Enterprises and Related Group have snapped up a mixed-use waterfront shopping center in Fort Lauderdale, Florida's Harbordale neighborhood for $48.5 million through a joint venture, with plans to further develop the property.

  • May 23, 2024

    MoFo Guides $100M Refi At Manhattan Office Property

    Morgan Stanley Bank NA and German American Capital Corp. refinanced a $100 million mortgage of the Feil Organization's Look Building, a New York City office building, in a deal guided by Morrison & Foerster LLP.

Expert Analysis

  • A Legal Playbook For Stadium Construction Agreements

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    As a new wave of construction in the professional sports arena space gets underway, owners must carefully consider the unique considerations and risks associated with these large-scale projects and draft agreements accordingly, say attorneys at Akerman.

  • Document Retention Best Practices To Lower Litigation Risks

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    As new technologies emerge and terabytes of data can be within the purview of a single discovery request, businesses small and large should take four document management steps to effectively minimize risks of litigation and discovery sanctions long before litigation ensues, says Kimbrilee Weber at Norris McLaughlin.

  • Riding My Peloton Bike Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Using the Peloton platform for cycling, running, rowing and more taught me that fostering a mind-body connection will not only benefit you physically and emotionally, but also inspire stamina, focus, discipline and empathy in your legal career, says Christopher Ward at Polsinelli.

  • The Challenges SEC's Climate Disclosure Rule May Face

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    Attorneys at Debevoise examine potential legal challenges to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's new climate-related disclosure rule — against which nine suits have already been filed — including arguments under the Administrative Procedure Act, the major questions doctrine, the First Amendment and the nondelegation doctrine.

  • Spartan Arbitration Tactics Against Well-Funded Opponents

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    Like the ancient Spartans who held off a numerically superior Persian army at the Battle of Thermopylae, trial attorneys and clients faced with arbitration against an opponent with a bigger war chest can take a strategic approach to create a pass to victory, say Kostas Katsiris and Benjamin Argyle at Venable.

  • How FinCEN Proposal Expands RE Transaction Obligations

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    Against a regulatory backdrop foreshadowing anti-money laundering efforts in the real estate sector, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network's proposed rule significantly expands reporting requirements for certain nonfinanced residential real estate transfers and necessitates careful review, say attorneys at Fried Frank.

  • Unpacking FinCEN's Proposed Real Estate Transaction Rule

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    Phil Jelsma and Ulrick Matsunaga at Crosbie Gliner take a close look at the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network's recently proposed rulemaking — which mandates new disclosures for professionals involved in all-cash real estate deals — and discuss best next steps for the broad range of businesses that could be affected.

  • New FinCEN Guide Provides Useful BOI Context For Banks

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    Financial institutions should review a new Financial Crimes Enforcement Network compliance guide for helpful details about how the agency's beneficial ownership information database should be used, though questions remain about the access rule and whether it will truly streamline bank borrowers' Corporate Transparency Act due diligence, says George Singer at Holland & Hart.

  • DC's Housing Tax Break Proposal: What's In It, What's Missing

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    Proposed Washington, D.C., rules implementing the Housing in Downtown Tax Abatement program — for commercial property owners who convert properties into residential housing — thoroughly explain the process for submitting an application, but do not provide sufficient detail regarding the actual dollar value of the abatements, says Daniel Miktus at Akerman.

  • Contract Disputes Recap: The Terms Matter

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    Stephanie Magnell and Zachary Jacobson at Seyfarth examine recent decisions from the U.S. Civilian Board of Contract Appeals, the Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals and the U.S. Court of Federal Claims, which offer reminders about the importance of including contract terms to address the unexpected circumstances that may interfere with performance.

  • Reducing Carbon Footprint Requires A Tricky Path For CRE

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    As real estate owners find themselves caught between rapidly evolving environmental, social and governance initiatives and complicated societal debate, they will need to carefully establish formal plans to remain both competitive and compliant, say Michael Kuhn and Mahira Khan at Jackson Walker.

  • New CMS Rule Will Change Nursing Facility Disclosures

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    A new rule from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services significantly expands disclosure requirements for nursing facilities backed by private equity companies or real estate investment trusts, likely foreshadowing increased oversight that could include more targeted audits, say Janice Davis and Christopher Ronne at Morgan Lewis.

  • What Shareholder Approval Rule Changes Mean For Cos.

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    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission recently approved proposed rule changes to shareholder requirements by the New York Stock Exchange, an approval that will benefit listed companies in many ways, including by making it easier to raise capital from passive investors, say attorneys at Baker Botts.