More Real Estate Coverage
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April 23, 2025
New Mexico Wildfire Sparks Suit Against Federal Government
The federal government is being hit with a lawsuit challenging the U.S. Forest Service's alleged failure to follow its own prescribed burn plan, saying the lapse eventually led to the destruction of nearly 46,000 acres in the Jemez Mountains in New Mexico.
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April 22, 2025
PacifiCorp Should Pay For 39 Years Of Fire Trauma, Jury Told
A group of nine displaced property owners started the latest trial Tuesday over 2020 wildfires during which PacifiCorp chose not to de-energize its power lines, telling an Oregon state jury that more than 39 years' worth of harm has been done when all the plaintiffs' sagas are considered together.
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April 22, 2025
US Intends To Proceed With Ariz. Copper Mine, Justices Told
The U.S. government says there has been no doubt that it intends to proceed with a land exchange in Arizona for a planned multibillion-dollar copper mine, telling the U.S. Supreme Court that its recent notice of publication of a final environmental impact statement for the project does not constitute urgent review.
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April 22, 2025
Airfield Subcontractor Says Parsons Stiffed It Out Of Millions
A Colorado-based construction company told a federal judge that a Parsons Corp. unit wrongfully terminated its $36 million subcontract for a U.S. government airfield project on the remote Marshall Islands, failed to pay it for work and materials and seized some of its assets.
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April 22, 2025
Insurer Says No Coverage For $668K Housing Funds Dispute
An insurer says it owes no coverage to a low-income housing nonprofit in an underlying dispute involving a Washington county that seeks to claw back nearly $668,000 that was allegedly paid out to ineligible recipients.
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April 22, 2025
Real Estate Investor Cops To $19M Loan Fraud
A Massachusetts real estate investor pled guilty Tuesday to defrauding multiple lenders of more than $19 million by submitting forged leases and rent rolls in support of $60 million worth of loan applications, federal prosecutors said.
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April 22, 2025
McGuireWoods Consulting Nabs Housing Pro From NAR
McGuireWoods Consulting has added a housing and financial services pro to the firm's federal public affairs team, who comes from a role as the National Association of Realtors' federal legislative representative.
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April 21, 2025
NYS Thruway Gains $21M A Year On Seneca Land, Tribe Says
The Seneca Nation has opposed New York's attempt to prevail in the tribe's suit over a portion of thruway that runs through its reservation, telling a federal judge the state benefits to the tune of $21 million annually in its unfair use of tribal lands for the toll road system.
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April 21, 2025
Asset Manager Admits Stealing $3M From Real Estate Cos.
A Connecticut asset manager who helped clients buy and manage real estate portfolios has pled guilty to stealing nearly $3 million from entities in five states to fund his day trading endeavors, federal prosecutors announced Monday.
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April 21, 2025
Offshore Leasing Withdrawal Ruling Not Moot, Court Told
Environmental groups on Friday insisted an Alaska federal judge can reinstate her decision barring the Trump administration from undoing former President Barack Obama's withdrawal of offshore waters from oil and gas leasing, blasting the government's contention that the ruling remains moot.
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April 21, 2025
Ohio Parking Garage Not Exempt From Tax, Board Says
A parking garage owned by a public authority in Ohio but leased to a private entity isn't eligible for a property tax exemption because it's not exclusively used for public purposes, the state's Board of Tax Appeals ruled.
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April 18, 2025
NIU Doesn't Have To Donate Undeveloped Land, Ill. Panel Says
A Chicago suburb was correctly rejected in its bid to enforce a contract provision requiring Northern Illinois University Foundation to donate a parcel of land it decided not to develop into a branch campus, a state appellate panel said.
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April 18, 2025
9th Circ. Won't Rethink Nixed Zillow, NAR Antitrust Case
The Ninth Circuit won't be rethinking a panel decision refusing to revive a defunct brokerage platform's case accusing Zillow and the National Association of Realtors of anticompetitively relegating its listings from Zillow's main page.
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April 18, 2025
Trump Admin Pushes Ahead With New Offshore Oil Leases
The U.S. Department of the Interior on Friday said it's "unlocking the full potential" of offshore oil and gas lease sales on the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf, a rebuke to the Biden administration's conservative approach to development.
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April 17, 2025
Wash. Justices Strike Down Spokane's Homeless Camp Law
The Washington Supreme Court said a voter-approved initiative restricting encampments for homeless people in Spokane is unconstitutional, in an opinion Thursday that said the measure exceeds the scope of local initiative power because it impermissibly "tinkers" with a policy the city had previously adopted.
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April 16, 2025
3rd Circ. Punts Mining Co. Document Fight To Ch. 11 Judge
The Third Circuit vacated a Delaware bankruptcy judge's order to unseal records a successor of Essar Steel's U.S. unit is seeking to bolster its antitrust claims against Cleveland-Cliffs, ruling Wednesday that the Chapter 11 judge used the wrong standard.
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April 16, 2025
Interior Transfers 110,000 Acres To Army For Border Security
The U.S. Department of the Interior is transferring 110,000 acres of federal land along the southern border to the U.S. Army to support Border Patrol as part of a sweeping effort by the Trump administration to crack down on illegal immigration.
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April 16, 2025
DOI Blocked From Making Connecticut Tribal Land Moves
A Connecticut federal judge has temporarily barred the U.S. Department of the Interior from placing 80 acres of land claimed by the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation into trust, and scheduled an expedited hearing on the state's request for a longer delay.
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April 16, 2025
Mass. High Court Revives BU Contract Suit Against Architect
Massachusetts' highest court ruled Wednesday that a six-year limit on tort claims due to design defects in a construction project under a Boston University athletic field doesn't apply to a contract dispute between the school and an architectural firm that explicitly agreed to cover such costs.
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April 16, 2025
Exxon Urges Justices To Resolve Seized Cuba Property Claim
Exxon Mobil Corp. asked the U.S. Supreme Court to scrutinize a ruling frustrating its attempts to collect damages from Cuban property confiscated decades ago, arguing the Trump and Biden administrations' opposing stances on such lawsuits present a chance for the court to settle the political debate.
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April 16, 2025
Pryor Cashman Adds New Real Estate Partner For NYC Office
Pryor Cashman LLP announced Wednesday that it had hired Carter Ledyard & Milburn LLP attorney Paul J. Proulx for the firm's real estate and land use/zoning teams in its New York City office.
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April 15, 2025
New Mexico Pueblos Allowed Into Fed Mineral Lease Ban Suit
A pair of Native American pueblos can intervene in a Navajo Nation suit seeking to undo a Biden administration order withdrawing federal land from new mineral leasing around Chaco Canyon, a federal magistrate judge ruled Tuesday.
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April 15, 2025
No Appeal For Green Energy Co. CEO In $40M Investor Suit
The CEO of a company purportedly funded by a green energy outfit can't appeal a judge's determination in a proposed investor class action that found the executive is subject to the Tennessee federal court's jurisdiction, saying he failed to meet the requirements for such an appeal.
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April 15, 2025
Court Abused Discretion In Tesoro Pipeline Row, 8th Circ. Told
Enrolled members of a North Dakota tribe say a lower court abused its discretion in denying them intervention in a lawsuit challenging the federal government's right-of-way trespassing claims against the Tesoro High Plains Pipeline, arguing it failed to consider the full scope of their interests and rights at stake.
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April 15, 2025
DLA Piper Says Ex-ArentFox RE Duo Bolsters Lender Services
DLA Piper has announced the latest additions to its real estate team, welcoming two former ArentFox Schiff LLP lawyers who the firm says will bolster its services for lending-focused clients.
Expert Analysis
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Oil And Gas Contract Drafting Lessons From Texas Ruling
The recent Texas Supreme Court opinion in BlueStone Natural Resources II v. Randle makes it clear that when drafting oil and gas leases, parties should explicitly state contract terms — and avoid creating contradictory terms through amendments or addenda, say Kenneth Held and Brent Hanson at Skadden.
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The UK Needs Safe Harbors For Libor's Wind-Down
A synthetic Libor could come to the aid of tough legacy contracts when Libor ceases to exist later this year, but the U.K. should legislate safe harbors to mitigate transaction risk during the transition, say former Federal Reserve Bank of New York general counsel Thomas Baxter and former London Commercial Court Judge Sir William Blair.
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CBP's Jones Act Ruling Provides Certainty For Offshore Wind
U.S. Customs and Border Protection's recent ruling confirming that the Jones Act applies to wind energy projects on the outer continental shelf provides useful clarity for offshore wind energy developers, operators and other stakeholders planning future operations, say attorneys at Holman Fenwick.
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Surveying Global Tax Updates For Sovereign Wealth Investors
As the market transitions to a post-pandemic phase, sovereign wealth fund and other foreign institutional investors must evaluate how recent U.S., EU and U.K. tax changes may affect their private fund investments, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.
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Offshore Wind Push Is Good News For NYC Building Owners
With a surge of federal and state support for offshore wind power in New York state, the projects now in development should greatly benefit New York City building owners seeking to comply with the city's Climate Mobilization Act, says Raymond Pomeroy at Stroock.
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Biden's Climate Agenda Means Oil, Gas Cos. Must Innovate
President Joe Biden's climate agenda, including changes to leasing of public lands, tax deductions and other policies, may impose significant hurdles on the oil and gas sector, but companies that take an innovative, multifaceted approach can rise to this challenge, say attorneys at Akin Gump.
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3 Key Environmental Takeaways From Biden's First 30 Days
President Joe Biden has heavily prioritized environmental policy during his first month in office, with three key themes emerging that will immediately change enforcement practices and affect regulated industries, say attorneys at Gibson Dunn.
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The State Of Asylum Law After Trump — And What's Next
Kevin Gregg at Kurzban Kurzban discusses the impact of asylum decisions issued during the Trump administration's final year, the uncertainty underlying President Joe Biden’s tranche of immigration-related executive orders and reasons for cautious optimism within the immigration community.
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What Energy Sector Should Expect From Biden's Tax Policies
The energy sector may find new investment opportunities or the need to adjust holdings, depending on whether company goals align with the Biden administration's potential rollback of Trump-era tax reforms, and push for clean energy, reduced carbon emissions and increased domestic manufacturing, says Gregory Matlock at Mayer Brown.
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Unresolved Issues In Calexico Inverse Condemnation Ruling
A California federal court's recent decision in Calexico Auto Dismantlers v. City of Calexico, dismissing a business's inverse condemnation suit as untimely, does not properly address questions surrounding eminent domain notice and the statute of limitations, say Debra Garfinkle and Brad Kuhn at Nossaman.
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As Superfund Turns 40, Courts Are Still Puzzling Over It
The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act just turned 40, but a review of several Superfund cases from 2020 demonstrates that courts are still regularly confronted with novel questions and issues related to the law, says Peter Keays at Hangley Aronchick.
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How To Reliably Value Income-Producing Real Estate
Amid the pandemic-fueled surge in tax appeals and loan workouts, using the income approach to calculate the present worth of a property's future income provides the most reliable indication of value and does not rely on subjective adjustments, say Mark Dunec at FTI Consulting and Anthony DellaPelle at McKirdy Riskin.
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IRS Continuity Safe Harbor Will Aid Renewable Projects
Recent Internal Revenue Service guidance expanding the continuity safe harbor to protect tax credit eligibility for qualified offshore and federal land renewable energy projects will provide certainty for developers who often face significant construction and permitting delays, say attorneys at Mayer Brown.