Residential

  • April 25, 2024

    EEOC Says Co. Piled Tasks On Black Worker, Then Fired Him

    A real estate company gave a Black manager more than twice as much work as his white colleague, paid him less and then fired him because he was "lazy," the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission said in a suit filed in Georgia federal court.

  • April 24, 2024

    Wash. Property Manager Sued Over Lease Cancellation Fees

    A proposed class of tenants accused a Seattle property management company and a Washington debt collection agency in state court of using lease cancellation practices that violate state law.

  • April 24, 2024

    Mass. Golf Course Manager Gets 13 Months For Tax Fraud

    A Massachusetts golf course manager was sentenced to 13 months in prison after pleading guilty to tax charges, following prosecutors' accusations that he manipulated contracts with a home developer to deflate their value.

  • April 24, 2024

    Court Pauses Order To Sell Office Park In $16M Tax Battle

    A New Jersey federal court paused its order allowing the U.S. government to sell a family trust's office park to satisfy a trustee's $16.2 million tax debt Wednesday, giving the family time to appeal a decision approving the sale to the U.S. Supreme Court.

  • April 24, 2024

    Condo Group Says Insurer Is Blowing Off Wind, Hail Damage

    Greater New York Mutual Insurance Co. has moved to federal court an Ohio non-profit condominium community's state court lawsuit accusing it of lowballing the group's wind and hail damage costs and then refusing to engage in their agreed-upon appraisal process.

  • April 24, 2024

    Title Co. Sues Conn. Atty Over Botched Mortgage Payoff

    First American Title Insurance Co. has sued a Connecticut attorney in state court for allegedly mishandling a $340,000 Bridgeport residential property sale, claiming the lawyer, who represented the seller, failed to transmit around $163,000 to cover an existing mortgage and left the insurer stuck footing the bill.

  • April 24, 2024

    Equity Tallies Illegal Late Fees Owed Tenants In Ruling

    Equity Residential executives during an earnings call Wednesday said the landlord is still weighing the implications of a California federal judge's decision in early April voiding its fees for late rent after finding Equity only sought to drum up revenue with the charge in violation of state law.

  • April 24, 2024

    NY's Housing Incentives, Protections Draw Mixed Reviews

    The housing provisions in New York's recently approved $237 billion budget, which includes new tax incentives for developers and increased legal safeguards for tenants facing evictions, received varied reactions from attorneys, housing organizations and lobbyists as they digest all the details.

  • April 24, 2024

    Landlords Bring NY Rent Law Challenge To High Court Again

    Thirteen New York property owners urged the U.S. Supreme Court to review their challenge to two 2019 changes to New York rental laws, arguing that the suit is the better-tailored vehicle Justice Clarence Thomas signaled interest in when denying a similar challenge in January.

  • April 24, 2024

    KKR Financing REIT Expects $140M Loss From Office Distress

    The president of KKR & Co.'s financing-focused real estate investment trust said Wednesday that the company will likely face $140 million in losses in the second quarter due to distress in parts of its office loan portfolio.

  • April 23, 2024

    Realtors, Home Sellers Get OK For $418M Broker Rules Deal

    The National Association of Realtors and a nationwide class of home sellers on Tuesday scored a Missouri federal judge's initial approval of their $418 million settlement resolving claims that the trade group's broker commission rules caused home sellers across the country to pay inflated fees.

  • April 23, 2024

    Cincinnati Owners Allege Code Conspiracy In $27M Suit

    Nine current and former Cincinnati property owners have filed a $27.4 million lawsuit against a roster of city officials, city and county offices, development entities and others, alleging that Cincinnati targeted Black homeowners with building code violations and urged them to sell to developers.

  • April 23, 2024

    HUD Finalizes Rule Raising Building Standards In Flood Zones

    The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development published a rule on Tuesday setting stricter flood-protection standards for homes built or fixed with funds from the agency in an effort to manage storm risk and rising insurance costs.

  • April 22, 2024

    Real Estate Investment Cos. Owe SEC $8.4M For $17.5M Fraud

    A pair of companies allegedly used in service of a fraudulent real estate investment scheme will pay over $8.4 million to end claims they were part of the $17.5 million ploy that took in more than 150 would-be investors with claims that the securities involved were "recession-proof."

  • April 22, 2024

    NJ Town Can't Beat Sanctions Over Legal Malpractice Suit

    A New Jersey state appeals panel upheld Monday, in a published opinion, sanctions against the borough of Englewood Cliffs for bringing a now-dismissed legal malpractice suit after a purportedly unfavorable affordable housing settlement.

  • April 22, 2024

    Judge Trims Claims In HUD Housing Conversion Suit

    A D.C. federal judge didn't fully side with either party in a suit over the conversion of a Louisiana public housing development into Section 8 housing, but did vacate the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's decision to close and convert the project.

  • April 22, 2024

    NY Creates New Affordable Housing, Conversion Tax Breaks

    Developers in New York City could qualify for new property tax abatement programs for building affordable housing and converting office buildings into affordable housing units under the New York state budget that Democratic Gov. Kathy Hocul signed into law.

  • April 22, 2024

    Atlanta Housing Authority, Developer Close On $72M Project

    Atlanta's housing authority and multifamily developer The Benoit Group closed the funding for a $72 million affordable senior housing project that's part of a larger mixed-use redevelopment plan.

  • April 22, 2024

    Judge Orders Board Vote For REIT After Ponzi Convictions

    An investor plans to nominate trustee candidates at real estate investment trust United Development Funding after a Baltimore judge ordered most board members to face reelection this year, with executives convicted in a Ponzi scheme serving time in federal prison.

  • April 22, 2024

    High Court Probes Homeless 'Status' In Camping Ban Suit

    U.S. Supreme Court justices probed the limits of what might be considered criminalizing status amid oral arguments Monday over whether an Oregon city's law banning camping on public property violates the Eighth Amendment's bar on cruel and unusual punishment.

  • April 22, 2024

    NYC Real Estate Week In Review

    Davis Polk and Rosenberg & Estis are among the law firms that handled the largest New York City real estate deals that hit public records last week, a period that saw properties for a variety of asset classes — including an office building — trade hands.

  • April 19, 2024

    Attys Wary Of 'Zero Tolerance' Approach In New PFAS Rule

    With Friday's finalization of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's rule designating two "forever chemicals" as hazardous, the stakes just got higher for real property due diligence work.

  • April 19, 2024

    Yardi Ordered To Provide Info On Apartment Pricing Algorithm

    Real estate management software company Yardi Systems Inc. is going to have to turn over information about who has been using its rent maximizer algorithm to renters who claim that at least 11 property management companies have been using the service to fix rental costs, a federal judge has said.

  • April 19, 2024

    Fla. Brokerage Firms Face Commission Antitrust Action

    A group of Florida brokerages faces a proposed class action accusing them of taking part in a National Association of Realtors system that a Missouri jury in October found inflated the commissions home sellers pay to agents.

  • April 19, 2024

    How Attys Are Helping DC Residents Keep Family Homes

    As homeownership rates among Black residents have fallen in the nation's capital, a new initiative aims to provide legal counsel to people living in homes that were passed down through the generations but don't have clear titles.

Expert Analysis

  • Law Firm Professional Development Steps To Thrive In AI Era

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    As generative artificial intelligence tools rapidly evolve, professional development leaders are instrumental in preparing law firms for the paradigm shifts ahead, and should consider three strategies to help empower legal talent with the skills required to succeed in an increasingly complex technological landscape, say Steve Gluckman and Anusia Gillespie at SkillBurst Interactive.

  • What Upholding Of Short-Term Rental Law Means For NYC

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    A New York state judge's dismissal of Airbnb's challenge against the Short-Term Rental Registration Law will benefit the city's hospitality industry and exert downward pressure on apartment rents, and potentially provide a model for other local governments around the U.S. to curb short-term apartment rentals, says Alexander Lycoyannis at Holland & Knight.

  • 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.

  • Fair Lending Activity: Calm On The Surface, Churning Below

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    The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's recently released annual fair lending report to Congress confirms that despite the paucity of public fair lending enforcement actions in 2022, the CFPB and prudential banking agencies are engaged in significant nonpublic oversight, examination and enforcement activities, say attorneys at Cooley.

  • The Basics Of Being A Knowledge Management Attorney

    Excerpt from Practical Guidance
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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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • The Pop Culture Docket: Judge Elrod On 'Jury Duty'

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    Though the mockumentary series “Jury Duty” features purposely outrageous characters, it offers a solemn lesson about the simple but brilliant design of the right to trial by jury, with an unwitting protagonist who even John Adams may have welcomed as an impartial foreperson, says Fifth Circuit Judge Jennifer Elrod.

  • Beware Unique Compliance Risks In Home Equity Lending

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    As borrowers increasingly look to junior-lien mortgages and home equity lines of credit instead of first-lien mortgages, regulators will pay increased attention in turn and lenders will have to watch for a number of legal and regulatory pitfalls as they rush to meet this newfound demand, say attorneys at Orrick.

  • 4 Business-Building Strategies For Introvert Attorneys

    Excerpt from Practical Guidance
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    Introverted lawyers can build client bases to rival their extroverted peers’ by adapting time-tested strategies for business development that can work for any personality — such as claiming a niche, networking for maximum impact, drawing on existing contacts and more, says Ronald Levine at Herrick Feinstein.

  • New AI Lending Tech Could Exacerbate Old Bias Risks

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    As credit and mortgage lending businesses increasingly utilize artificial intelligence technology to help make decisions, they must be aware of the legal risks that may arise under familiar anti-discrimination laws, say Kali Bracey and Grace Wallack at Jenner & Block.