Residential

  • September 15, 2023

    Lennar Home Deliveries, Orders Rise In Q3, Showing Demand

    In a sign of continued demand for housing, Miami-based homebuilder Lennar on Friday reported higher-than-expected profits and revenue with executives saying consumer expectations about the housing market have recently stabilized.

  • September 14, 2023

    4th Circ. Sinks Couple's Attempt To 'Manufacture' Jurisdiction

    A federal appeals court on Thursday gutted a couple's attempt to sidestep rules governing bankruptcy appeals in their effort to recoup money they spent on home renovations with a contractor who allegedly turned out to be unlicensed.

  • September 14, 2023

    Mobile Home Park Fights High Court Housing Voucher Probe

    Iowa mobile park operators have urged the U.S. Supreme Court not to question an Eighth Circuit finding that it need not accommodate a disabled resident by accepting her rental voucher, arguing that her petition manufactures a circuit split by misconstruing cases.

  • September 14, 2023

    Real Estate Rumors: Chetrits, Victrix, Jack Matthews

    Joe and Jacob Chetrit are said to be paying $35 million for a New York rental property, Victrix is reportedly planning to convert a former Cincinnati Macy's to residential space, and an entity led by developer Jack Matthews is reportedly planning to update a Dallas convention center.

  • September 14, 2023

    Alliant Capital Closes $281 Million Housing Tax Credit Deal

    Alliant Capital completed a deal that raised $281 million through the federal low-income housing tax credit program to build or renovate multifamily developments in 13 states.

  • September 14, 2023

    Colliers Sees Dallas Unit Deliveries Rising, Rents Stagnating

    The unit deliveries in the Dallas-Fort Worth area are on the rise in 2023 compared to the last five years while rent growth has "greatly moderated," according to a recent Colliers report.

  • September 14, 2023

    Real Estate Co. Must Face Homeowner's Telemarketing Suit

    A company in New York that buys and sells homes cannot escape a homeowner's claims that it violated the Telephone Consumer Protection Act because she plausibly pleaded that automated calls made by the company could be considered advertisements, a federal judge ruled this week.

  • September 14, 2023

    Insurer Says No Coverage For Construction Site Fall Suit

    A Berkley unit said it doesn't owe coverage to a builder accused of failing to take safety precautions at a construction site where a man fell through a hole in the floor, telling an Illinois federal court two exclusions bar coverage for the underlying claims.

  • September 14, 2023

    MG Properties Buys $89M Calif. Apartment Community

    MG Properties has purchased Artist Walk Apartments, a 185-unit community located at 3888 Artist Walk Common in Fremont, California, the real estate investment and management company announced Thursday.

  • September 14, 2023

    Another LA Data Breach Suit Sent Back To State Court

    A proposed federal court class action against the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles that alleges the agency failed to safeguard housing applicants' sensitive data from cybercriminals was recently remanded to state court, weeks after two related cases were sent back.

  • September 14, 2023

    Keller Williams Agent Slams 'Unreasonable' Robocall Suit

    A Keller Williams real estate agent in Nevada asked a court to dismiss a claim that she violated federal law by sending unsolicited prerecorded phone messages and texts, since a substantially similar case against the company is pending in another court.

  • September 13, 2023

    Calif. Lawmakers Fall Short On Homeowners Insurance Deal

    California lawmakers facing a legislative deadline this week failed to agree on an insurance deal that could have addressed some of the issues that carriers say are most important to their decision on whether to keep limiting homeowners coverage in the state.

  • September 13, 2023

    Chopra Says CFPB High Court Loss May Risk Housing Havoc

    Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Director Rohit Chopra called Wednesday for regulators to double down on post-2008 financial reforms, arguing the bank merger review process remains in need of more rigor and warning of potential peril from the U.S. Supreme Court fight over his agency's funding. 

  • September 13, 2023

    NYC May Need To Rethink Property Transfer Program

    A City of New York program that transfers distressed or tax-delinquent apartment buildings to nonprofit agencies for redevelopment may be on shaky ground amid a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling and a lawsuit from property owners over the city's failure to compensate them for lost equity.

  • September 13, 2023

    Well Driller Not Covered In Suit Over Toxic Water, Insurer Says

    An insurer has told a Montana federal judge that it shouldn't have to cover the legal expenses of a drilling company accused of contaminating the water supply of an apartment building with dangerous levels of lead, arguing that the policy excludes coverage for pollutants.

  • September 13, 2023

    Travelers Unit Can't Duck Defense In Repair Row, HOA Says

    A Travelers unit can't escape defending a Denver homeowners association in a series of underlying lawsuits involving another Travelers unit, the association told a Colorado federal court, arguing that neither policy exclusion in its HOA liability policy cited by the insurer applies to the dispute.

  • September 13, 2023

    Investors Must Face RICO Claims In Defective Solar Panel Suit

    Florida investment companies have to face claims they were involved in a solar panel company's scheme to dupe customers into buying defective panels, a Michigan federal judge has said, finding that "the interests of justice factors weigh in favor of retaining the litigation."

  • September 13, 2023

    Trammell Crow Transfers Calif. Property Deed

    Entities of multifamily real estate developer Trammell Crow Residential transferred 90% tenant-in-common interest in a California property worth $183 million, according to documents made available this week.

  • September 13, 2023

    Judge Backs Group's Qualms With Beverly Hills Housing Plan

    A state judge has sided with a housing nonprofit that argued that the city of Beverly Hills, California, advanced an unrealistic plan for constructing new mixed-use buildings and shirked the requirements of a state law.

  • September 13, 2023

    Justices Urged To Review Suit Against Stifel Over $160M Bonds

    Two investors pushed the U.S. Supreme Court to remand their putative class action against brokerage and investment banker Stifel Nicolaus & Company Inc., which is accused of not providing enough information about more than $160 million worth of bonds meant for the acquisition and rehabilitation of Chicago housing projects.

  • September 13, 2023

    Detroit Mayor Links Fighting Blight With Property Tax Cuts

    The Detroit mayor's plan to lower property taxes for most homeowners — while, he said, fighting blight in the city — would be addressed by five bills that a Michigan House panel discussed Wednesday.

  • September 13, 2023

    Ariz. Locals Ask Justices To Review Ore. City's Homeless Law

    Phoenix home and business owners have urged the U.S. Supreme Court to weigh in on a Ninth Circuit ruling that prevents an Oregon city from removing homeless encampments, saying the decision has cast widespread confusion and led to an increase in homelessness throughout its jurisdiction, according to an amici curiae brief. 

  • September 13, 2023

    Black Homeowners' Bias Suit Against State Farm Still Alive

    An Illinois federal judge trimmed claims from a proposed class action alleging that State Farm's claims processing algorithms create discriminatory outcomes for Black homeowners, allowing the suit to move forward with a narrower scope.

  • September 13, 2023

    Seattle Developer Says Insurer Wrongly Applied Exclusion

    A Seattle building owner claimed that its insurer wrongfully denied coverage for $8.5 million worth of water damage sustained from faulty construction and a broken pipe, telling a Washington federal court that the insurer conflated covered and uncovered losses.

  • September 13, 2023

    Ohio High Court Questions Efforts To Split FHA Settlement

    The Ohio Supreme Court on Wednesday asked a homebuilding franchisor seeking to offload some of a Fair Housing Act settlement if the court should first consider whether a state cost-splitting law applies to the company's claims, before considering whether that statute is preempted by federal law.

Expert Analysis

  • Data-Driven Insights Are Key To Attracting Today's Clients

    Author Photo

    As law firm growth slows and competition for clients increases, modern firms must rely on robust data analytics to develop the sector-based expertise and industry insights that clients increasingly prioritize in relationships with counsel, says Lavinia Calvert at Intapp.

  • EV Chargers Can Bring Benefits For Calif. Property Owners

    Author Photo

    California property developers and owners face growing pressure to provide electric vehicle charging infrastructure — but this can be a unique opportunity to add value to real estate assets, and can be accomplished in multiple ways, say Riley Cutner-Orrantia and Eurie Hwang at Crosbie Gliner.

  • Brownfield Renewables Guidance Leaves Site Eligibility Murky

    Author Photo

    Recent IRS guidance sheds some light on the Inflation Reduction Act's incentives for renewable energy development on contaminated sites — but the eligibility of certain sites for brownfield status remains uncertain, say Megan Caldwell and Jon Micah Goeller at Husch Blackwell.

  • Pending Legislation Holds Promise For SF Buildings

    Author Photo

    Recently introduced state and local legislation could make it easier for office-to-residential conversion projects in San Francisco to secure approval and funding sources, although financial incentives similar to those implemented by other states may be necessary to ensure the feasibility of such projects, say Caroline Chase and Nick DuBroff at Allen Matkins.

  • A Breakdown Of Freddie Mac's New Servicer Custody Rules

    Author Photo

    Freddie Mac's new custodial account requirements are mostly straightforward, but even full compliance with those obligations can't eliminate the risk of unexpected bank failures, so servicers should review the ratings of their depositories and create procedures for evaluating them, says Eric Edwardson at Mayer Brown.

  • Ghosting In BigLaw: Why Better Feedback Habits Are Needed

    Author Photo

    Not giving assignments or constructive criticism to junior associates can significantly affect their performance and hours, potentially leading them to leave the firm, but partners can prevent this by asking the right questions and creating a culture of feedback, says Rachel Patterson at Orrick.

  • Law Needs A Balance Between Humanism And Formalism

    Author Photo

    A recent Law360 guest article rightly questions the pretextual pseudo-originalism that permits ideology to masquerade as judicial philosophy, but the cure would kill the patient because directness, simplicity and humanness are achievable without renouncing form or sacrificing stare decisis, says Vanessa Kubota at the Arizona Court of Appeals.

  • Short Message Data Challenges In E-Discovery

    Author Photo

    As short message platforms increasingly dominate work environments, lawyers face multiple programs, different communication styles and emoji in e-discovery, so they must consider new strategies to adapt their processes, says Cristin Traylor at Relativity.

  • Ambiguity In 'Buy America' Implementation May Slow Projects

    Author Photo

    The White House Office of Management and Budget's most recent guidance, which builds on a complex patchwork of Buy America restrictions that vary by federal agency, would perpetuate government contractors' uncertainty regarding product and material classification and could delay infrastructure projects, say attorneys at Miles & Stockbridge.

  • Thomas Report Is Final Straw — High Court Needs Ethics Code

    Author Photo

    As a recent report on Justice Clarence Thomas' ongoing conflicts of interest makes evident, Supreme Court justices should be subject to an enforceable and binding code of ethics — like all other federal judges — to maintain the credibility of the institution, says Erica Salmon Byrne at Ethisphere.

  • La. Suit Could Set New Enviro Justice Litigation Paradigm

    Author Photo

    Inclusive Louisiana v. St. James Parish, a lawsuit filed recently in Louisiana federal court that makes wide-ranging and novel constitutional and statutory claims of environmental racism based on centuries of local history, could become a new template for environmental justice litigation against governments and businesses, say attorneys at King & Spalding.

  • Lawyer Discernment Is Critical In The World Of AI

    Author Photo

    In light of growing practical concerns about risks and challenges posed by artificial intelligence, lawyers' experience with the skill of discernment will position them to help address new ethical and moral dilemmas and ensure that AI is developed and deployed in a way that benefits society as a whole, says Jennifer Gibbs at Zelle.

  • Don't Forget Alumni Engagement When Merging Law Firms

    Author Photo

    Neglecting law firm alumni programs after a merger can sever the deep connections attorneys have with their former firms, but by combining good data management and creating new opportunities to reconnect, firms can make every member in their expanded network of colleagues feel valued, say Clare Roath and Erin Warner at Troutman Pepper.