Residential

  • May 10, 2024

    Colo. Investor Says Fox Rothschild Atty's Missteps Cost $3M

    One of three investors behind a Colorado development has filed suit against Fox Rothschild LLP and an attorney in state court, alleging that the attorney's failures led the entity to lose upwards of $3 million when a relationship with the fellow investors soured.

  • May 10, 2024

    Solar Co. Stockholders Claim Execs, Board Caused Losses

    SunPower's current and former leadership was accused in a derivative shareholder suit of sending the residential solar power company into a financial tailspin by revising financial statements multiple times and causing the stock value to drop.

  • May 10, 2024

    3 Takeaways From The Real Deal's New York City Forum

    Industry professionals at The Real Deal's New York City Real Estate Forum this year aired a lot of grievances about housing and development policies in the Big Apple and Empire State, though panels also touched on a major problem facing lenders. 

  • May 10, 2024

    Ore. Court Drops Tax Value Of Rural Property

    The Oregon Tax Court lowered the real market valuation of a rural property with outbuildings used for storage of a car collection, relying partially on the owner's cost approach to the value.

  • May 10, 2024

    Nationstar Mortgage Wants To Escape 'Junk Fee' Suit

    Nationstar Mortgage LLC has asked a Washington federal judge to toss a proposed class action alleging it illegally charged homeowners a "junk fee" for written payoff quotes, saying the suit's claims fail because expedited payoff fees are not unlawful and do not breach the terms of the relevant loan agreements.

  • May 09, 2024

    Industry Orgs Urge DC Circ. To Ax HUD Disparate Impact Rule

    Several industry associations are backing a D.C. Circuit challenge to a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development rule governing disparate impact claims under the Fair Housing Act, contending the federal agency exceeded its powers and ignored Supreme Court precedent in issuing the regulation.

  • May 09, 2024

    Making Borrower Contact Ex Was Reasonable, Court Told

    A Connecticut woman's lawsuit accusing her mortgage servicer of forcing her to get in touch with an abusive ex-partner must be dismissed because it doesn't properly state a claim for violation of the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, the company told a federal court Thursday.

  • May 09, 2024

    REIT Says Insurers Must Cover Antitrust Conspiracy Claims

    A real estate investment trust accused its insurers of wrongfully denying coverage for an underlying multidistrict litigation alleging that the company was part of an antitrust conspiracy to inflate rents for multifamily housing, telling a Colorado federal court that the MDL falls plainly within multiple coverage parts of its policies.

  • May 09, 2024

    NY Appeals Court Says Parking Garage Is Rent-Stabilized

    A New York state appeals court on May 9 upheld a housing agency's decision finding that a parking garage in a building in the Bronx borough of New York City is rent-stabilized.

  • May 09, 2024

    NY Tribunal Affirms Couple Can't Claim Real Estate Deduction

    A New York couple was correctly denied a real estate deduction on their personal income tax returns because the husband didn't qualify as a real estate professional, the state Tax Appeals Tribunal affirmed in a decision released Thursday.

  • May 09, 2024

    Mass. Tax Board Axes Home's Value Based On Similar Sales

    A Massachusetts home was overvalued, the state Appellate Tax Board ruled, finding evidence of comparable sales presented by the homeowner to be persuasive.

  • May 09, 2024

    Colo. Lawmakers Approve Extended Property Tax Cuts

    Colorado would extend its current temporary property tax rate reductions into 2024 and would lower tax rates for future years under legislation passed by Colorado lawmakers that could save property owners about $1 billion in its first year.

  • May 09, 2024

    Va. Builder's Sand Purchases Found Subject To Sales Tax

    A Virginia homebuilder that purchased dirt and sand must pay sales tax on those purchases because both are tangible personal property, the state's tax commissioner ruled.

  • May 08, 2024

    Fla. Condo Terminations Could Spread, But Won't Be Easy

    A reckoning is approaching for aging condominium buildings across Florida, with state structural inspections and reserve studies mandated after the deadly 2021 Surfside building collapse due at year's end. But although this could present much needed redevelopment opportunities, the path looks as difficult to navigate as ever, experts said at a real estate conference this week in Miami.

  • May 08, 2024

    Execs Weigh In On Housing Trends At DLA Piper Panel

    Why is it so hard to build housing? Blame high interest rates, spiking insurance rates and maybe even some sort of elderberry beetle — according to a group of housing development executives gathered in Chicago this week for DLA Piper's annual real estate conference.

  • May 08, 2024

    Upstate NY Cities Aim To Join Rent-Regulated Ranks

    After a 2019 tweak to state law allowed localities beyond New York City and its surrounding counties to opt into rent stabilization for the first time since the original legislation was passed in 1974, a smattering of upstate cities have attempted to do just that, to varying degrees of success.

  • May 08, 2024

    Brokers Lean On Other Business With Transactions Flat In Q1

    Commercial real estate's big four brokers are still waiting for inflation to cool down so capital markets can rebound, despite signs in the first quarter that a recovery was underway.

  • May 08, 2024

    Norfolk Southern Class Counsel Talks Settlement, Legacy

    With residents of East Palestine, Ohio, on the verge of a $600 million payout for the 2023 Norfolk Southern train derailment, plaintiffs' co-lead counsel Jayne Conroy shared some thoughts about the role property values played in the proposed settlement and what ripple effect their arguments might have in similar cases.

  • May 08, 2024

    Coldwell Banker's Lockboxes Draw BIPA Suit

    Coldwell Banker has been sued in Illinois state court by a proposed class of employees who claim it violated Illinois' biometric privacy law by failing to get their informed consent before requiring them to scan their fingerprints to access biometric lockboxes that store keys for rental units shown to potential customers.

  • May 08, 2024

    NAR Magazine Subscribers Drop Data-Selling Claims

    A proposed class has mediated and permanently dismissed claims in Michigan federal court accusing the National Association of Realtors of illegally selling, exchanging and renting the personal data of subscribers to the NAR's Realtor magazine.

  • May 08, 2024

    Homebuyers Can't Stop NAR's $418M Settlement Hearing

    An Illinois federal judge said Wednesday she won't derail a final settlement hearing for the National Association of Realtors' $418 million deal with home sellers, despite a class of homebuyers' claims that the deal interferes with their separate case, saying they will have a chance to voice concerns at the hearing.  

  • May 08, 2024

    Nixon Peabody Closes Green Retrofit Deal For Mass. Housing

    Nixon Peabody LLP has wrapped up a deal that will allow older adults in Quincy, Massachusetts, to use U.S. Department of Housing and Development funds and a federally insured loan to build a new HVAC system that's energy efficient and to make their housing more accessible, the firm announced Wednesday.

  • May 08, 2024

    Colo. Lawmakers OK Historic Structure Tax Credit Extension

    Colorado's tax credit for rehabilitation of historic structures would be extended and apply to structures as young as 30 years old under legislation approved by the Senate and headed to the governor.

  • May 07, 2024

    LA Sued For Landmarking House Marilyn Monroe Died In

    Owners of a Los Angeles home where Marilyn Monroe died sued the city in California state court saying it orchestrating an illegal, rigged process to designate it as a historical landmark, arguing Monday nothing in the home shows the actress spent a single day in it.

  • May 07, 2024

    Real Estate Co. Says Privilege, Immunity Don't Protect Trustee

    A real estate company says a Chapter 7 trustee overseeing a Connecticut woman's personal bankruptcy cannot invoke the doctrine of qualified immunity or assert a litigation privilege to avoid being countersued for trying to stop a home sale the trustee considered fraudulent.

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.