Residential

  • March 16, 2023

    How Manufactured Homes Can Help Close The Housing Gap

    Manufactured housing is attracting growing interest from policymakers across the country looking for solutions to the affordable-home crisis. In a three-part series for Women’s History Month, Law360 spoke to women who play pivotal, if sometimes opposing, roles in moving the industry forward, starting with Lesli Gooch, head of the Manufacturing Housing Institute in Washington.

  • March 15, 2023

    State Farm Hit With $1M Suit Over Ohio Hailstorm Damages

    State Farm is refusing to cover an Ohio condominium association's damages worth over $1 million caused by a severe hailstorm and flooding event in 2021, and is trying to limit the appraisal process for losses, according to a breach of contract suit amended Tuesday in Ohio federal court.

  • March 15, 2023

    Proposed Settlement Reached In Mich. Tax Foreclosure Row

    A proposed class of former owners of tax-foreclosed properties plan to settle their years-long dispute with several Michigan counties over foreclosure sales that generated excess revenue above and beyond the amount of their tax debt.

  • March 15, 2023

    HUD Grants $2.7B For Hurricane Ian Recovery In Florida

    Communities in Florida could see about $2.7 billion in disaster recovery aid from the federal government as they clean up from Hurricane Ian under a new effort aimed at helping areas susceptible to climate change, according to an announcement Wednesday.

  • March 15, 2023

    Real Estate Rumors: Hartford, Dwight Mortgage, 'Harry' Shang

    Hartford HealthCare has reportedly purchased a 133,000-square-foot office for $14 million; Dwight Mortgage Trust is rumored to have provided $26 million in refinancing for a New Jersey multifamily property; and Broker Honghua "Harry" Shang has listed 197 acres for sale in Los Angeles County, according to reports

  • March 15, 2023

    Investment Group Wants $10M Unpaid Loan Suit Axed

    Money Tree Capital Markets LLC asked a New York federal judge Wednesday to dismiss a lawsuit from a lender alleging the company owes $10 million from a line of credit, saying the lender conducted the transaction with "eyes wide open."

  • March 15, 2023

    Coldwell Banker To Pay $30K To Settle Housing Bias Claims

    The New York Office of the Attorney General announced Wednesday its settlement with Coldwell Banker over alleged discrimination against Black, Hispanic and other homebuyers of color on Long Island.

  • March 15, 2023

    Work Begins On 50-Acre Mixed-Use Project In South Florida

    South Florida-based developers 13th Floor Investments and Key International said Wednesday they have broken ground on the Parks at Delray project, a 50-acre mixed-use development in Delray Beach.

  • March 15, 2023

    Kimco Wants Va. Developers' Net Profits Suit Tossed

    Kimco Realty urged a Virginia federal judge to dismiss a suit alleging that the real estate investment trust's $3.8 billion Weingarten Realty Investors acquisition caused two brothers to lose $6 million for a development project, arguing that Kimco's appraiser for the brothers' net profits share of the project wasn't "unqualified" under the project's net profits agreement or the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice.

  • March 15, 2023

    NY Castigates Atty Who Sought Penn Station Financials

    New York's economic development arm upbraided an attorney who sought access to a financial analysis of the Penn Station revitalization plan, telling a New York state court that the attorney misidentified the nature of a bank account statement at the center of his request.

  • March 15, 2023

    ​​​​​​​RealPage Denies Austin Tenant's Screening Error Claims

    Rental software firm RealPage Inc. has asked a Texas federal court to dismiss a woman's suit that alleges the company inaccurately reported her criminal history in background checks for two Austin, Texas, apartment complexes.

  • March 15, 2023

    State Court Will Oversee Los Angeles Settlement With Vrbo

    A California federal judge ordered a lawsuit against short-term rental company Vrbo to be resolved in a state court, since the state government is the plaintiff and the case concerns its consumer protection laws.

  • March 15, 2023

    2nd Circ. Lets The Money Store Slip 'Fraud On Court' Claim

    The Second Circuit affirmed the dismissal of a proposed class action's fraud on the court claim Wednesday, ruling that the alleged conduct didn't impact the outcome of the suit over payment data that allegedly could have shown illegal fee-splitting involving mortgage servicers.

  • March 15, 2023

    Fla. Couple Lose Assessment Fight Over Property Transfer

    A Florida couple who transferred their nonhomesteaded property to their business were no longer entitled to a 10% property tax assessment limitation, because the transfer was a change in ownership, a state appeals court affirmed Wednesday.

  • March 15, 2023

    DOJ Accuses Mich. Property Manager Of Sex Harassment

    A property manager in a Detroit suburb demanded that several women who were looking to rent have sex with him in exchange for securing housing, the U.S. Department of Justice alleged in a civil complaint this week.

  • March 15, 2023

    Property Owner, Insurers Settle $8.4M Hurricane Harvey Claim

    A property owner in Texas has reached a settlement with several insurers over its $8.4 million Hurricane Harvey-related property damage claim, several years after a federal judge sent the dispute to arbitration.

  • March 15, 2023

    Tracking The Plaintiffs' Firms Vying For RealPage Litigation

    Law360 is tracking the various federal RealPage cases around the country as they grow in number. We show how and where claims have emerged, and which firms are behind them.

  • March 15, 2023

    Colo. Dept. Says Biz's Property Sales Don't Need Apportioning

    A company that leases out real estate in Colorado does not need to apportion the income it made from sales of properties because the transactions weren't made in the company's regular course of business, the state Department of Revenue ruled. 

  • March 15, 2023

    IRS Updates Housing Expense Limits For 2023

    The Internal Revenue Service released limitation adjustments that reflect geographical differences in housing costs for housing expense deductions and exclusion limitations for 2023.

  • March 14, 2023

    La. Landlord Says Appeal Needed In Insurance Arb. Fight

    A New Orleans property owner is urging a Louisiana federal judge to allow an appeal of its January ruling allowing a group of 11 insurers to force arbitration of the landlord's $7 million Hurricane Ida damage claim, saying another Louisiana federal court issued a conflicting ruling in a similar dispute.

  • March 14, 2023

    Detroit Says Vacant Buildings Are Havens For Drugs, Murder

    The city of Detroit accused multiple owners of vacant and abandoned buildings in three identical suits in Michigan state court of allowing those properties to become dangerous havens of drugs and murder.

  • March 14, 2023

    Florida Approves $46M To Conserve 21,000 Acres

    More than 21,000 acres of land in Florida that are home to 700 species will be conserved after the state approved the land purchase for $46.6 million, according to an announcement Tuesday.

  • March 14, 2023

    DOJ Tells 9th Circ. Harm Shown From Realtor Rules

    The U.S. Department of Justice told the Ninth Circuit that a lower court focused on the wrong market and made other mistakes when tossing a suit attacking a rule from the National Association of Realtors that restricts listings by agents outside its local networks.

  • March 14, 2023

    Chinese Fugitive's Co. Seeks Acquittal In LA Bribery Case

    A real estate company convicted of bribing a former Los Angeles City Council member has asked a California federal judge for an acquittal or new trial, arguing the prosecution's strategy was to "front-load the jury" with evidence about the councilor's independent criminal acts and pay-to-play scheme. 

  • March 14, 2023

    NY Legislature Proposes Tax Hike For High Earners

    New York would temporarily increase personal income tax rates for high earners and make other changes to tax policy under proposals issued Tuesday by the state Senate and Assembly in response to the budget proposed by Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul.

Expert Analysis

  • Questions Surround NY's Controversial New Foreclosure Law

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    A new law revising New York's statute of limitations governing foreclosure actions, signed into law in December, contains some ambiguous phrasing that has sparked disputes between borrowers and lenders, and will undoubtedly lead to extensive litigation, say Christina Livorsi and Alfred Marks at Day Pitney.

  • What To Expect From The House Select Committee On China

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    Although the U.S. House of Representatives' new select committee on China cannot act on legislation, its bipartisan mandate may enable it to establish the conditions necessary for legislation to be adopted — or not — by Congress' other committees of jurisdiction, say attorneys at Arnold & Porter.

  • New AML Law May Be Key Tool To Enforce Russia Sanctions

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    A new anti-money laundering law for the first time authorizes monetary rewards for tips leading to government enforcement against certain sanctions violations, and though many questions remain, it gives the U.S. an additional tool in the ongoing global battle against Russian aggression, say Daren Firestone and Kimberly Wehle at Levy Firestone.

  • Atty Conflict Discussions In Idaho Murder Case And Beyond

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    A public defender's representation of the accused University of Idaho murderer after prior representation of a victim's parent doesn't constitute a violation of conflict of interest rules, but the case prompts ethical questions about navigating client conflicts in small-town criminal defense and big-city corporate law alike, say Hilary Gerzhoy and Charles Loeser at HWG.

  • Why The Original 'Rocket Docket' Will Likely Resume Its Pace

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    Though the Eastern District of Virginia, for decades the fastest federal trial court in the country, experienced significant pandemic-related slowdowns, several factors unique to the district suggest that it will soon return to its speedy pace, say Dabney Carr and Robert Angle at Troutman Pepper.

  • How Gov't Enviro Justice Push May Affect Developers

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    Attorneys at Crowell & Moring contextualize the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's recent guidance on environmental justice and permitting decisions, and the U.S. Department of Energy's requests for input on using grants to achieve EJ goals, highlighting practical implications for project developers and other industry participants.

  • The Discipline George Santos Would Face If He Were A Lawyer

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    Rep. George Santos, who has become a national punchline for his alleged lies, hasn't faced many consequences yet, but if he were a lawyer, even his nonwork behavior would be regulated by the American Bar Association's Model Rules of Professional Conduct, and violations in the past have led to sanctions and even disbarment, says Mark Hinderks at Stinson.

  • FinCEN Report Holds Key Russia-Linked Risk Considerations

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    A recent report from the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network reminds financial institutions to review guidance issued on reporting Russia-linked suspicious activity, emphasizing the need to review anti-money laundering and sanctions monitoring processes to remain adaptive to global developments, say Siana Danch and Peter Hardy at Ballard Spahr.

  • A Litigation Move That Could Conserve Discovery Resources

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    Bennett Rawicki at Hilgers Graben proposes the preliminary legal opinion procedure — seeking a court's opinion on a disputed legal standard at the outset, rather than the close, of discovery — as a useful resource-preservation tool for legally complex, discovery-intensive litigation.

  • Litigators Should Approach AI Tools With Caution

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    Artificial intelligence tools like ChatGPT hold potential to streamline various aspects of the litigation process, resulting in improved efficiency and outcomes, but should be carefully double-checked for confidentiality, plagiarism and accuracy concerns, say Zachary Foster and Melanie Kalmanson at Quarles & Brady.

  • Agency Actions Show Shared Focus On Digital Ad Tactics

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    Recent coordinated actions taken by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, U.S. Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission demonstrate a new focus on assailing two distinct digital advertising practices — dark patterns and the use of algorithms for targeting consumers, say Kyle Tayman and Tierney Smith at Goodwin.

  • 9th Circ. Ruling Clarifies Homestead Exemption Ambiguities

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    The Ninth Circuit's decision in Barclay v. Boskoski in November sheds light on the amount of homestead exemption a debtor may be entitled to, potentially creating a perverse incentive that pushes creditors to force the sales of debtors' homes, says Deborah Kovsky-Apap at Troutman Pepper.

  • 5 Ways Attorneys Can Use Emotion In Client Pitches

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    Lawyers are skilled at using their high emotional intelligence to build rapport with clients, so when planning your next pitch, consider how you can create some emotional peaks, personal connections and moments of magic that might help you stick in prospective clients' minds and seal the deal, says consultant Diana Kander.