Residential

  • March 14, 2023

    4 Firms Guide Mexican Developer's $810M SPAC Merger

    Mexican luxury hospitality developer Murano and a special-purpose acquisition company on Tuesday announced their plans to merge that would take the combined entity public at an estimated $810 million, in a deal guided by four firms.

  • March 14, 2023

    Tiny Homes Maker Hires New Top Atty From King & Spalding

    Texas-based Legacy Housing Corp., which specializes in manufactured houses and so-called tiny homes, announced that it named a former associate with King & Spalding LLP as its new general counsel.

  • March 14, 2023

    HUD's IG Finds Monitoring Grantees Remotely Is Effective

    The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's Office of Community Planning and Development was able to effectively monitor the agency's grant programs when the COVID-19 pandemic forced remote work, according to a report from HUD's Office of Inspector General.

  • March 14, 2023

    6 Questions For Prometheus Materials About Bio-Concrete

    Colorado startup Prometheus Materials is aiming to replace carbon-intensive cement plants with material made by living cells. Here, CEO Loren Burnett talks to Law360 about the company's growth and the potential of bio-cement in a more carbon-conscious world.

  • March 14, 2023

    Allstate Prevails As Judge Says Couple's Loss Was Ongoing

    Allstate need not cover water and mold damage at a couple's home, a Georgia federal judge ruled, saying the loss was not sudden and is otherwise excluded under the policy's seepage and leakage exclusion and its mold exclusion.

  • March 13, 2023

    3 Ways SVB, Signature Failures Will Rattle Real Estate

    The one-two punch of regional banks Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank failing within days of each other put real estate owners, investors and experts into a weekend tailspin of unanswered questions and concerns about everything from new sources for loans to where to deposit incoming rent checks.

  • March 13, 2023

    Ga. Panel Upsets Ruling In Neighbors' Property Spat

    A Georgia Court of Appeals panel reversed a lower court's summary judgment in a dispute involving a strip of land between two neighbors, saying one of them had a legitimate squatter's rights claim since they had a chicken wire fence and HVAC unit on their neighbor's land for 20 years.

  • March 13, 2023

    Hilti To Build Drywall Finishing Robots For Startup Canvas

    Construction toolmaker Hilti Corp. announced Monday it is building a robot developed by San Francisco company Canvas that's capable of performing drywall finishing, under a partnership between the two companies.

  • March 13, 2023

    SPAC Investor Sues Over 'Abysmal' $16B Mortgage Biz Merger

    A special purpose acquisition company's investor says in Delaware Chancery Court that the SPAC's managers misled shareholders about a $16 billion merger with United Wholesale Mortgage so that they could reap a return from what turned out to be an "abysmal" deal.

  • March 13, 2023

    'Wolf Of Airbnb' To Explore Plea Talks Ahead Of Fraud Trial

    A Florida man who styled himself the "Wolf of Airbnb" before being charged with scamming New York City landlords in a bid to build a room-share empire is engaging in plea talks ahead of trial, a Manhattan federal judge heard Monday.

  • March 13, 2023

    US Says Lender Misinterpreted FHA In Appraisal Bias Suit

    The federal government told a court Monday that a mortgage company incorrectly applied the Fair Housing and Equal Credit Opportunity Acts in a bid to dismiss a Black couple's lawsuit alleging the lender and others violated both laws when the homeowners sought to refinance their Baltimore home loan.

  • March 13, 2023

    Insurer Settles With Builder Booted From High-Rise Project

    A subcontractor that was kicked off a project to build two high-rise apartment buildings in Seattle settled its lawsuit against a Tokio Marine unit over insurance coverage for property damage claims related to the project, the sides told a Washington federal court.

  • March 13, 2023

    Gov't Seeks Early Win Over Tax Evader's $7M Bill

    A man previously convicted of tax evasion and conspiring to defraud the IRS owes the agency nearly $7 million in taxes, penalties and interest, the U.S. told a Florida federal court, arguing it's entitled to an early win in its case against him. 

  • March 13, 2023

    Ind. Tax Panel Orders No Change To $865K Home Assessment

    Both a county assessor and a property owner failed to accurately appraise a home, the Indiana Tax Review Board said in ordering no change to the home's 2021 assessment of $865,000 in a decision published Monday.

  • March 13, 2023

    Real Estate Rumors: MacKenzie CRE, NewForm, Greystone

    MacKenzie Commercial Real Estate Services has reportedly arranged the sale of two Baltimore-area warehouses, NewForm Real Estate is said to have picked up a historic downtown Houston building, and Greystone is said to have lent $257 million for a New Jersey multifamily property.

  • March 13, 2023

    Meet The Attys Defending Norfolk Southern Derailment Suits

    As litigation began mounting after last month's derailment in Ohio of a Norfolk Southern train carrying toxic chemicals, the railroad dispatched a pair of seasoned Dickie McCamey & Chilcote PC litigators familiar with the task that lay ahead.

  • March 13, 2023

    Investment Co. Agrees To Deals Ban In Easement Settlement

    An investment group and its appraiser agreed to stop making deals involving deductions for qualified conservation easement contributions under a proposed settlement of a U.S. government lawsuit accusing them of running a $3 billion tax scheme, according to a filing Monday in Georgia federal court.

  • March 13, 2023

    Texas Apartment Complex Wants $2M For Tornado Damage

    The manager and part owner of Dallas apartments damaged by a tornado, vandalism, theft and fire amended its lawsuit against its insurer, seeking around $2 million and treble damages in Texas federal court and blaming the insurer for failing to cover its losses in a timely fashion, resulting in a city citation.

  • March 13, 2023

    Michigan Right-To-Renew Laws Could Dampen Supply

    As a movement in Michigan to require landlords to offer renewals for residential leases or provide just cause for nonrenewal gains steam, lawyers caution the change could cut supply in what's already a tight housing market in certain Wolverine State markets, while also accelerating gentrification.

  • March 13, 2023

    Chubb Insurers Must Cover $14.5M Mold Deal, 11th Circ. Told

    Two Chubb units must cover a $14.5 million consent judgment that a Florida woman secured against her condominium's property manager over alleged mold exposure, the woman told the Eleventh Circuit, saying the insurers can't rely on an "other insurance" provision to avoid their obligations.

  • March 13, 2023

    ​​​​​​​Indiana Man Says City Inspection Rule Violates Constitution

    An Indiana city faces a putative class action filed Monday by a local resident who is challenging a recently enacted ordinance granting the town's building commissioner permission to inspect homes without a warrant. 

  • March 10, 2023

    Experts Warn Against NFIP Lapse As Reforms Considered

    Experts warned a U.S. House subcommittee not to let the National Flood Insurance Program lapse in a hearing Friday looking at ways to expand flood insurance coverage.

  • March 10, 2023

    Federal Office Touts Updated Historic Preservation Guidance

    New guidance meant to help federal agencies satisfy their obligations under the National Historic Preservation Act puts a greater focus on protecting sites and artifacts that are meaningful to communities of color, according to the head of a federal office that crafted the advice.

  • March 10, 2023

    Property Plays: Hendrick Motorsports, Gerrity Group, HNTB

    Hendrick Motorsports has reportedly paid $22.6 million for nearly 82 acres in North Carolina, Gerrity Group is said to have sold a California retail property for $36.5 million, and HNTB has reportedly leased more than 15,000 square feet in Minneapolis.

  • March 10, 2023

    Rentyl Raises $25M To Grow Short-Term Rental Business

    Rentyl Resorts said it raised $25 million to expand the number of resort properties where it manages short-term rentals.

Expert Analysis

  • A Look At Lease Expansion Options In A Challenging Market

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    Expansion options can provide a powerful incentive for businesses to sign long-term leases even amid economic uncertainty, but both landlords and tenants must carefully consider the potential rights and terms, says Kris Ferranti at Shearman.

  • 5 Keys To A Productive Mediation

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    Cortney Young at ADR Partners discusses factors that can help to foster success in mediation, including scheduling, preparation, managing client expectations and more.

  • Preparing For An Era Of Regulated Artificial Intelligence

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    In light of developing regulatory activity aimed at governing the use of artificial intelligence, companies should implement best practices that focus on the fundamental principles that are driving regulators' actions, say attorneys at Troutman Pepper.

  • Bankruptcy Ruling May Mean Harsh Results For Beneficiaries

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    Surety bond decisions that use subjective analyses to aid a sympathetic claimant, such as a Tennessee bankruptcy court’s recent decision in Pinnacle Constructors, create uncertainty that could ultimately lead to severe results for future beneficiaries, says Lisa Tancredi at Womble Bond.

  • High Court Dispute Shows Need For CWA Clarity

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    Sackett v. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency illustrates the problems with two overly broad tests used to determine jurisdiction under the Clean Water Act, and offers the U.S. Supreme Court the opportunity to once and for all determine the scope of federal authority under the landmark measure, say Thomas Ward and Jeffrey Augello at the National Association of Home Builders.

  • Evaluating The Legal Ethics Of A ChatGPT-Authored Motion

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    Aimee Furness and Sam Mallick at Haynes Boone asked ChatGPT to draft a motion to dismiss, and then scrutinized the resulting work product in light of attorneys' ethical and professional responsibility obligations.

  • 7 Tips To Increase Your Law Firm's DEI Efforts In 2023

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    Law firms looking to advance their diversity, equity and inclusion efforts should consider implementing new practices and initiatives this year, including some that require nominal additional effort or expense, say Janet Falk at Falk Communications and Gina Rubel at Furia Rubel.

  • Keys To A 9-0 High Court Win: Get Back To Home Base

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    When I argued for the petitioner in Morgan v. Sundance before the U.S. Supreme Court last year, I made the idea of consistency the cornerstone of my case and built a road map for my argument to ensure I could always return to that home-base theme, says Karla Gilbride at Public Justice.

  • New US Waters Definition May Rock The Boat

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    Federal agencies' latest attempt to define "waters of the United States" attempts to avoid previous rules' failings, though it will potentially increase administrative difficulties for regulated entities and also leaves ample ground for litigation, say Christopher Thomas and Andrea Driggs at Perkins Coie.

  • Atty-Client Privilege Arguments Give Justices A Moving Target

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    Recent oral arguments before the U.S. Supreme Court in a case regarding the scope of the attorney-client privilege appeared to raise more questions about multipurpose counsel communications than they answered, as the parties presented shifting iterations of a predictable, easily applied test for evaluating the communications' purpose, say Trey Bourn and Thomas DiStanislao at Butler Snow.

  • 3D Printing Poses Legal Questions For Construction Cos.

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    3D printing technology holds not only a number of appealing benefits for the construction industry, but also legal ambiguities and challenges involving insurance coverage and compliance with building codes, says Kasey Joyce at Ball Janik.

  • 5 Gen X Characteristics That Can Boost Legal Leadership

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    As Generation X attorneys rise to fill top roles in law firms and corporations left by retiring baby boomers, they should embrace generational characteristics that will allow them to become better legal leaders, says Meredith Kahan at Whiteford Taylor.

  • 6 Questions For Boutique Firms Considering Mergers

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    To prepare for discussions with potential merger partners, boutique law firms should first consider the challenges they hope to address with a merger and the qualities they prioritize in possible partner firms, say Howard Cohl and Ron Nye at Major Lindsey.