Residential

  • April 04, 2024

    Surfside, Fla., Condo Collapse Victims To Get Additional $4.8M

    A Florida judge signed off Thursday on an additional $4.8 million distribution to the victims of the deadly collapse of the Champlain Towers South condominium after the receiver overseeing the defunct condominium association told the court the association had fewer financial obligations and tax liabilities than expected. 

  • April 03, 2024

    Nationstar Adds 'Junk Fee' For Loan Payoff Quote, Suit Says

    A proposed class hit Nationstar Mortgage LLC with a suit alleging the mortgage servicing firm illegally charges homeowners a "junk fee" for written payoff quotes in violation of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act.

  • April 03, 2024

    US Bank Beats $100M Suit Over Role As CDO Trustee

    A New York federal judge has freed U.S. Bank from a more than $100 million conflict-of-interest lawsuit brought by a group of mortgage-backed CDOs, which accused the bank of obstructing their efforts to sue over underlying mortgage bond losses tied to the 2008 financial crisis.

  • April 03, 2024

    Tenants Seek To Join NJ Rent Control Exemption Suit

    Two Jersey City tenant associations have urged a New Jersey federal judge to allow them to intervene in a suit filed by a landlord and its property manager over a revoked rent control exemption.

  • April 03, 2024

    EPA Faces Down Water Rule Challenge In Texas

    The federal government has asked a Texas federal judge to toss lawsuits filed by Texas, Idaho and more than a dozen industry groups challenging the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Army Corps of Engineers' rule defining the extent of the Clean Water Act's reach.

  • April 03, 2024

    Md. Lawmakers OK Special Tax Rates For Vacant Property

    Maryland would authorize its counties and the city of Baltimore to impose special tax rates on vacant or abandoned property under legislation approved by lawmakers and headed to the governor.

  • April 03, 2024

    Colo. Judge Rejects Landlord's Bid To Toss Unfair Fee Suit

    A Colorado state judge rejected a property management company's bid to toss a class action accusing it of charging unfair rental application fees, writing in an order that a Denver renter has done enough to allege the company violated a 2019 law aimed at protecting renters from inflated charges.

  • April 03, 2024

    San Francisco Leaders Back Ax Of Public Camping Ban

    A coalition of San Francisco stakeholders has accused the city and California of overstepping their bounds in an amicus brief urging the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn an Oregon city's prohibition on camping in public spaces, discounting their "alarmist claims" that the ruling rendered jurisdictions powerless.

  • April 03, 2024

    CBRE Economist Projects Real Estate Uptick For 2024

    After largely retreating to the sidelines during the past couple of years of economic challenges, it is time for real estate players to step back on the field and take some risks — if cautiously — in light of the current economic outlook and solid industry fundamentals, CBRE Group Inc.'s global chief economist suggested Wednesday.

  • April 03, 2024

    Real Estate Lawyers On The Move

    Goodwin Procter, Akin Gump and Dykema Gossett are among the law firms that have made recent real estate hires.

  • April 03, 2024

    Calif. OTA Nixes Lakers Owner's Property Loss Claim

    Los Angeles Lakers owner Jeanie Buss isn't eligible for a tax refund on the sale of her beachfront property because it was not a business transaction that resulted in a loss that could be carried back, the state Office of Tax Appeals ruled. 

  • April 03, 2024

    As EVs Catch On, Chargers May Be New Real Estate Standard

    Electric vehicle charging infrastructure isn't yet a prerequisite for a successful real estate development, but experts say it's speeding toward becoming as standard as Wi-Fi or ATMs, even in an environment of rapid-fire regulatory and technology change.

  • April 03, 2024

    2024 Proxy Fight Preview: Hotel Operator, Shops, Offices

    Every spring ushers in a new season of proxy fights between activist investors and boards of directors, and a handful of commercial property companies are in the midst of battles with dissatisfied shareholders, while the industry at large continues to face economic stressors.

  • March 29, 2024

    Millennials Bounced Back In Homebuying Market, NAR Finds

    Millennials retook their spot as the largest share of homebuyers between July 2022 and June 2023, driven by younger buyers' first-time home purchases and older millennials' repeat purchases, according to a National Association of Realtors report.

  • April 02, 2024

    Connecticut Estate Withdraws Deadly Airbnb Blast Claims

    The estate of a woman who died two years ago after the stove in an Airbnb property in Jamaica erupted into a fiery blast has withdrawn a Connecticut lawsuit against both the online service and the Texas-based owner of the retreat, with the maneuver coming just days after the owner challenged jurisdiction in the state.

  • April 02, 2024

    MV Realty Files Ch. 11 Plan Amid Growing Calls To Toss Case

    MV Realty plans to reorganize in Florida bankruptcy court by firing its brokers and collecting millions in fees from about 34,000 U.S. homeowners over the next 40 years, even as more than a dozen states backed the U.S. Trustee's view that the case is a stall tactic against prosecutors.

  • April 02, 2024

    Ex-NY Court Atty Says DA Has No Evidence Of Corruption

    A former appeals court attorney told a Manhattan jury Tuesday that the district attorney can't back up charges that she intended to benefit her husband when she gave a "basic, procedural fact" about the status of a case to his client.

  • April 02, 2024

    McLaughlin Stern Wins NY Properties Cases

    McLaughlin & Stern LLP's real estate practice team won two victories in New York state courts, preserving a company's ownership of a Brooklyn townhouse and getting a mechanic's lien tossed in a case involving a Long Island home's renovation.

  • April 02, 2024

    Berkeley Nixes Natural Gas Ban, But Shift To Electric Rolls On

    The city of Berkeley has agreed to unwind a ban on natural gas infrastructure in new construction under a deal with the California Restaurant Association, possibly foreshadowing a shift away from such bans and toward new incentive structures for electrification, attorneys say.

  • April 02, 2024

    Conn. Real Estate Co. Accused Of Inflating Commissions

    The largest real estate firm in Connecticut, William Raveis Real Estate Inc., "artificially elevated" commissions and company profits when its executives and employees flooded the ranks of local and national trade groups and helped adopt lucrative new rules, a proposed class action antitrust and unfair trade practices case alleges.

  • April 02, 2024

    Hagens Berman To Lead Yardi Rent Price-Fixing Class Action

    A Washington federal court tapped Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP as interim lead counsel for a putative class of renters amid a suit alleging that 11 property management companies are part of a price-fixing ring powered by an algorithm developed by Yardi Systems Inc.

  • April 02, 2024

    JLL, Amazon Close $140M Financing Deal For Wash. Homes

    JLL has lined up $139.64 million in financing from the Amazon Housing Equity Fund for the acquisition and renovation of 11 affordable housing properties in the state of Washington, the real estate services firm announced.

  • April 01, 2024

    RICO Claims Fail In Suit Against Developer, Judge Says

    A Texas federal judge on Monday dismissed a lawsuit brought by real estate entities associated with a Dallas developer who accused the founders of Megatel Homes LLC of racketeering, saying that the lawsuit didn't plausibly state that the defendants had engaged in any unlawful racketeering activity.

  • April 01, 2024

    Loophole Ties Conn. Firm To Home Sale Row, Judge Told

    A narrow exception to Connecticut's unfair trade practices law means an estate lawyer can be sued over how his firm handled money after the seller of a Vermont home suddenly died and his significant other was left in the lurch, an attorney for the girlfriend told a Connecticut judge on Monday.

  • April 01, 2024

    Justices Won't Review Mortgage Vehicles' Tax Break

    The U.S. Supreme Court declined Monday to take up a case from a group of whistleblowers who pressed for an Internal Revenue Service review of tax-exempt status for real estate mortgage investment conduits.

Expert Analysis

  • Key Limited Partnership Provisions During Market Downturns

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    With a recession potentially on the horizon, fund managers should carefully examine their funds' limited partnership agreements for items that may be affected by economic downturns, and assess whether modifications may be appropriate, says Matthew Posthuma at Ropes & Gray.

  • Firm Tips For Helping New Lawyers Succeed Post-Pandemic

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    Ten steps can help firms significantly enhance the experience of attorneys who started their careers in the coronavirus pandemic era, including facilitating opportunities for cross-firm connection, which can ultimately help build momentum for business development, says Lana Manganiello at Equinox Strategy Partners.

  • Fla. Foreign Real Estate Law Brings Broad Investment Risks

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    Last month, Florida became the latest state to enact legislation prohibiting Chinese investors from acquiring certain interests in real property, introducing significant legal uncertainty and consequences for real estate stakeholders and the private equity industry, say attorneys at Simpson Thacher.

  • Prepping Your Business Ahead Of Affirmative Action Ruling

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's upcoming ruling on whether race should play a role in college admissions could potentially end affirmative action, and companies will need a considered approach to these circumstances that protects their brand power and future profits, and be prepared to answer tough questions, say Nadine Blackburn at United Minds and Eric Blankenbaker at Weber Shandwick.

  • Tackling Judge-Shopping Concerns While Honoring Localism

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    As the debate continues over judge-shopping and case assignments in federal court, policymakers should look to a hybrid model that preserves the benefits of localism for those cases that warrant it, while preventing the appearance of judge-shopping for cases of a more national or widespread character, says Joshua Sohn at the U.S. Department of Justice.

  • How Attorneys Can Help Combat Anti-Asian Hate

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    Amid an exponential increase in violence against Asian American and Pacific Islander communities, unique obstacles stand in the way of accountability and justice — but lawyers can effect powerful change by raising awareness, offering legal representation, advocating for victims’ rights and more, say attorneys at Gibson Dunn.

  • Congress Needs To Enact A Federal Anti-SLAPP Statute

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    Although many states have passed statutes meant to prevent individuals or entities from filing strategic lawsuits against public participation, other states have not, so it's time for Congress to enact a federal statute to ensure that free speech and petitioning rights are uniformly protected nationwide in federal court, say attorneys at Skadden.

  • Banking Tips For Lending To Calif. Homeowners Associations

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    With current financial markets and recent changes to California law putting a brighter spotlight on lending, banks should understand the special considerations involved in lending to homeowners associations and the various possible remedies in the event of a default, says Alex Grigorians at Hanson Bridgett.

  • Some Client Speculations On AI And The Law Firm Biz Model

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    Generative artificial intelligence technologies will put pressure on the business of law as it is structured currently, but clients may end up with more price certainty for legal services, and lawyers may spend more time being lawyers, says Jonathan Cole at Melody Capital.

  • How Rent Proposals May Affect Most Populous Md. County

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    Of the various legislative changes concerning rent controls and property taxes that are being considered in Montgomery County, Maryland, comparatively milder controls are likely to prevail, but even these lenient measures may make it more difficult for the county to fulfill its needs for new housing, says Michael Murray at Greysteel.

  • A Lawyer's Guide To Approaching Digital Assets In Discovery

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    The booming growth of cryptocurrency and non-fungible tokens has made digital assets relevant in many legal disputes but also poses several challenges for discovery, so lawyers must garner an understanding of the technology behind these assets, the way they function, and how they're held, says Brett Sager at Ehrenstein Sager.

  • High Court's Ethics Statement Places Justices Above The Law

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    The U.S. Supreme Court justices' disappointing statement on the court's ethics principles and practices reveals that not only are they satisfied with a status quo in which they are bound by fewer ethics rules than other federal judges, but also that they've twisted the few rules that do apply to them, says David Janovsky at the Project on Government Oversight.

  • Texas Justices' PNC Opinion Clarifies Subrogation Questions

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    Thanks to the sorely needed clarification provided by the Texas Supreme Court in PNC Mortgage v. Howard, a home equity lender now has a better understanding of what it can do when its own lien is constitutionally invalid but is either equitably or contractually subrogated to a prior lien, say Daron Janis and Dave Foster at Locke Lord.