Residential
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May 01, 2024
MDC's Top Attorney Resigns After Sekisui House Merger
Homebuilder MDC Holdings said its general counsel has announced his departure after Japanese firm Sekisui House Ltd. acquired the company in a nearly $5 billion transaction in January.
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May 01, 2024
What Attys Are Saying About The PFAS CERCLA Designation
In the days since the Environmental Protection Agency classified two "forever chemicals" as hazardous, real estate and environmental attorneys have been analyzing how the move applies to their work.
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May 01, 2024
Real Estate Authority Is Moving To Thursday
Beginning May 9, Law360 Real Estate Authority's two weekly newsletters — Commercial and Residential — will be distributed Thursday morning.
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May 01, 2024
Kennedy Wilson, Haseko Buy $90M Wash. Multifamily Builds
Real estate investment company Kennedy Wilson and Japanese construction company Haseko Corp. partnered to purchase a pair of multifamily properties spanning 350 units in Vancouver, Washington, for $90 million, Kennedy Wilson announced.
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May 01, 2024
Swiss Firm Empira Eyes Long-Term Growth In US Housing
The head of U.S. investments for Switzerland-based real estate investment firm Empira Group shared insights with Law360 Real Estate Authority on the opportunities the company saw in U.S. housing that have driven its recent arrival and growth on this side of the Atlantic.
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April 30, 2024
2nd Circ. Revives Commerzbank RMBS Suit Against US Bank
The Second Circuit on Tuesday revived part of a nearly decade-old Commerzbank AG lawsuit brought against U.S. Bank NA over its role as a trustee on a slew of pre-2008 crisis RMBS trusts, sending some of the German bank's previously dismissed claims back to district court for a "closer inspection."
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April 30, 2024
Real Estate Leaders Ask Congress For Less Stick, More Carrot
The federal government should incentivize home construction and office-to-residential conversions, avoid imposing more capital requirement rules on banks and refrain from treating commercial real estate monolithically, industry leaders testified to members of Congress on Tuesday.
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April 30, 2024
NY Agencies Hit With Rental Assistance Bias Class Action
New York City Housing Authority tenants on Tuesday filed a proposed class action alleging their landlord and the administrator of COVID emergency rental assistance intentionally discriminated against low-income Black and Hispanic renters by sending them to the back of the rental assistance line.
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April 30, 2024
Conn. Mortgage Co. Settles Data Breach Claims
A mortgage company settled a consolidated data breach class action that accused the company in Connecticut federal court of being liable for a November 2023 data breach that compromised its customers' personal information.
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April 30, 2024
Deal Frees Douglas Elliman From Mo. Broker Fee Class Action
Douglas Elliman has agreed to pay up to $117.5 million to exit a class action in Missouri federal court accusing the broker of causing home sellers to pay inflated commissions under rules set by the National Association of Realtors.
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April 30, 2024
Mich. Judge Admits Error In Cutting Predatory Lending Claims
A Michigan federal judge admitted she was wrong to toss fair housing claims alleging a group of real estate companies ran a bulk home buying program that preyed on Black buyers, reviving the claims and reversing a decision to cut a defendant from the case.
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April 30, 2024
NYC Judge Upholds Hotel Taxes On Apartment Subleases
A company that leased residential apartments in New York City is liable for more than $200,000 in disputed hotel taxes on short-term subleases of the units, an administrative law judge found.
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April 29, 2024
Kazakh Businessman Accused Of Stealing Coal Mine
A Kazakh businessman schemed with the country's government to steal a coal mine, its proceeds, and its assets and laundered the proceeds to buy luxury U.S. real estate worth more than $100 million, according to a suit filed in New York state court.
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April 29, 2024
6th Circ. Revives Co.'s Malpractice Suit Against Ohio Firm
The Sixth Circuit on Monday revived a Texas real estate developer's legal malpractice claim against an Ohio law firm, remanding the case back to a lower court to consider the viability of certain professional negligence claims.
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April 29, 2024
Zillow Fights Investor Cert. In Home Pricing Program Suit
Zillow urged a Washington federal court not to certify a class of shareholders amid an investor's suit alleging he was misled about the performance of its home-flipping program, arguing that the alleged misstatements had no bearing on stock prices.
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April 29, 2024
DC Property Manager Can't Duck Utility Fee Claims
A District of Columbia federal judge refused to toss a proposed class action lobbed by a former tenant against Bozzuto Management Co., leaving the property manager to face claims that its mishandling of utility charges violated consumer protection laws.
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April 29, 2024
Keller Williams Agent Can't Slip Robocall Class Action
A Nevada federal judge refused to let a Keller Williams agent escape a proposed class action accusing her of violating the Telephone Consumer Protection Act by repeatedly using robocalls to contact someone whose cellphone number was on a national do-not-call registry.
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April 29, 2024
Defendant Seeks Tribe's Confidential Data In Smoke Shop Suit
An entrepreneur being sued by the Cayuga Nation is arguing in New York federal court that he should be allowed to view "highly confidential" spreadsheets purportedly detailing revenue losses the tribe suffered due to an unlicensed smoke shop on tribal land, asserting he has no business ties to the store.
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April 29, 2024
Peer Street Plan Ruling Gets Delayed After Objector No-Show
Real estate investment platform Peer Street Inc. will have to wait another week for a decision on confirmation of its Chapter 11 plan, after a Delaware bankruptcy judge declined Monday to rule on the relief because an objecting party wasn't present in court.
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April 29, 2024
Pa. Retirement Home Wants Ed Board Tax Challenge Nixed
The nonprofit owner of a retirement community in a suburb of Pittsburgh has filed a lawsuit against the local school board claiming that the board violated a soon-to-expire payment in lieu of taxes, or PILOT, agreement that was brokered almost 15 years ago.
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April 29, 2024
Wash. Solar Co. Will Pay $465K To End Noncompete Suit
A Washington state judge has given a preliminary nod to a $465,000 settlement to end litigation accusing a residential solar energy equipment company of forcing workers to sign illegal noncompete clauses as a condition of employment.
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April 29, 2024
Becker Adds Community Association Pro From Kaye Bender
A community associations attorney from Kaye Bender Rembaum has jumped to Becker & Poliakoff PC to serve as a shareholder in the firm's West Palm Beach, Florida, office, the firm announced Monday.
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April 29, 2024
Builders Say State Rulemaking At Stake In Mich. PFAS Case
A homebuilders' group has backed industrial giant 3M in urging the state's highest court to preserve a lower court ruling wiping out limits on forever chemicals, with a trade group official saying the decision could affect other state agency rulemaking.
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April 29, 2024
NYC Real Estate Week In Review
Davis Polk, Greenberg Traurig and Simpson Thacher are among the law firms that handled the largest New York City real estate deals that hit public records last week, a period that saw two buildings trade for north of $100 million and a four-building portfolio also sell for nine figures.
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April 29, 2024
Supreme Court Declines To Hear 'Unusual' FCRA Case
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to take up PHH Mortgage Corp.'s call for review of a Fourth Circuit decision allowing a Marine Corps veteran to continue his Fair Credit Reporting Act claims that the company harassed him about his ex-wife's debt on a home they once shared.
Expert Analysis
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Reverse Veil-Piercing Ruling Will Help Judgment Creditors
A New York federal court’s recent decision in Citibank v. Aralpa Holdings, finding two corporate entities liable for a judgment issued against a Mexican businessman, shows the value of reverse veil piercing as a remedy for judgment creditors to go after sophisticated debtors who squirrel away assets, says Gabe Bluestone at Omni Bridgeway.
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Calif. Housing Overhaul May Increase Pressure On Landlords
Two recently enacted California laws signal new protections and legal benefits for tenants, but also elevate landlords' financial exposure at a time when they are already facing multiple other hardships, says Laya Dogmetchi at Much Shelist.
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New Proposal Signals Sharper Enforcement Focus At CFIUS
Last week's proposed rule aimed at broadening the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States' enforcement authority over foreign investments and increasing penalties for violations signals that CFIUS intends to continue expanding its aggressive monitoring of national security issues, say attorneys at Kirkland.
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Climate Disclosure Mandates Demand A Big-Picture Approach
As carbon emissions disclosure requirements from the European Union, California and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission take effect, the best practice for companies is not targeted compliance with a given reporting regime, but rather a comprehensive approach to systems assessment and management, says David Smith at Manatt.
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Playing Hockey Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Nearly a lifetime of playing hockey taught me the importance of avoiding burnout in all aspects of life, and the game ultimately ended up providing me with the balance I needed to maintain success in my legal career, says John Riccione at Taft.
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Illinois EV Charging Act Sparks Developer Concerns
A recent state law in Illinois requiring multifamily housing to provide facilities for electric vehicle charging raises significant concerns for developers over existing infrastructure that isn't up to the task, says Max Kanter at Much Shelist.
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What NAR Settlement Means For Agent Commission Rates
If approved, a joint settlement agreement between the National Association of Realtors and a class of home sellers will likely take the onus off home sellers to compensate buyers' agents, affecting considerations for all parties to real estate transactions, say attorneys at Jones Foster.
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Calif. Banking Brief: All The Notable Legal Updates In Q1
The first quarter of the year brought the usual onslaught of new regulatory developments in California — including a crackdown on junk fees imposed by small business lenders, a big step forward for online notarizations and a ban on predatory listing agreements, says Alex Grigorians at Hanson Bridgett.
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2nd Circ. Ruling Clarifies When Demand Letters Are Claims
The Second Circuit’s decision last week in Pine Management v. Colony Insurance, affirming that an insurer had no obligation to defend an insured for claims made before the policy period, provides clarity on when presuit demands for relief constitute claims — an important issue that may be dispositive of coverage, says Bonnie Thompson at Lavin Rindner.
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Serving As A Sheriff's Deputy Made Me A Better Lawyer
Skills developed during my work as a reserve deputy — where there was a need to always be prepared, decisive and articulate — transferred to my practice as an intellectual property litigator, and my experience taught me that clients often appreciate and relate to the desire to participate in extracurricular activities, says Michael Friedland at Friedland Cianfrani.
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Preparing For Possible Calif. Criminal Antitrust Enforcement
Though a recent announcement that the California Attorney General's Office will resume criminal prosecutions in support of its antitrust enforcement may be mere saber-rattling, companies and their counsel should nevertheless be prepared for interactions with the California AG's Antitrust Section that are not limited to civil liability issues, say Dylan Ballard and Lillian Sun at V&E.
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Conn. Loan Law Tweaks May Have 3 Major Effects On Lenders
Recently proposed minor amendments to Connecticut’s consumer protection laws could nonetheless mean major and unexpected changes to state consumer financial services regulations that dictate how lenders and their customer-facing service providers handle fee payments, mortgage servicer licensing and private student loans, says Jonathan Joshua at Joshua Law Firm.
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Document Retention Best Practices To Lower Litigation Risks
As new technologies emerge and terabytes of data can be within the purview of a single discovery request, businesses small and large should take four document management steps to effectively minimize risks of litigation and discovery sanctions long before litigation ensues, says Kimbrilee Weber at Norris McLaughlin.