Residential
-
December 05, 2024
Property Insurance Policyholders See Hope Amid Headwinds
In a year filled with property insurance challenges ranging from rising rates to limited availability, some policyholders saw gains in favorable state high court decisions, easing regulatory landscapes and insurer accountability.
-
December 05, 2024
Rocket Mortgage Sues HUD, Hits Back At DOJ Race Bias Suit
Rocket Mortgage, the largest U.S. mortgage lender, has punched back against housing discrimination claims brought by the U.S. government, countersuing in Colorado federal court to challenge what it argues are "conflicting and irreconcilable" mandates at play.
-
December 05, 2024
Freddie Mac Beats Suit Over Payoff Statement Fees, For Now
A Washington federal judge has tentatively let Freddie Mac off the hook in borrowers' proposed class action alleging loan servicer Nationstar Mortgage illegally charged fees for payoff statements, ruling Thursday that Freddie Mac can't be liable for conduct it didn't authorize — even if it did own one loan at issue.
-
December 05, 2024
Yardi Must Face Rent-Fixing Suit With Tough Standard
A Washington federal court has refused to dismiss an antitrust case accusing multifamily building owners of conspiring to use Yardi's revenue management software to inflate rental prices and found the claims should be treated as classic price-fixing allegations.
-
December 05, 2024
Ohio Court Affirms Nix Of Bid To Double $42M Property Value
An effort to nearly double the $42 million taxable value of a property to its recent sale price was correctly dismissed, an Ohio state appeals court said, upholding a state law barring complaints based on the untimeliness of a sale.
-
December 05, 2024
Real Estate Fintech Co. Lands $350M Blue Owl Investment
Real estate fintech company Splitero announced Thursday that it inked a deal with asset management firm Blue Owl Capital, which will use its managed funds to buy up to $350 million worth of home equity investments.
-
December 05, 2024
Detroit Needs More Evidence In Census Row, Judge Says
A Michigan federal judge gave the city of Detroit another chance Thursday to prove the U.S. Census Bureau undercounted the city's population and negatively impacted its federal funding, telling the city it wouldn't have standing to sue the federal government without such evidence.
-
December 05, 2024
Airbnb Customers Drop 'Assistance Fee' Suit Against Insurers
A proposed class of Airbnb customers permanently dropped a suit accusing two of the company's insurance providers of violating Washington state law by charging an "assistance fee" when selling travel coverage.
-
December 05, 2024
Worker Claims Four Seasons Cheated Employees On Wages
A former Four Seasons employee said the hotel chain cheated Los Angeles employees out of wages, telling a California state court that employees weren't paid for all hours worked.
-
December 04, 2024
Amazon, Others Settle With Calif. Over Ex-Criminal Hiring Bias
The California Civil Rights Department has announced it has reached individual settlements with Amazon, Ikea, the Los Angeles Dodgers and other employers over allegations they unlawfully rejected otherwise qualified job applicants based on their criminal history.
-
December 04, 2024
Insurer Owes Coverage In Florida Keys Property Sale Dispute
A Florida state appeals court partially reversed a lower court's ruling that an insurer didn't owe two insureds a defense in an underlying suit accusing them of conspiring with a Key West property seller, finding Wednesday there were insufficient allegations to trigger a policy exclusion.
-
December 04, 2024
Lowenstein Sandler Adds Real Estate, Capital Markets Attys
Lowenstein Sandler LLP has hired partners for its business litigation and capital markets and securities teams in New York City, the firm announced Wednesday.
-
December 04, 2024
Building Contractor Agrees To End No-Hire Pacts
Guardian Service Industries Inc. has agreed to stop enforcing no-hire agreements in its contracts that prevent building owners and managers from hiring the service contractor's employees after pressure from the Federal Trade Commission and state enforcers.
-
December 04, 2024
RealPage Says DOJ's Antitrust Markets 'Hide The Ball'
RealPage has urged a North Carolina federal court to throw out the government's antitrust case against it, arguing that enforcers have not shown that use of its software is raising rental rates in any part of the country and that landlords use it to offer competitive rents.
-
December 04, 2024
Chase Will Settle Calif. Atty's Mortgage Rate-Lock Suit
JPMorgan Chase Bank NA has reached a tentative, individual settlement with an attorney suing it for allegedly gouging him and other borrowers with sham mortgage rate-lock deals, heading off a potential class action.
-
December 04, 2024
Atlas Real Estate Biz Gets Initial OK On Data Breach Deal
A Colorado federal judge on Tuesday gave preliminary approval to a settlement between roughly 4,500 victims of a data breach and a real estate company that would see each proposed class member receive up to $5,000 in compensation.
-
December 04, 2024
Homeless Vets Tell 9th Circ. To Deny Parking Access To UCLA
A class of homeless, disabled military veterans fought the Regents of the University of California's appeal of its rejected stay motion, arguing in the Ninth Circuit that the lower court made the right decision because the veterans urgently need supportive housing on a Los Angeles campus.
-
December 04, 2024
Farmers Insurance Off Hook In Homeowner's Fire Loss Appeal
A California homeowner who alleged that an agent underinsured her scorched $3 million Malibu home cannot blame Farmers Insurance, a state appeals court affirmed, finding in a published opinion that the agent acted independently when obtaining a policy via a fire insurance pool for her client.
-
December 04, 2024
Valley Sells $925M In Loans As Banks Shed CRE Loans
Lenders, especially banks under pressure from regulators, are now taking big steps to distance themselves from commercial real estate. Those strategies include selling even performing loan portfolios at a discount, as well as starting foreclosures to draw buyers.
-
December 04, 2024
Cozen O'Connor Adds Condo, Co-Op Board Expert In NYC
Cozen O'Connor has added a real estate litigator from Tarter Krinsky & Drogin LLP as a New York City-based member of the firm's condominiums and cooperatives practice.
-
December 04, 2024
NC Panel Reverses Prior Ruling Reviving Atty Meddling Claim
A split North Carolina appellate panel has walked back its ruling reviving a suit against a real estate attorney accused of helping meddle in a property ownership dispute, declaring after a second look that the claim against him doesn't actually exist under state law.
-
December 04, 2024
Senior Living Community Lands $473M Bond Financing
A group of developers has secured $473 million in bond financing for the development of a 350-bed senior living facility in Irvine, California, a record-breaking financing deal, according to JLL, whose capital markets group arranged the matter.
-
December 03, 2024
Texas Judge Blocks 'Quasi-Orwellian' Anti-Laundering Law
A Texas federal judge on Tuesday halted the Biden administration's roll-out of new reporting requirements aimed at unmasking anonymous shell companies, granting a nationwide preliminary injunction sought by business interests challenging their constitutionality.
-
December 03, 2024
3 Investment Firms Unite To Inject Up To $300M Into Housing
Real estate investment platform Wrightwell wrapped up its most recent round of funding and made an agreement with Bain Capital Insurance and alternative asset management firm Saluda Grade to invest up to $300 million for the development of affordable housing.
-
December 03, 2024
Insurance Execs Charged With $250M Fake Policy Scheme
An insurance company and two executives issued bogus insurance policies purporting to offer over $250 million in coverage to companies and homeowners, according to an indictment announced by the Manhattan district attorney Tuesday.
Expert Analysis
-
Navigating Fla.'s Shorter Construction Defect Claim Window
In light of recent legislation reducing the amount of time Florida homeowners have to bring construction defect claims, homeowners should be sure to understand their rights and responsibilities regarding maintenance, repairs and inspections set forth in developer-drafted documents, say Brian Tannenbaum and Nicholas Vargo at Ball Janik.
-
Rental Price-Fixing Suit Against RealPage Doesn't Add Up
Recent government antitrust litigation against RealPage, alleging that the software company's algorithm for setting rental prices amounts to price-fixing, has failed to allege an actual conspiracy, and is an example of regulatory overreach that should be reined in, says Andrew Ketterer at Ketterer & Ketterer.
-
Navigating FEMA Grant Program For Slope Fixes After Storms
In the aftermath of Hurricanes Helene and Milton, it is critical for governments, businesses and individuals to understand the legal requirements of the Federal Emergency Management Agency's grant programs to obtain funding for crucial repairs — including restoration of damaged infrastructure caused by landslides and slope failures, says Charles Schexnaildre at Baker Donelson.
-
Colorful Lessons From NYC's Emotional Support Parrot Suit
A recently settled lawsuit in New York federal court concerning housing discrimination claims from a resident who had emotional support parrots highlights the importance of housing providers treating accomodation questions seriously even if they may appear unusual or questionable, say attorneys at Seyfarth.
-
Recent Securities Cases Highlight Risks In AI Disclosures
Increasing public disclosure about the use and risks of artificial intelligence, and related litigation asserting that such disclosures are false or misleading, suggest that issuers need to exercise great care with respect to how they describe the benefits of AI, say Richard Zelichov and Danny Tobey at DLA Piper.
-
Consider Best Legal Practices For Commissioning Public Art
Commissioning public art for real estate projects can provide many benefits to real estate developers and the public, but it's important to understand the unique legal and contracting aspects of the process to ensure that projects are completed on time and on budget, says Sarah Conley Odenkirk at ArtConverge.
-
Proposed Mortgage Assistance Rule: Tips For Servicers
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's recent proposal to alter Regulation X mortgage servicing procedures to broadly construe requests for assistance, and stay foreclosure proceedings during loss mitigation review, will, if finalized, require mortgage servicers to make notable procedural changes to comply, says Louis Manetti at Locke Lord.
-
How Multifamily Property Owners Can Plan For The EV Future
As the electric vehicle market expands, and federal and state incentives and mandates intended to promote EV use come into effect, owners and operators of multifamily residential properties should be prepared to meet the growing demand for onsite EV charging infrastructure, say Sydney Tucker and Andreas Wokutch at Frost Brown.
-
Fla. Insurer-Breach Cases Split On Unrepaired Property Issue
A Florida appellate court's recent decision in Universal v. Qureshi is directly at odds with a 2020 decision from another Florida appellate court, and raises important questions for policyholders and insurers about the proper measure of damages in breach claims involving unrepaired property, say Andrea DeField and Yaniel Abreu at Hunton.
-
Colorado Banking Brief: All The Notable Legal Updates In Q3
In the third quarter of 2024, Colorado's banking and financial services sector faced both regulatory updates and changes to state law due to recent federal court decisions — with consequences for local governments, mortgage lenders, state-chartered trust companies and federally chartered lenders serving Colorado consumers, says Sarah Auchterlonie at Brownstein Hyatt.
-
In The CFPB Playbook: No Lazy, Hazy Days Of Summer
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is headed for a brisk fall season, on the heels of a heated summer, which included the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling that the CFPB funding structure is constitutional, and in advance of the November election, says Eamonn Moran at Holland & Knight.
-
Basel Endgame Rules: A Change Is Coming
The Federal Reserve Board's recently announced recalibration of the Basel endgame proposal begins a critical chapter in the evolution of not only the safety and soundness of U.S. banks, but also of banks' abilities to lend and support American businesses and consumers, say attorneys at Davis Wright.
-
Reassessing Lease Provisions To Account For ESG Initiatives
As companies seek to build ESG considerations into their businesses, it's crucial to understand how such initiatives can quickly become significant enough to compel reassessment of lease agreement provisions, and how best to modify leases accordingly, say Julian Freeman and Gabe Pitassi at Cox Castle.