Residential
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November 05, 2024
Florida, Georgia, Others Peel Back Real Estate Taxes
Voters in seven states approved a spate of real estate tax ballot initiatives on Election Day, including measures that would curb property taxes for veterans, residential property owners and residents of municipalities that fail to enforce nuisance laws.
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November 05, 2024
California Voters Reject Cities' Rent Control Authority
California voters on Tuesday rejected Proposition 33, a ballot initiative that would have expanded local governments' authority to enact rent control measures but that opponents argued would have made the state's housing crisis worse.
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November 05, 2024
Miami Condo Owners Sue Over 'Dangerous' Conditions
A nonprofit representing a group of Miami luxury condominium residents sued the building's owners in Florida state court for allegedly neglecting the building's conditions for years, putting the building at risk of collapsing.
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November 05, 2024
Management Co. Says Insurer Can't Duck HOA Fire Coverage
A property management company has taken an Auto-Owners Insurance unit to North Carolina federal court for allegedly trying to pull back defense and indemnity coverage it had already been providing in an underlying lawsuit brought by a homeowners' association over a 2021 fire, arguing that it's too late for the insurer to back out.
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November 04, 2024
NYC Council Adds Affordability Plan To Resi Zoning Debate
The New York City Council unveiled the outline of a plan it says would ensure more affordable and livable housing, adding that the proposal augments Mayor Eric Adams' housing zoning reform plan.
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November 04, 2024
Shell Slips Negligence Claim In Pa. Nuisance Lawsuit
Neighbors of Shell Chemical Appalachia's Western Pennsylvania ethylene cracker plant will need to be more specific about dust and pollution affecting their homes if they want to revive a negligence claim that a federal court struck from a proposed class action Monday.
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November 04, 2024
Colo. AG Underestimates Tenants, Rental Home Group Says
A trade group has argued that Colorado's attorney general views tenants as "unsophisticated consumers" when he told the state Supreme Court that a group of tenants should be able to sue Blackstone subsidiaries over lease terms exchanging maintenance work for a rent discount.
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November 04, 2024
Calif. Sues Los Angeles Suburb Over Homeless Shelter Ban
California on Monday sued the Los Angeles County city of Norwalk, arguing a law it enacted in August banning new shelters, single-room developments and other forms of supportive housing violates regulations meant to address the state's housing crisis.
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November 04, 2024
DC Makes Housing Tax Break Competitive Process Permanent
The District of Columbia made permanent its temporary authorization of a competitive process for tax abatements for housing developments under legislation signed by the mayor, though the measure is subject to congressional review before it becomes law.
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November 04, 2024
NYC Real Estate Week In Review
Sullivan & Cromwell and Meltzer Lippe are among the law firms that guided the largest real estate deals that hit New York City records last week, a slow period that saw only four transactions north of $15 million become public.
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November 04, 2024
GrayRobinson Adds Trio Of Attys To Tampa Office
GrayRobinson PA announced Monday that it has boosted its local government, education and commercial litigation offerings with three hires for its Tampa office — two new shareholders and a senior associate.
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November 04, 2024
Mortgage Co. Accused Of 'Bad Faith' In Settlement With Atty
A former staff attorney with a mortgage company has accused the business of "bad faith" for purportedly trying to renegotiate the terms of a settlement to resolve her Texas state lawsuit alleging she was fired after she witnessed inappropriate sexual behavior by a deputy general counsel.
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November 04, 2024
Haynes Boone Hires 3 More RE Attys From Holland & Knight
Haynes and Boone LLP has hired a trio of attorneys from Holland & Knight LLP in Dallas and Northern Virginia, saying Monday that their additions will complement the firm's real estate and finance offerings.
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November 04, 2024
IRS Finalizes Seized Property Rules To Include Online Sales
The Internal Revenue Service issued final rules Monday meant to modernize regulations governing the seizure of property by levy, including facilitating the online sale of a property and the agency's ability to maximize sale proceeds for the property owner's benefit.
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November 01, 2024
Property Plays: Energy Capital, Flatiron, CareTrust
Property Plays is a weekly roundup of the latest loans, leases, sales and projects around the country. Send your tips — all confidential — to realestate@law360.com.
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November 01, 2024
CFPB Inks Deal With Townstone Over Redlining Claims
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau informed an Illinois federal court on Friday that it has reached a settlement with Townstone Financial resolving its redlining claims against the mortgage lender.
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November 01, 2024
Treasury Expands Foreign Land Transaction Authority
The U.S. Department of the Treasury announced Friday that it has added 59 new military installations to the list of those over which it has jurisdiction to review any nearby real estate transactions involving foreign citizens.
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November 01, 2024
Gibson Dunn Works On Flatiron Building's Financing
Real estate developer and owner The Brodsky Organization borrowed more than $406 million worth of mortgage loans from Tyko Capital for the Flatiron Building in Manhattan, New York, in a set of deals worked on by Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP, according to official property records released Friday.
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October 31, 2024
Feds: No 'Willfulness' Needed In Texas AG-Tied Investor Case
Federal prosecutors asked a Texas federal judge to reject an attempt by an investor at the center of the failed impeachment of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton to toss the fraud case, saying Wednesday that "willfulness" isn't needed for a conspiracy to commit wire fraud conviction.
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October 31, 2024
Zillow's New Climate Tool Spotlights Old Insurance Concerns
Real estate marketplace Zillow recently launched a new tool that lists property climate risks and insurance recommendations, a move toward consumer transparency that also reignited existing concerns over climate modeling, environmental risks and the resulting property insurance implications.
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October 31, 2024
Calif. Judge Tees Up LIHTC Property Ownership Row For Trial
A California federal judge largely refused summary judgment requests in a fight between three entities struggling for control of a Low-Income Housing Tax Credit-funded property in Long Beach, saying a jury must decide whether a contractual purchase provision was properly triggered.
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October 31, 2024
Equity Touts Acquisitions With New Apartment Supply Waning
Chicago-based apartment owner Equity Residential said Oct. 31 that transaction activity is improving and pointed to $1.2 billion worth of acquisitions in the Atlanta, Dallas and Denver metros in its third-quarter results, while forecasting a continued scarcity of housing.
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October 31, 2024
Airbnb Insurance Providers Sued Over Undisclosed Fees
A proposed class of Airbnb users sued two insurers for the rental platform in Washington federal court, alleging the providers violate state law by charging consumers who buy their travel insurance with an unavoidable "assistance fee."
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October 31, 2024
Nixon Peabody Lands Norton Rose Real Estate Pros In LA
Nixon Peabody LLP took another step this week to strengthen its affordable housing and real estate practice on the West Coast and beyond, bringing on a pair of real estate attorneys from Norton Rose Fulbright with six years of experience working together.
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October 31, 2024
Suit Against Indicted NJ Power Broker Sent To Biz Court
A New Jersey state court on Wednesday granted indicted Garden State power broker George E. Norcross III's request to transfer the civil racketeering suit brought against him and his attorney brother by a Philadelphia developer to the state's complex business litigation program.
Expert Analysis
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What's New In Kentucky's Financial Services Overhaul
Kentucky's H.B. 726 will go into effect in July and brings with it some significant restructuring to the Kentucky Financial Services Code, including changes to mortgage loan license fees and repeals of provisions relating to installment term loans and savings associations, say attorneys at Frost Brown.
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A Comparison Of FDIC, OCC Proposed Merger Approaches
Max Bonici and Connor Webb at Venable take a closer look at the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.'s and Office of the Comptroller of the Currency's respective bank merger proposals and highlight certain common themes and important differences, in light of regulators continually rethinking their approaches to bank mergers.
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Tax Assessment: Recapping Georgia's Legislative Session
Jonathan Feldman and Alla Raykin at Eversheds Sutherland examine tax-related changes from Georgia’s General Assembly — such as the governor’s successful push to accelerate income tax cuts — and suggest steps to take before certain tax incentives are challenged in the state's next legislative session.
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11th Circ. Ruling May Foreshadow Ch. 15 Clashes
The Eleventh Circuit's recent decision in In re: Talal Qais Abdulmunem Al Zawawi has introduced a split from the Second Circuit regarding whether debtors in foreign proceedings must have a domicile, calling attention to the understudied nature of Chapter 15 of the Bankruptcy Code, say attorneys at Cleary.
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Teaching Yoga Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Being a yoga instructor has helped me develop my confidence and authenticity, as well as stress management and people skills — all of which have crossed over into my career as an attorney, says Laura Gongaware at Clyde & Co.
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A Look At New IRS Rules For Domestically Controlled REITs
The Internal Revenue Services' finalized Treasury Regulations addressing whether real estate investment trusts qualify as domestically controlled adopt the basic structure of previous proposals, but certain new and modified rules may mitigate the regulations' impact, say attorneys at Simpson Thacher.
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What CRA Deadline Means For Biden Admin. Rulemaking
With the 2024 election rapidly approaching, the Biden administration must race to finalize proposed agency actions within the next few weeks, or be exposed to the chance that the following Congress will overturn the rules under the Congressional Review Act, say attorneys at Covington.
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How New Rule Would Change CFIUS Enforcement Powers
Before the May 15 comment deadline, companies may want to weigh in on proposed regulatory changes to enforcement and mitigation tools at the disposal of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, including broadened subpoena powers, difficult new mitigation timelines and higher maximum penalties, say attorneys at Venable.
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2nd Circ. Eminent Domain Ruling Empowers Municipalities
The Second Circuit's recent decision in Brinkmann v. Town of Southold, finding that a pretextual taking does not violate the Fifth Amendment's takings clause, gives municipalities a powerful tool with which to block unwanted development projects, even in bad faith, say James O'Connor and Benjamin Sugarman at Phillips Lytle.
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SEC Should Be Allowed To Equip Investors With Climate Info
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's new rule to require more climate-related disclosures will provide investors with much-needed clarity, despite opponents' attempts to challenge the rule with misused legal arguments, say Sarah Goetz at Democracy Forward and Cynthia Hanawalt at Columbia University’s Sabin Center for Climate Change.
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8 Fla. Statutes That Construction Cos. Should Prepare For
In this article, Jason Lambert at Hill Ward discusses a number of recent bills out of the Florida Legislature targeting construction companies in the Sunshine State that have been sent to the governor for signature, at least some of which will have broad impacts that affected companies should prepare for ahead of the July 1 effective date.
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Time To Fix NYC's Broken Property Assessment System
A New York appellate court's decision to revive Tax Equity Now New York v. City of New York may force the city to revamp its outdated and unfair real estate tax assessment system, which could be fixed with a couple of simple changes, says Seth Feldman at Romer Debbas.
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Understanding The IRC's Excessive Refund Claim Penalty
Taxpayers considering protective refund claims pending resolution of major questions in tax cases like Moore v. U.S., which is pending before the U.S. Supreme Court, should understand how doing so may also leave them vulnerable to an excessive refund claim penalty under Internal Revenue Code Section 6676, say attorneys at McDermott.