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Residential

  • April 08, 2025

    Cushman Atty Transitions In-House As Kidder Mathews GC

    Kidder Mathews announced Monday that it has hired Edward Castro, a 30-year corporate attorney with experience in commercial real estate law, as general counsel advising the company and its 19 West Coast offices.

  • April 08, 2025

    Contractor's Win In Insurance Fraud Suit Upheld By 6th Circ.

    A Sixth Circuit panel affirmed Continental Building Co.'s defeat of a lawsuit that leveled insurance fraud claims at the general contractor, finding a subcontractor failed to trace its losses to Continental's claim that it defaulted on a contract.

  • April 08, 2025

    9th Circ. Wary Of Judge Becoming 'King' Of Veteran Housing

    The Ninth Circuit appeared skeptical Tuesday of a California federal court's decision to establish control over a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs facility due to inadequate homelessness measures, with one panel member expressing concern the district judge gave himself the overbroad powers of a "king."

  • April 08, 2025

    100 Fannie Mae Workers Fired Over 'Unethical Conduct'

    More than 100 Fannie Mae employees have been let go, the government-sponsored enterprise and the U.S. Federal Housing Finance Agency announced Tuesday, citing "unethical conduct" including fraud as the reason for the terminations.

  • April 08, 2025

    Battery Park City Authority Hires Ex-CBRE Atty As GC

    Former CBRE legal counsel and managing director Elaine Kleinberg has been hired as general counsel for New York state's Battery Park City Authority, the public benefit corporation announced Monday.

  • April 08, 2025

    No Sanctions For DC In RealPage Antitrust Case

    The District of Columbia and its attorneys at Cohen Milstein have escaped a sanctions bid in the district's rental pricing case against RealPage Inc. and local landlords, as one of the building owners also had a motion to dismiss the claims against it denied.

  • April 08, 2025

    Berkshire Unit Looks To Transfer Commission Fee Claims

    Berkshire Hathaway Energy Company is pushing a Missouri federal court to transfer a proposed class action accusing it and other companies of conspiring to artificially inflate buyer-broker commission fees, arguing the claims should be litigated in Iowa federal court instead.

  • April 08, 2025

    Starwood Pays $800M For 11 Master-Planned Communities

    A joint venture between affiliates of Starwood Capital Group and Starwood Land purchased 11 master-planned communities across the Dallas, Houston and Austin, Texas, submarkets for $800 million from Hines, the buyers announced.

  • April 07, 2025

    Realtor.com Parent Drops Trade Secrets Suit Against CoStar

    Realtor.com's parent company, Move Inc., agreed on Monday to end trade secret litigation it had lodged against rival CoStar Group Inc. and one of Realtor.com's former employees, who it alleged stole confidential trade secrets and used them after joining CoStar. 

  • April 07, 2025

    Honigman Hires Ex-Ice Miller Real Estate Atty In Chicago

    Honigman LLP added former Ice Miller LLP partner Michael R. Tirman as a real estate transactions partner in its Chicago office, the firm announced Monday.

  • April 07, 2025

    Ex-TBS GC Chairs CoStar Board In Latham-Advised Refresh

    Latham & Watkins LLP advised CoStar Group on a "refreshment" of the company's board of directors that includes a new role for a former Turner Broadcasting Systems general counsel, according to a Monday announcement that follows pressure from hedge funds D.E. Shaw and Third Point.

  • April 07, 2025

    ACLU, Others Slam Bid To 'Magic Eraser' Ƶ Redlining Deal

    A slew of public interest groups mobilized Friday against the Trump administration's bid to recant a recently settled Consumer Financial Protection Bureau redlining case, telling an Illinois federal judge that the move is about politics, not fairness, and should be denied.

  • April 07, 2025

    NYC Real Estate Week In Review

    Proskauer and Mermel Associates are among the law firms that scored work on the largest New York City real estate deals that hit public records last week, with a large Extell Development buy leading the way.

  • April 07, 2025

    San Francisco Says Group Can't Sue Over Homeless Camps

    San Francisco pushed for a win in California federal court, arguing that the nonprofit accusing the city of unconstitutionally destroying homeless encampments doesn't have standing to sue.

  • April 07, 2025

    Mortgage Lenders, Attys Stole From NY Debtors, Suit Says

    A New York homeowner filed a proposed class action in Brooklyn federal court alleging that the state's mortgage lenders, loan servicing agents and foreclosure attorneys have conspired to inflate the amounts owed on post-foreclosure sales.

  • April 07, 2025

    Mass. High Court Ponders 'Reasonable' Wear In Lease Dispute

    Massachusetts justices on Monday grappled with defining "reasonable" wear and tear on a rental property as they considered whether a property owner can require tenants to have their apartments professionally cleaned when moving out.

  • April 07, 2025

    Montana To Appraise Taxable Real Property Every 2 Years

    Montana will reappraise most taxable real property every two years under a bill signed by the governor.

  • April 04, 2025

    Judge Allows Deposition Of Witnesses In Russian Exec's Suit

    A New York federal judge has ruled that the U.S. government can depose two men about a Russian bank executive's alleged effort to avoid economic sanctions following Russia's invasion and annexation of the Crimea region, saying it is necessary to "prevent a failure of justice."

  • April 04, 2025

    Ex-BigLaw Attorney, Aspen Officals Drop Remodeling Fee Suit

    Litigator Steven Molo and a county government agreed to dismiss a lawsuit claiming officials improperly charged nearly $750,000 in impact fees for a 2023 remodeling project on the attorney's Aspen, Colorado, home under a 2020 land use ordinance.

  • April 04, 2025

    Colo. Residents Say City Stormwater Fees Are Unlawful Taxes

    A Boulder, Colorado, community organization has alleged in state court that the city is unlawfully charging residents fees for stormwater and flood management in order to pay for $66 million worth of bonds issued for a local flood mitigation project.

  • April 04, 2025

    Houston Housing Authority Hit With Sex Harassment Suit

    A female former Houston Housing Authority Corp. employee has alleged in Texas federal court that she was sexually harassed, dealt with sexist remarks, got demoted and was retaliated against by her supervisor when she worked there.

  • April 04, 2025

    Morgan Properties Nabs $501M Midwest Multifamily Portfolio

    Morgan Properties purchased a 3,054-unit portfolio of multifamily assets across the Midwest from Trilogy Real Estate Group for $501 million, the multifamily community owner announced Friday.

  • April 04, 2025

    Kuwait, Feds Reach Deal In Minister Embezzlement Case

    The U.S. government, the Kuwaiti government and the California business partner of a former Kuwaiti deputy prime minister accused of embezzling millions of dollars from the Middle Eastern nation told a California federal court that they've reached a deal in a related federal civil forfeiture case.

  • April 04, 2025

    Fla. House Bill Would Cut General Sales Tax Rate, Other Rates

    Florida would reduce the state's general sales tax rate and other sales tax rates, including the rates imposed on commercial rent, electricity and sales of new mobile homes, by three-quarters of a percentage point under a bill introduced in the state House of Representatives.

  • April 04, 2025

    NYC Office Tower Converted To Multifamily Faces Foreclosure

    A lender has sued in New York federal court to foreclose on a loan for a Financial District building that developer Nathan Berman converted from office to multifamily in 2017.

Expert Analysis

  • Contractors Need Protection From NJ Homeowner Protections

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    A recently passed New Jersey law, combined with the state's Consumer Fraud Act, is intended to protect innocent homeowners, but legislative action must be taken to prevent homeowners from abusing the law to avoid paying hardworking contractors, say Gary Strong and Madison Calkins at Gfeller Laurie.

  • NY Shouldn't Pair 421-a Restoration And Good Cause Eviction

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    The good cause eviction system of rent control should not be imposed in New York, nor should its legislation be tied to renewal of the 421-a tax abatement program, which New York City desperately needs, says Alexander Lycoyannis at Holland & Knight.

  • Setting The Stage For High Court BofA Escrow Interest Case

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    Dori Bailey and Curtis Johnson at Bond Schoeneck examine relevant legislation and case law dating back 200 years ahead of oral arguments at the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday in Cantero v. Bank of America, the outcome of which will determine whether state laws governing mortgage escrow accounts can be enforced against national banks.

  • DC's Housing Tax Break Proposal: What's In It, What's Missing

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    Proposed Washington, D.C., rules implementing the Housing in Downtown Tax Abatement program — for commercial property owners who convert properties into residential housing — thoroughly explain the process for submitting an application, but do not provide sufficient detail regarding the actual dollar value of the abatements, says Daniel Miktus at Akerman.

  • Assessing The Future Of Colorado's Economic Loss Rule

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    The Colorado Supreme Court's decision to review a state appellate court's ruling in Mid-Century Insurance Co. v. HIVE Construction will significantly influence the future of Colorado's economic loss rule, with high stakes for the cost of doing business in the state, says David Holman at Crisham & Holman.

  • How Recent Laws Affect Foreign Purchase Of US Real Estate

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    Early diligence is imperative for U.S. real estate transactions involving foreign actors, including analysis of federal and state foreign investment laws implicated by the transaction, depending on the property's nature and location, the parties' citizenship, and the transaction's structure, say Massimo D’Angelo and Anthony Rapa at Blank Rome.

  • What Shareholder Approval Rule Changes Mean For Cos.

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    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission recently approved proposed rule changes to shareholder requirements by the New York Stock Exchange, an approval that will benefit listed companies in many ways, including by making it easier to raise capital from passive investors, say attorneys at Baker Botts.

  • High Court Case Could Reshape Local Development Fees

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    If last month's oral arguments are any indication of how the U.S. Supreme Court will rule in Sheetz v. County of El Dorado, it's unlikely the justices will hold that the essential nexus and rough proportionality tests under the cases of Nollan, Dolan and Koontz apply to legislative exactions, but a sweeping decision would still be the natural progression in the line of cases giving property owners takings claims, says Phillip Babich at Reed Smith.

  • White Collar Plea Deals Are Rarely 'Knowing' And 'Voluntary'

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    Because prosecutors are not required to disclose exculpatory evidence during plea negotiations, white collar defendants often enter into plea deals that don’t meet the U.S. Supreme Court’s “knowing” and “voluntary” standard for trials — but individual courts and solutions judges could rectify the issue, says Sara Kropf at Kropf Moseley.

  • How 2 Ƶ Advisory Opinions Affect Reporting Agencies

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    The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau issued two advisory opinions last month that demonstrate a continued commitment to address inaccuracies in background check reports and consumer file disclosures through broad interpretation of the Fair Credit Reporting Act, expanding on a coordinated federal agency effort, say attorneys at Cooley.

  • Algorithmic Pricing Programs Caught In Antitrust Crosshairs

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    The Justice Department's investigation into software company RealPage follows a host of federal antitrust cases alleging that property owners and casino hotel operators use the same proprietary software programs to fix and maintain pricing, which means algorithmic pricing programs are considered a key price-fixing tool in the digital age, say attorneys at Ballard Spahr.

  • A Welcome Turning Of The Page For Residential Real Estate

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    After one of the most challenging years on record for residential real estate, 2024 will likely be a time of transition to a stabler business climate, as sellers lose some of their excess bargaining power and the pace of sales picks up, says Marty Green at Polunsky Beitel.

  • Strict Duty To Indemnify Ruling Bucks Recent Trend

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    A South Carolina federal court's recent decision that it lacked subject matter jurisdiction to decide an insurer's duty to indemnify prior to the finding of insured liability sharply diverges from the more nuanced or multipronged standards established by multiple circuit courts, says Richard Mason at MasonADR.