Residential
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August 08, 2025
Trump Planning Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac Stock Sale This Year
The Trump administration may move to sell stock in federally backed mortgage bundlers Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, with officials discussing the details of a possible sale later this year.
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August 08, 2025
Greystar Can't Duck Tenants' Trimmed Security Deposit Suit
A California federal judge has denied Greystar's request to dismiss a proposed class action alleging the property owner and manager unlawfully withheld tenants' security deposits, finding that the suit need not have named the special purpose entities that own the properties as defendants.
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August 08, 2025
Texas Bill Seeks To Allow Injunctions Against Tax Collectors
Texas property owners could seek injunctions to prevent local taxing authorities from collecting property taxes if a taxing entity adopts a voter-approved tax increase and takes action that strays from the tax hike's stated purpose, under a bill introduced in the state House of Representatives.
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August 08, 2025
South Korea Probes 49 Foreign Luxury Apartment Buyers
South Korea's National Tax Service said it has launched a tax evasion probe into 49 owners of high-priced apartments who are from foreign countries such as the U.S. and China.
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August 08, 2025
Brokerage Urges 10th Circ. To Revive NAR Antitrust Suit
A residential brokerage startup is heading to the Tenth Circuit to appeal the toss of its antitrust suit against the National Association of Realtors and several major brokerages, which were accused in Utah federal court of conspiring to block the startup from accessing NAR multiple listing services because it offered lower buyer-broker commissions.
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August 07, 2025
Fire Victims See Positive Step In Calif.'s FAIR Plan ActionÂ
California regulators gave fire victims a boost last week when the state's insurance department launched a legal action seeking penalties against the state's last-resort insurer for its handling of smoke damage claims, but the market effects of the move are still not fully clear.Â
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August 07, 2025
Insurers Say Property Co.'s $7M Ida Claim Must Be Arbitrated
A lower court order forcing a New Orleans property owner to arbitrate its $7 million Hurricane Ida damage claim against its domestic insurers should be reinstated, a group of carriers told the Fifth Circuit on Thursday, saying the New York Convention mandates the enforcement of the policy's arbitration provision.
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August 07, 2025
9th Circ. Revives Homeowners' 'Reverse Mortgage Loan' Suit
A Ninth Circuit panel has revived a proposed class action against a company offering homeowners cash in exchange for a slice of their home equity, finding a Washington couple has shown their arrangement amounted to a reverse mortgage loan subject to special statutory requirements.
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August 07, 2025
9th Circ. Backs Seattle's Win In Housing Ordinance Suit
The Ninth Circuit affirmed Seattle's lower court victory against a suit filed by landlords challenging a 2017 city housing law that, among other restrictions, prevents landlords from requiring prospective tenants to disclose whether or not they have criminal records.
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August 07, 2025
Housing Authority Can't Slip Ex-Worker's Retaliation Lawsuit
A North Carolina federal judge has refused to end a discrimination suit against Charlotte's public housing authority Inlivian, finding that several material disputes remain about whether an ex-worker faced retaliation after whistleblowing.
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August 07, 2025
Judge Says Wis. Tribal Roads Must Stay Open
Four Wisconsin tribal roads at the crux of a yearslong dispute over trespassing allegations must permanently remain open to the public, a federal court judge has ordered, saying there is no doubt that the town of Lac du Flambeau provided maintenance to them for decades despite an expired 50-year easement.
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August 07, 2025
Loan Servicer Inks $2M Deal With Mass. AG Over Foreclosures
A mortgage servicing firm will pay $2 million to settle allegations that it violated Massachusetts consumer protection, debt collection and foreclosure prevention laws while previously operating as a direct loan servicer, the state attorney general's office announced on Thursday.
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August 07, 2025
Texas Senate OKs Lower Voter-Approval Property Tax Rate
Texas would reduce its voter-approval property tax rate, the maximum rate a local government may adopt without voter approval, for large taxing units under a bill passed by the state Senate.
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August 07, 2025
Smoke Taint Evidence Complicates Recovery For Wineries
Recent widespread fires in and around California's wine-producing regions, which produce a vast majority of the nation's wine, have spurred concern from policyholders and public officials over how wineries can seek coverage for smoke tainting their products. Victor Jacobellis, an insurance recovery attorney at Merlin Law Group, spoke to Law360 about the implications of smoke taint as well as a Senate bill that could provide a baseline standard for measuring it.
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August 07, 2025
Trump Greenlights Private Equity, Crypto 401(k) Investing
President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday that aims to make it easier for retirement plans to invest in a wider range of assets, including cryptocurrency, private equity and real estate.
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August 07, 2025
Housing Advocates Say Opponents Stole Name For PAC
A housing advocacy nonprofit in the Boston suburb of Newton say that opponents of a zoning measure appropriated its name, "Newton for Everyone," for a political action committee to fund candidates opposing the plan, violating its trademark rights and other laws.
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August 07, 2025
Texas Bill Seeks Two-Thirds Vote To Exceed Max Tax Rate
Texas would require two-thirds approval from voters to allow local taxing entities to increase property taxes beyond a maximum rate permitted by law without a vote under a bill introduced in the state House of Representatives.
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August 07, 2025
NY AG Says Landlord Overcharged City Subsidized Tenants
The New York Attorney General's Office has filed a lawsuit in state court against a New York City landlord who it says overcharged rent-stabilized tenants receiving subsidies and then sued some of the tenants for nonpayment.
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August 07, 2025
Former LVMH Atty Joins Realtors Association's Legal Team
The National Association of Realtors announced Aug. 7 it has appointed as its vice president of litigation and associate general counsel the former vice president of legal affairs and head of litigation at LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton Inc.
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August 07, 2025
NC Biz Court Bulletin: Divorce Dust-Ups And Judicial Rebukes
Litigation in the North Carolina Business Court is heating up this summer with new complaints centered on fears a former state politician's divorce proceedings will impede his companies' operations and accusations that a climate technology company has failed to pay out a former engineer's ownership interest.
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August 06, 2025
Under Pressure, Higher Ed Leans On Real Estate
As institutions of higher education contend with declining enrollment and federal funding cuts, some are finding creative ways to monetize their real estate, which comes with important legal considerations, according to attorneys.
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August 06, 2025
Aimco Agrees To $740M New England Portfolio Sale
Real estate investment trust Apartment Investment and Management Co. will get paid $740 million for selling off a 2,719-unit portfolio of five New England apartment properties to an affiliate of real estate investor and manager Harbor Group International LLC, Aimco announced Wednesday.
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August 06, 2025
Ex-Homeowners Seek OK On Tax Foreclosure Suit Deal
A proposed class of former property owners asked a Michigan federal judge Tuesday to give initial support to a settlement with several counties that would allow the ex-homeowners to receive the surplus profits they allege the county treasurers made selling their tax-delinquent properties.
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August 06, 2025
Wells Fargo Beats Cert. Bid In Mortgage Racial Bias Suit
Mortgage applicants accusing Wells Fargo of discriminating against borrowers from racial minorities by charging them higher interest rates have been denied class certification, with a California federal court ruling they have failed to show sufficient commonality among their claims.
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August 06, 2025
Colo. Justices Asked To Rule On Pro Se Appeal Authority
A plumbing company and two Colorado homeowners asked the state's Supreme Court on Tuesday to clarify that the Colorado Court of Appeals has jurisdiction to prevent litigants from making "frivolous" pro se filings, contrary to a prior ruling from the court.
Expert Analysis
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What NYC's Green Fast Track Means For Affordable Housing
New York City's Green Fast Track for Housing initiative, which went into effect last month, aims to speed up the environmental review process for modest residential developments and could potentially pave the way for similar initiatives in other cities, say Vivien Krieger and Rachel Scall at Cozen O'Connor.
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The Often Overlooked NY Foreclosure Notice Requirements
As multifamily real estate defaults mount, New York foreclosing parties should be aware of pitfalls and perils that can await the litigant who is not prepared to ensure adherence with tenant notice requirements under the Real Property Actions and Proceedings Law, say Christopher Gorman and John Muldoon at Rosenberg & Estis.
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Zoning Reform May Alleviate The Affordable Housing Crisis
As America's affordable housing issues continue to worsen, zoning reform efforts can help to provide more affordable homes and mitigate racial and economic segregation, though opposition from residents and in courts could present challenges, say Evan Pritchard and Madeline Williams at Cozen O'Connor.
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NJ Justices Clarify First-Party Indemnification Availability
In Boyle v. Huff, the New Jersey Supreme Court recently held that indemnification can be available in first-party claims, resolving an open question and setting up contracting parties for careful negotiations around indemnity clauses, says Todd Leon at Marshall Dennehey.
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Fla. HOA Reforms Bring Major Wins For Homeowners
A recently signed law brings broad changes for homeowners associations in Florida, alleviating some pressure imposed by overly restrictive rules and potentially setting up litigation surrounding how HOAs enforce their governing documents, says Christopher Miller at Varnum.
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Addressing Labor Shortages In The Construction Industry
As the construction industry's ongoing struggle with finding sufficient skilled workers continues, companies should consider a range of solutions including a commitment to in-house training and creative contracting protocols, say Brenda Radmacher and Allison Etkin at Akerman.
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A Framework For Investigating Commercial Loan Fraud
As commercial loan transactions are increasingly subject to sophisticated fraud schemes, lenders must adopt dynamic strategies to detect, investigate and mitigate these schemes, say attorneys at Baker Donelson.
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How NY Co-Ops Can Minimize Sale Rejections Based On Price
New York co-op sales are regularly rejected for being below undisclosed price minimums, and co-op boards should address this problem by sharing information more transparently and allowing some flexibility for below-market sales, say Pierre Debbas and Seth Feldman at Romer Debbas.
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Money, Money, Money: Limiting White Collar Wealth Evidence
As courts increasingly recognize that allowing unfettered evidence of wealth could prejudice a jury against a defendant, white collar defense counsel should consider several avenues for excluding visual evidence of a lavish lifestyle at trial, says Jonathan Porter at Husch Blackwell.
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High Court's BofA Ruling Leaves State Preemption Questions
A recent U.S. Supreme Court decision in Cantero v. Bank of America sheds light on whether certain state banking regulations apply to federally chartered banks, but a circuit split could still force the Supreme Court to take a more direct position, says Brett Garver at Moritt Hock.
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How A Bumblebee Got Under Calif. Wildlife Regulator's Bonnet
A California bumblebee's listing as an endangered species could lead to a regulatory quagmire as California Department of Fish and Wildlife permits now routinely include survey requirements for the bee, but the regulator has yet to determine what the species needs for conservation, says David Smith at Manatt.
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The Clock Is Ticking For Fla. Construction Defect Claims
Ahead of the fast-approaching July 1 deadline for filing construction defect claims in Florida, Sean Ravenel at Foran Glennon discusses how the state's new statute of repose has changed the timeline, and highlights several related issues that property owners should be aware of.
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Wiretap Use In Cartel Probes Likely To Remain An Exception
Although the U.S. Department of Justice's Antitrust Division has recently signaled interest in wiretaps, the use of this technology to capture evidence of antitrust conspiracies and pursue monopolization as a criminal matter has been rare historically, and is likely to remain so, say Carsten Reichel and Will Conway at DLA Piper.