Residential
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November 20, 2023
Fla. Developer Accused Of Misusing Condo Project Funds
Florida real estate developer Rishi Kapoor, his former firm and its investors are among those accused in a state court lawsuit of running a bait-and-switch scheme that involved misusing construction funds for a multimillion-dollar luxury Miami condominium project.
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November 20, 2023
Colorado Cuts 2023 Residential Property Tax Rate
Colorado will temporarily reduce its residential tax assessment rate for one year to offset rising property values under legislation signed Monday by Democratic Gov. Jared Polis, following passage by the state General Assembly.
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November 20, 2023
Fla. Housing Law Boosts Development, But Locals Push Back
When Florida's new affordable housing law, known as the Live Local Act, went into effect on July 1, one of the biggest unknowns was how local governments would react to and implement the law.
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November 20, 2023
11th Circ. Rejects Law Firm's Coverage Bid For False Ad Suits
The Eleventh Circuit affirmed a lower court ruling Monday that a Washington law firm sued for false advertising about getting out of a timeshare contract was ineligible for insurance coverage for those claims because it was sued two days before the firm's policy took effect.
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November 20, 2023
Contested Premium Costs Were Legal, Chubb Unit Tells Court
A homeowner with properties in California and Nevada had no viable claims in his suit against his Chubb unit insurer, the unit argued, urging a California federal judge to toss his proposed class action alleging the company's premiums were inflated.
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November 20, 2023
Ex-Biden Chief Of Staff Ron Klain Tapped As Airbnb's CLO
Former White House chief of staff Ron Klain will become home-rental company Airbnb's chief legal officer in the new year, just months after he rejoined his former firm O'Melveny & Myers LLP.
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November 20, 2023
High Court Won't Hear Calif. Sober Living Zoning Question
The U.S. Supreme Court said Monday it won't consider a Southern California city's appeal of a ruling that sober living home operators do not have to prove each of their residents is disabled to qualify for exemptions from zoning laws.
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November 17, 2023
NC Co. Owners Seek Exit in $5M Chemical Contamination Suit
The proprietors of two chemical companies asked a North Carolina federal court on Friday to toss the U.S. Department of Justice's lawsuit claiming that they fraudulently transferred and dissipated their assets in order to evade liability for cleanup costs, arguing that the case fails to accurately account for the debt they owe.
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November 17, 2023
Texas Justices Urged To Ax $2.8M Hurricane Flooding Verdict
The owner and operator of a Texas pipe manufacturing facility called on the state's justices to unravel a $2.8 million judgment in favor of property owners who say the facility's faulty draining system caused their homes to flood during Hurricane Harvey, arguing that the lack of causation should have ended the litigation.
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November 17, 2023
Black La. Residents Lose Suit Over Chemical Plant Approvals
A Louisiana federal judge permanently tossed a suit filed by Black Louisianians who claimed that St. James Parish's government and Legislature intentionally approved harmful petrochemical facilities in predominantly Black districts and protected predominantly white districts from those facilities.
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November 17, 2023
Homeowners Fight Berkshire Unit's Bid To Nix Fee-Fixing Suit
A class of home sellers in Massachusetts urged a federal court this week to deny a Berkshire Hathaway company's request for an early exit from their lawsuit, which accuses a group of major real estate brokerages of orchestrating an anticompetitive scheme to inflate home buyer-broker commissions.
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November 17, 2023
Property Plays: GreenRock, Alpine Income, Forethought Life
GreenRock Capital and Petros PACE Finance have provided $62.2 million in financing for a California luxury hotel project, Alpine Income Property Trust has loaned $30.8 million for various retail properties and Forethought Life Insurance has loaned $131 million for an Illinois Amazon warehouse.
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November 17, 2023
Insurer Ends Storm Damage Row With Ga. Property Owner
An insurance company has dropped its lawsuit to oust an appraiser retained by a Georgia homeowner to determine property damages from a hailstorm, less than three months after filing its challenge in a Peach State federal court.
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November 17, 2023
7th Circ. Says No Coverage In $17M Condo Evacuation Suit
A Travelers unit has no duty to cover a condominium association's claim for over $17 million after a Wisconsin city ordered all the building's residents to evacuate when it determined that the structure was at risk of imminent collapse, the Seventh Circuit ruled Friday, finding multiple exclusions were applicable.
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November 17, 2023
Title Company Seeks Dismissal Of Pa. Excessive Fees Suit
A title company told a Western Pennsylvania federal court that a lawsuit accusing it of imposing excessive fees for notary services should fail because the parties had a contract and there's no evidence of deceptive conduct.
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November 17, 2023
Group Further Trims NY Voucher Bias Suit Against Landlords
A housing rights nonprofit told a New York federal court this week it will permanently drop Fair Housing Act claims against two more companies in a wide-ranging litigation accusing dozens of landlords and real estate brokers of discriminating against renters who use housing vouchers, after several others exited the lawsuit.
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November 17, 2023
NC Atty Can't Appeal Phone Threat Conviction, Top Court Told
State prosecutors urged the North Carolina Supreme Court to throw out an appeal by an attorney looking to reverse misdemeanor charges over a threatening phone call he allegedly made, saying there is no opinion from the state appeals court that he can appeal.
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November 17, 2023
Treasury, IRS Propose Rules To Limit Easement Deductions
The Internal Revenue Service proposed guidelines Friday clarifying a new law meant to stop partnerships from claiming unwarranted tax deductions for conservation easement donations, including detailed rules for calculating partners' bases and new recordkeeping requirements for substantiating deductions.
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November 16, 2023
Citi Should Face More Sanctions Over Bias Claims, Rep. Says
Rep. Maxine Waters, the top Democrat on the House Financial Services Committee, urged the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency on Thursday to consider imposing its own sanctions against Citibank over its alleged discrimination against Armenian American credit card applicants, including potentially lowering its community reinvestment grade.
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November 16, 2023
Ohio Senate Bill Would Require Tax Payment For Split Lots
Ohio would require the payment of property taxes and assessments when a real estate lot is split or transferred under a bill introduced in the state Senate.
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November 16, 2023
Bill Shifts NYC Housing Focus To Individual Neighborhoods
The New York City Council voted to enact a so-called "fair housing framework," which will require the city to set five-year home production targets on a neighborhood-by-neighborhood basis amid a citywide shortfall of affordable units.
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November 16, 2023
Judge Keeps Realtors Subscription List Sale Suit Alive
A proposed class action alleging the National Association of Realtors sold its members' personal information will move forward, a Michigan federal judge ruled this week, determining the case was not similar enough to another lawsuit that was already dismissed, after questioning if the suits were alike.
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November 16, 2023
Colo. Democrats Pitch Short-Term Property Tax Relief
Colorado would temporarily lower its residential property assessment rate under a proposal outlined Thursday by Democratic lawmakers for the state's upcoming special session called by Gov. Jared Polis to find short-term relief for rising property taxes.
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November 16, 2023
Real Estate Rumors: Kolter, PulteGroup, Chetrit Group
A joint venture between Kolter Hospitality and BH Group has reportedly purchased a Miami hotel for $24 million, PulteGroup is believed to be the buyer of a $14.5 million parcel of land in North Carolina, and Chetrit Group has reportedly received a $235 million construction loan for a condo development.
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November 16, 2023
HOA Coverage Dispute Dropped After Nevada Justices' Ruling
A loan servicer and its insurer declined to renew their dispute over coverage for an underlying homeowners association foreclosure coverage dispute after a Nevada federal court dismissed without prejudice their bids for early wins following a state high court ruling in a similar case.
Expert Analysis
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Rethinking In-Office Attendance For Associate Retention
The hybrid office attendance model doesn't work for all employees, but it does for many — and balancing these two groups is important for associate retention and maintaining a BigLaw firm culture that supports all attorneys, says Summer Eberhard at Major Lindsey.
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Justices' Minn. Takings Ruling May Have Broad Impact
The U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Tyler v. Hennepin County that a Minnesota tax foreclosure violated the U.S. Constitution's takings clause may, beyond resolving a circuit split, influence well-established foreclosure laws across the U.S., say Emily Ladd and Gregory Nowak at Miller Canfield.
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Murdaugh Trials Offer Law Firms Fraud Prevention Reminders
As the fraud case against Alex Murdaugh continues to play out, the evidence and narrative presented at his murder trial earlier this year may provide lessons for law firms on implementing robust internal controls that can detect and prevent similar kinds of fraud, say Travis Casner and Helga Zauner at Weaver and Tidwell.
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Challenging Standing In Antitrust Class Actions: Rule 23
A recent Sixth Circuit decision in Fox v. Saginaw County that rejected the common attempt to use Rule 23 to sidestep Article III's standing limitations shows antitrust defendants' success in challenging standing will rest on happenstance without more clarity from the Supreme Court — which no litigant should be comfortable with, say Michael Hamburger and Holly Tao at White & Case.
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Key Limited Partnership Provisions During Market Downturns
With a recession potentially on the horizon, fund managers should carefully examine their funds' limited partnership agreements for items that may be affected by economic downturns, and assess whether modifications may be appropriate, says Matthew Posthuma at Ropes & Gray.
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Firm Tips For Helping New Lawyers Succeed Post-Pandemic
Ten steps can help firms significantly enhance the experience of attorneys who started their careers in the coronavirus pandemic era, including facilitating opportunities for cross-firm connection, which can ultimately help build momentum for business development, says Lana Manganiello at Equinox Strategy Partners.
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Fla. Foreign Real Estate Law Brings Broad Investment Risks
Last month, Florida became the latest state to enact legislation prohibiting Chinese investors from acquiring certain interests in real property, introducing significant legal uncertainty and consequences for real estate stakeholders and the private equity industry, say attorneys at Simpson Thacher.
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Prepping Your Business Ahead Of Affirmative Action Ruling
The U.S. Supreme Court's upcoming ruling on whether race should play a role in college admissions could potentially end affirmative action, and companies will need a considered approach to these circumstances that protects their brand power and future profits, and be prepared to answer tough questions, say Nadine Blackburn at United Minds and Eric Blankenbaker at Weber Shandwick.
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Tackling Judge-Shopping Concerns While Honoring Localism
As the debate continues over judge-shopping and case assignments in federal court, policymakers should look to a hybrid model that preserves the benefits of localism for those cases that warrant it, while preventing the appearance of judge-shopping for cases of a more national or widespread character, says Joshua Sohn at the U.S. Department of Justice.
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How Attorneys Can Help Combat Anti-Asian Hate
Amid an exponential increase in violence against Asian American and Pacific Islander communities, unique obstacles stand in the way of accountability and justice — but lawyers can effect powerful change by raising awareness, offering legal representation, advocating for victims’ rights and more, say attorneys at Gibson Dunn.
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Congress Needs To Enact A Federal Anti-SLAPP Statute
Although many states have passed statutes meant to prevent individuals or entities from filing strategic lawsuits against public participation, other states have not, so it's time for Congress to enact a federal statute to ensure that free speech and petitioning rights are uniformly protected nationwide in federal court, say attorneys at Skadden.
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Banking Tips For Lending To Calif. Homeowners Associations
With current financial markets and recent changes to California law putting a brighter spotlight on lending, banks should understand the special considerations involved in lending to homeowners associations and the various possible remedies in the event of a default, says Alex Grigorians at Hanson Bridgett.
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Some Client Speculations On AI And The Law Firm Biz Model
Generative artificial intelligence technologies will put pressure on the business of law as it is structured currently, but clients may end up with more price certainty for legal services, and lawyers may spend more time being lawyers, says Jonathan Cole at Melody Capital.