Commercial
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June 03, 2024
SF Office Market Standout Notches New Leases
Even as San Francisco's office market remains in a four-year downturn, the city's 140 New Montgomery Street tower has kept signing tenants seeking prime space, with three newcomers taking a combined 55,913 square feet, CBRE and building owner Pembroke announced Monday.
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June 03, 2024
Some Racketeering Claims In $92M Award Suit Can Proceed
A Monaco bank and a Luxembourg lawyer and trust administrator must face racketeering claims accusing them of helping to hide the fortune of a Russian businessman who's on the hook for a $92 million arbitral award, a California federal judge ruled on Friday.
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June 03, 2024
Treasury Aims To Salvage Corp. Transparency Act At 11th Circ.
The Corporate Transparency Act is a valid exercise of congressional authority to curb money laundering under the commerce clause and the necessary and proper clause in the Constitution, the U.S. Treasury Department told the Eleventh Circuit on Monday in a bid to restore the law's reporting requirements.
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June 03, 2024
Judge Says It's Time For DIP Deal For Steward Healthcare
A Texas bankruptcy judge on Monday gave Steward Health Care permission to offer a commitment fee to induce a lender to provide it with the financing to see the hospital chain through its Chapter 11 case, while saying the company needs that final commitment soon.
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June 03, 2024
RI Panel OKs Providence Unrestricted Property Tax Rates
Rhode Island would allow the city of Providence to adopt a classification system that allows for unrestricted tax rates for the city's property classes under a bill moved to the Senate floor for consideration.
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June 03, 2024
NYC Real Estate Week In Review
Dylan Chan Law Firm and Kevin Kerveng Tung were among the law firms that guided the largest New York City real estate deals that hit public records last week, a period that saw six transactions above the $15 million mark become public.
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June 03, 2024
Quarles & Brady Adds Real Estate Atty In Naples, Fla.
Quarles & Brady said it has added a senior counsel in its real estate practice group to its Naples office from Kilinski Van Wyk.
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June 03, 2024
Real Estate Co., Nationwide Settle CFO Theft Dispute
A New York federal judge agreed to dismiss a coverage dispute between a property management company and Nationwide Mutual Insurance Co. over nearly $1 million that the company's former chief financial officer was accused of stealing, following the parties' notice that they reached an agreement.
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June 03, 2024
Allen Matkins Lands 5-Atty Goodwin Real Estate Team In Calif.
Allen Matkins Leck Gamble Mallory & Natsis LLP announced Monday that it has picked up a real estate transaction team from Goodwin Procter LLP in California with three partners, a senior counsel and an associate attorney.
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June 03, 2024
Conn. To Require Interest Waivers For Some Delinquent Taxes
Connecticut will require municipal tax collectors to waive interest on delinquent property taxes when the delinquency is determined to be due to a mistake by a tax collector or assessor and not the taxpayer's fault under a bill signed by the governor.
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June 03, 2024
Ga. Student Housing-To-Hotel Conversion Nabs $80M
Two real estate companies obtained $80 million in financing from investment firm Mavik Capital Management for a project that will turn a Savannah, Georgia-based building currently being used for student housing into a hotel, the investment firm announced Monday.
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June 03, 2024
Ohio Property Sale Price Not Timely Enough To Raise Value
An Ohio property made up of four lots was properly valued and should not have its value increased based on a 2017 sale, because the sale was not timely, the state Board of Tax Appeals ruled.
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June 03, 2024
Common Co-Living Company Files For Ch. 7 Liquidation
The co-living company Common, which aimed to modernize apartment rentals and merged with Germany's venture backed Habyt in January 2023, filed for Chapter 7 liquidation in Delaware, listing between $10 million and $50 million of liabilities.
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June 03, 2024
Calif. Justices Free Woman From Misdemeanor Pot Charges
The California Supreme Court has thrown out misdemeanor cannabis-related charges against an 85-year-old woman, finding the trial court was within its discretion to consider her lack of knowledge of the unlicensed operation happening in her building.
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May 31, 2024
Texas Justices To Take On Parking Garage Easement Suit
The Texas Supreme Court agreed Friday to review a Texas appellate court's decision granting judgment to a garage owner who refused to allow the tenants and employees of a downtown office building continue parking in the garage despite a written parking easement.
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May 31, 2024
9th Circ. Says LA's COVID-19 Eviction Ban Was No Taking
The Ninth Circuit on Friday declined to reinstate a Los Angeles landlord's $100 million suit challenging the city's pandemic-era eviction ban, finding it didn't constitute a physical taking since the landlord "voluntarily opened" his property to tenants, and that loss of rental income itself doesn't establish a governmental taking.
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May 31, 2024
Healthcare REIT Closes $120M Loan For 8-Property Portfolio
Diversified Healthcare Trust has finalized a deal for a 10-year, interest-only $120 million mortgage loan that's secured by eight of its properties located in seven states, the healthcare-focused real estate investment trust announced.
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May 31, 2024
IRS Can Seek Tax Beyond Bankruptcy Deal, 11th Circ. Affirms
A deal between the IRS and an Alabama real estate developer to settle his tax debt for $2 million during Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings wasn't final, and the agency can demand additional taxes from him, the Eleventh Circuit affirmed Friday.
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May 31, 2024
Kirkland Guides Town Lane To $1.25B Debut Real Estate Fund
Kirkland & Ellis LLP advised the close of an inaugural, $1.25 billion fund for Town Lane, a real estate firm founded by a brother-sister duo with decades of combined experience at Blackstone and Sycamore Partners, according to a Friday news release.
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May 31, 2024
Contractor, Insurers Settle NYC Four Seasons Coverage Row
A New York federal judge dismissed a general contractor's suit seeking coverage from two insurers for an underlying $1 million action over damage to a Four Seasons hotel in midtown Manhattan, saying the parties have reached a proposed settlement.
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May 31, 2024
Atty Gets 2nd Suspension Over Sale Of $1.6M Painting
The Florida Supreme Court approved a one-year suspension for a New Jersey-based attorney and real estate developer this week who pled guilty to smuggling a $1.6 million painting out of his house in 2013 to avoid an asset sale.
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May 31, 2024
Phoenix Office Activity Down Annually In Q1, CBRE Says
The Phoenix area's office market notched negative absorption again in the first quarter of 2024, with vacancy rates remaining high and total leasing activity down on an annual basis, according to a CBRE report.
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May 31, 2024
WeWork's Winding Road Through Bankruptcy Court
Office space provider WeWork won approval for its $4 billion Chapter 11 reorganization plan Thursday, overcoming opposition from landlords, unsecured creditors and its own founder to emerge debt-free under new equity ownership.
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May 30, 2024
Only One Landlord Allowed To Duck DC RealPage Suit
One of several landlords that stands accused by the District of Columbia of using property management platform RealPage to fix the price of rentals has managed to convince a D.C. Superior Court judge to kibosh the claims against the real estate investment trust permanently.
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May 30, 2024
Defendant Dropped From Calif. Broker Commissions Case
A California federal judge has dismissed a multiple listing service from a proposed antitrust class action that accused the service and several real estate brokerages of engaging in a conspiracy to artificially inflate buyer broker commissions on home sales.
REIT To Replace Trustees Targeted In Proxy Contest
Shopping center operator Whitestone REIT plans to replace two board members following an activist shareholder's unsuccessful attempt to oust the pair in a recent proxy contest, the real estate investment trust said Monday.
Herrick Feinstein Guides Hotel From Lease Suit To $177M Sale
What began as a simple commercial lease action tied to a swanky hotel in New York City morphed into a complex adversary proceeding, which a Herrick Feinstein LLP team recently brought to a close, paving the way for the property's $177 million sale to EOS Hospitality.
7 Courthouse Facelifts Funded By The $1.2T Spending Bill
Seven federal courthouses across the U.S. and Puerto Rico are receiving funds for upgrades or construction as part of Congress' latest $1.2 trillion spending package, and security and seismic concerns are top of mind at many of the buildings selected.
Expert Analysis
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Ohio Tax Talk: The Legislative Push For Property Tax Relief
As Ohio legislators attempt to alleviate the increasing property tax burden, four recent bills that could significantly affect homeowners propose to eliminate replacement property tax levies, freeze property taxes for longtime homeowners, adjust homestead exemptions annually for inflation, and temporarily expand the homestead exemption, say Raghav Agnihotri and Rachael Chamberlain at Frost Brown.
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Tips For Advising CRE Owners Affected By Houston Storms
As Houston residents begin the arduous process of recovery after this month's devastating storms, attorneys should guide commercial real estate owners and managers toward immediate action under their insurance coverage to facilitate restoration and a return to normalcy, says Justin Ratley at Munsch Hardt.
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Playing Music Makes Me A Better Lawyer
My deep and passionate involvement in playing, writing and producing music equipped me with skills — like creativity, improvisation and problem-solving — that contribute to the success of my legal career, says attorney Kenneth Greene.
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How Real Estate Cos. Can Protect Their IP In The Metaverse
The rise of virtual and augmented reality creates new intellectual property challenges and opportunities for real estate owners, but certain steps, including conducting a diligence investigation to develop an understanding of current obligations, can help companies mitigate IP issues in the metaverse, says George Pavlik at Levenfeld Pearlstein.
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Ga. Law Creates Challenges For Foreign Ownership Of Land
Under Georgia's new law limiting certain foreign possessory interests in agricultural land and land near military properties, affected foreign persons and entities will need to do significantly more work in order to ensure that their ownership remains legal, say Nellie Sullivan and Lindsey Grubbs at Holland & Knight.
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Questions Remain After Mass. Adverse Possession Case
A recent Massachusetts Land Court decision, concerning an adverse possession claim on a family company-owned property, leaves open questions about potential applicability to closely held corporations and other ownership types going forward, says Brad Hickey at DarrowEverett.
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4 Takeaways From Biden's Crypto Mining Divestment Order
A May 13 executive order prohibiting the acquisition of real estate by a foreign investor on national security grounds — an enforcement first — shows the importance of understanding how the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States might profile cross-border transactions, even those that are non-notified, say attorneys at Kirkland.
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Insurer Quota-Sharing Lessons From $112M Bad Faith Verdict
In Indiana GRQ v. American Guarantee and Liability Insurance, an Indiana federal jury recently issued a landmark $112 million bad faith verdict, illustrating why insurers must understand the interplay between bad faith law and quota-sharing before entering into these relatively new arrangements, say Jason Reichlyn and Christopher Sakauye at Dykema.
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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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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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Swimming Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Years of participation in swimming events, especially in the open water, have proven to be ideal preparation for appellate arguments in court — just as you must put your trust in the ocean when competing in a swim event, you must do the same with the judicial process, says John Kulewicz at Vorys.
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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.