Residential
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April 30, 2024
Mich. Judge Admits Error In Cutting Predatory Lending Claims
A Michigan federal judge admitted she was wrong to toss fair housing claims alleging a group of real estate companies ran a bulk home buying program that preyed on Black buyers, reviving the claims and reversing a decision to cut a defendant from the case.
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April 30, 2024
NYC Judge Upholds Hotel Taxes On Apartment Subleases
A company that leased residential apartments in New York City is liable for more than $200,000 in disputed hotel taxes on short-term subleases of the units, an administrative law judge found.
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April 29, 2024
Kazakh Businessman Accused Of Stealing Coal Mine
A Kazakh businessman schemed with the country's government to steal a coal mine, its proceeds, and its assets and laundered the proceeds to buy luxury U.S. real estate worth more than $100 million, according to a suit filed in New York state court.
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April 29, 2024
6th Circ. Revives Co.'s Malpractice Suit Against Ohio Firm
The Sixth Circuit on Monday revived a Texas real estate developer's legal malpractice claim against an Ohio law firm, remanding the case back to a lower court to consider the viability of certain professional negligence claims.
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April 29, 2024
Zillow Fights Investor Cert. In Home Pricing Program Suit
Zillow urged a Washington federal court not to certify a class of shareholders amid an investor's suit alleging he was misled about the performance of its home-flipping program, arguing that the alleged misstatements had no bearing on stock prices.
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April 29, 2024
DC Property Manager Can't Duck Utility Fee Claims
A District of Columbia federal judge refused to toss a proposed class action lobbed by a former tenant against Bozzuto Management Co., leaving the property manager to face claims that its mishandling of utility charges violated consumer protection laws.
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April 29, 2024
Keller Williams Agent Can't Slip Robocall Class Action
A Nevada federal judge refused to let a Keller Williams agent escape a proposed class action accusing her of violating the Telephone Consumer Protection Act by repeatedly using robocalls to contact someone whose cellphone number was on a national do-not-call registry.
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April 29, 2024
Defendant Seeks Tribe's Confidential Data In Smoke Shop Suit
An entrepreneur being sued by the Cayuga Nation is arguing in New York federal court that he should be allowed to view "highly confidential" spreadsheets purportedly detailing revenue losses the tribe suffered due to an unlicensed smoke shop on tribal land, asserting he has no business ties to the store.
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April 29, 2024
Peer Street Plan Ruling Gets Delayed After Objector No-Show
Real estate investment platform Peer Street Inc. will have to wait another week for a decision on confirmation of its Chapter 11 plan, after a Delaware bankruptcy judge declined Monday to rule on the relief because an objecting party wasn't present in court.
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April 29, 2024
Pa. Retirement Home Wants Ed Board Tax Challenge Nixed
The nonprofit owner of a retirement community in a suburb of Pittsburgh has filed a lawsuit against the local school board claiming that the board violated a soon-to-expire payment in lieu of taxes, or PILOT, agreement that was brokered almost 15 years ago.
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April 29, 2024
Wash. Solar Co. Will Pay $465K To End Noncompete Suit
A Washington state judge has given a preliminary nod to a $465,000 settlement to end litigation accusing a residential solar energy equipment company of forcing workers to sign illegal noncompete clauses as a condition of employment.
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April 29, 2024
Becker Adds Community Association Pro From Kaye Bender
A community associations attorney from Kaye Bender Rembaum has jumped to Becker & Poliakoff PC to serve as a shareholder in the firm's West Palm Beach, Florida, office, the firm announced Monday.
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April 29, 2024
Builders Say State Rulemaking At Stake In Mich. PFAS Case
A homebuilders' group has backed industrial giant 3M in urging the state's highest court to preserve a lower court ruling wiping out limits on forever chemicals, with a trade group official saying the decision could affect other state agency rulemaking.
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April 29, 2024
NYC Real Estate Week In Review
Davis Polk, Greenberg Traurig and Simpson Thacher are among the law firms that handled the largest New York City real estate deals that hit public records last week, a period that saw two buildings trade for north of $100 million and a four-building portfolio also sell for nine figures.
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April 29, 2024
Supreme Court Declines To Hear 'Unusual' FCRA Case
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to take up PHH Mortgage Corp.'s call for review of a Fourth Circuit decision allowing a Marine Corps veteran to continue his Fair Credit Reporting Act claims that the company harassed him about his ex-wife's debt on a home they once shared.
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April 26, 2024
Law360 Reveals Titans Of The Plaintiffs Bar
In the past year, plaintiffs have won settlements and judgments for millions and billions of dollars from companies such as Wells Fargo, Goldman Sachs, Facebook and Fox News, with many high-profile cases finally wrapping up after years of fighting. Such cases — involving over-the-top compensation packages, chemical contamination, gender discrimination and data mining — were led by attorneys whose accomplishments earned them recognition as Law360's Titans of the Plaintiffs Bar for 2024.
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April 26, 2024
How Legos, 'Working Girl' Sealed $10B Sibling Rivalry Win
A father-son attorney team used Legos and an argument borrowed from the 1988 film "Working Girl" to help a Los Angeles jury understand how their client's own brother illegally stole his multibillion-dollar real estate business, leading to a $10 billion verdict for their client and his other brothers, the attorneys told Law360.
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April 26, 2024
HomeServices Brokerage Reaches Deal With Home Sellers
Berkshire Hathaway-owned brokerage firm HomeServices of America reached a deal Friday to settle claims that it forced a class of home sellers to pay inflated commissions, closely following the approval of a $418 million deal between the class and the National Association of Realtors.
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April 26, 2024
Wells Fargo Clients Seek Class Cert. In Race Bias Suit
Mortgage applicants accusing Wells Fargo of discriminating against borrowers from racial minorities with higher interest rates, worse terms and more scrutiny than white clients have asked a California federal judge to approve their class.
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April 26, 2024
Umpqua Bank Seeks Win On Investors' Ponzi Aiding Claims
Oregon-based Umpqua Bank has asked a San Francisco federal judge to toss claims that it aided and abetted a $250 million real estate Ponzi scheme, arguing the investors who brought the suit saw that their funds were put into "legitimate" investments.
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April 26, 2024
Calif. County Wants Out Of RV Parking Site Challenge
San Luis Obispo County urged a California federal court to toss most of the claims filed by a union of homeless people and recreational vehicle residents who accused the county of wrongfully evicting them from a local parking area.
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April 26, 2024
Bankrupt NYC Building Owners, Rent-Strikers Settle Claims
The bankrupt owners of several Manhattan apartment buildings asked a New York federal bankruptcy court to approve the settlement of the claims of rent-striking tenants, the tenants' debt and a related adversary proceeding.
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April 26, 2024
'Nuisance' Atty Neighbor Wins Ch. 11 Eviction Stay
Norman Resnicow, the lawyer and alleged "nuisance neighbor" who lives next to actor Justin Theroux, has won his bid in New York bankruptcy court to hold off his co-op building from evicting him because of his Chapter 11 automatic stay.
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April 26, 2024
Ga. Residents Want In On $300M Monkey Farm Fight
Four Georgia residents have asked a federal judge to let them intervene in a dispute over the construction of a sprawling primate-rearing farm in Bainbridge, alleging the local development authority that approved a $300 million bond deal for the project is colluding with the farm's backers to advance the project.
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April 26, 2024
Colo. House OKs Lower Age For Historic Structure Tax Credit
Colorado would reduce the age requirement for the properties eligible for the state's historic structures tax credit, postpone its sunset and make other changes under legislation approved by the state House on Friday.
Expert Analysis
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Contractors Need Protection From NJ Homeowner Protections
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.
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NY Shouldn't Pair 421-a Restoration And Good Cause Eviction
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.
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Setting The Stage For High Court BofA Escrow Interest Case
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.
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DC's Housing Tax Break Proposal: What's In It, What's Missing
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.
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Assessing The Future Of Colorado's Economic Loss Rule
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.
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How Recent Laws Affect Foreign Purchase Of US Real Estate
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.
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What Shareholder Approval Rule Changes Mean For Cos.
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.
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High Court Case Could Reshape Local Development Fees
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.
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White Collar Plea Deals Are Rarely 'Knowing' And 'Voluntary'
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.
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How 2 CFPB Advisory Opinions Affect Reporting Agencies
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.
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Algorithmic Pricing Programs Caught In Antitrust Crosshairs
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.
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A Welcome Turning Of The Page For Residential Real Estate
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.
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Strict Duty To Indemnify Ruling Bucks Recent Trend
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.