Commercial
-
July 29, 2025
REIT Shareholders File 'Improper Lending' Suit Against Execs
Two Arbor Realty Trust Inc. shareholders hit several of the real estate investment trust's executives, including its president and CEO Ivan Kaufman, with a derivative suit on Tuesday alleging they made the REIT use "improper lending practices" that saddled the company "with a severely distressed loan portfolio."
-
July 29, 2025
Mass. Tax Board Cuts Lowe's Property Valuation For 3 Years
A Lowe's store in Massachusetts was overvalued by town assessors for three years and is due reductions in property tax, the state's Appellate Tax Board said.
-
July 29, 2025
Whitman Breed Says $6.5M Lease Current Despite Atty Exits
A member of Connecticut law firm Whitman Breed Abbott & Morgan LLC on Tuesday testified that all payments are current under a $6.5 million lease governing its Greenwich headquarters, disputing a landlord's bid for a $3.8 million asset freeze to ensure future payments amid a wave of attorney exits.
-
July 29, 2025
Meet The Retired Michigan Federal Judge Joining JAMS
Sean F. Cox, the retired chief judge of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan who was part of the mediation team in Detroit's municipal bankruptcy, has joined alternative dispute resolution services provider JAMS.
-
July 29, 2025
Verizon Inks Lease For HQ Move To Vornado's Penn 2 Tower
Vornado Realty Trust on Tuesday said telecommunications company Verizon will move its New York headquarters to the landlord's office tower above Penn Station.
-
July 29, 2025
Calif. Allows Retroactive Tax Exclusion For Solar Property
California will allow the purchaser of a new property a three-year window to apply for a property tax exclusion for solar energy systems under a bill signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom.
-
July 28, 2025
EXp Holdings Accused Of 'Bad Faith Inaction' In Del. Suit
An attorney for stockholders of real estate brokerage eXp World Holdings Inc. told Delaware's chancellor Monday the company's response to long-running sexual assault allegations was an example of "bad faith inaction" rather than good faith responses.
-
July 28, 2025
LuxUrban Investor Suit Over Post-IPO Business Trimmed
A New York federal judge trimmed a shareholder class action accusing LuxUrban Hotels Inc. and two of its executives of misleading investors about the company's financial reporting and partnerships with other property owners, saying investors have not adequately alleged that the executives knew about the misstated financials.
-
July 28, 2025
CREXi Wants CoStar's Copyright Claims To Wait
Commercial Real Estate Exchange Inc. is asking to put CoStar's copyright infringement claims against it on hold so they can be tried alongside its recently revived antitrust claims against the property listing rival.
-
July 28, 2025
Okla. Buys GEO Group Correctional Facility For $312M
Oklahoma paid $312 million to The GEO Group Inc. to take over the for-profit prison operator's correctional facility in Lawton, the company announced Monday.
-
July 28, 2025
Insurer Must Cover Runoff Settlement, Auto Co. Says
An automobile auction company told a Texas federal court that a Liberty Mutual unit must indemnify a settlement reached over underlying claims that the company caused storm water runoff in neighboring properties when it cleared several parcels of land for car and machinery storage.
-
July 28, 2025
NYC Real Estate Week In Review
Goodwin and Perkins Coie are among various law firms that landed work on the largest New York City real estate deals that hit public records last week, a period that saw a trio of nine-figure deals become public.
-
July 28, 2025
Neb. Tax Board Backs Assessment Of Vacant Commercial Lots
A Nebraska county correctly valued three vacant commercial lots at a combined $540,000, despite the owners' claim that the parcels were purchased for a fraction of that amount, the state Tax Equalization and Review Commission said.
-
July 28, 2025
Attys Behind Pot Biz Say No Default In $60M Loan Suit
A pair of attorneys with Loevy & Loevy have urged a New York federal court to throw out a lawsuit alleging they defaulted on and redirected funds from $60 million in loans for a cannabis development, saying a federal judge in New Jersey found in a related case that there was no default.
-
July 28, 2025
Texas Resolution Seeks Vote On Lower Property Value Limits
Texas would ask voters if the state should amend its constitution to authorize lower limits on the maximum appraised value of residence homesteads and of real property other than homesteads for tax purposes under a joint resolution filed in the state House of Representatives during a special session.
-
July 28, 2025
Gibson Dunn Steers $462M Loan For Luxury Midtown Property
A Brookfield Properties entity borrowed a more than $462 million loan for The Crown Building, a luxury mixed-use Midtown Manhattan property in a deal guided by Gibson Dunn LLP, according to official property records.
-
July 25, 2025
Law Firm Can't Reshape Retrial In $26M Malpractice Case
A Brooklyn federal judge refused to change the parameters of upcoming retrial proceedings that could put Wachtel Missry LLP on the hook for a much greater share of a $26 million verdict for a former partner's alleged financial exploitation of an elderly client.
-
July 25, 2025
NY Judge OKs Transfer Of Developer's Ch. 11 To Michigan
A federal bankruptcy judge in New York on Friday explained his decision to move the Chapter 11 case of a Detroit hospital developer from his courtroom to Michigan, saying that considerations including the convenience of those involved and the debtor's purpose made the change of venue appropriate.
-
July 25, 2025
3 Firms Guide Canadian REIT's $410M IPO
Go Residential Real Estate Investment Trust began trading Friday after the newly created Canadian REIT priced a $410 million initial public offering at $15 per trust unit.
-
July 25, 2025
Property Owner Claims Partner Failed To Develop SC Land
A South Carolina property owner sued its business partner in North Carolina federal court, accusing the company of failing to carry out its promise to develop about 75 acres of land after the county designated the area as historic.
-
July 25, 2025
'Yellowstone' Creator's Ranch Dispute Heading Back To Trial
A Texas appeals court affirmed a finding that the former owner of a $10 million ranch knew about a roof leak before selling the property to "Yellowstone" creator Taylor Sheridan, but found there was insufficient evidence to back up a jury's damages award and ordered a new trial.
-
July 25, 2025
Texas Farmer Not Owed For Border Wall Costs, 5th Circ. Says
A Texas farmer isn't owed compensation for a portion of the U.S.-Mexico border wall that the government built on her land in 2008, the Fifth Circuit ruled Thursday.
-
July 25, 2025
Towns Repeat Claims In Affordable Housing Suit, NJ Says
New Jersey urged a federal court to toss a suit brought by a coalition of nearly two dozen Garden State municipalities challenging a provision of the state's affordable housing framework, saying their claims are barred because the coalition previously brought the same claims in state court.
-
July 25, 2025
Historic Conn. Soda Co., Ex-President Settle Unfair Lease Suit
The former president of a century-old Connecticut soft drink company has agreed to settle a lawsuit he filed in state court after he became a minority owner in the company following purchases of company stock by family members.
-
July 25, 2025
Latham, Sidley Advise Deal In $5B Power Infrastructure Push
Latham & Watkins LLP and Sidley Austin LLP advised ArcLight Capital Partners' acquisition of power developer and manager Advanced Power in an investment that could grow to more than $5 billion over the next five years based on AI and data center infrastructure demand.
Expert Analysis
-
Key Provisions In Florida's New Insurer Accountability Act
Florida's recent bipartisan Insurer Accountability Act introduces a range of new obligations for insurance companies and regulatory bodies to strengthen consumer protection, and other states may follow suit should it prove successful at ensuring a reliable insurance market, say Jan Larson and Benjamin Malings at Jenner & Block.
-
Best Practices For Lenders To Limit Recourse Liability
As projects face loan maturities in a higher interest rate environment, lenders should diligently observe even seemingly innocuous formalities following an event of default in order to minimize potential recourse liability, especially when borrowers have certain covenants, say Ryan Goins and Matthias Kleinsasser at Winstead.
-
The Basics Of Being A Knowledge Management Attorney
Excerpt from Practical Guidance
Michael Lehet at Ogletree Deakins discusses the role of knowledge management attorneys at law firms, the common tasks they perform and practical tips for lawyers who may be considering becoming one.
-
Rising Interest Rates Bring Risk For Construction Contractors
With rising interest rates causing many construction projects to be slowed or halted, it's important for general contractors to implement safeguard measures against the risk of significant financial losses caused by owner-driven schedule modifications, says Kevin Riexinger at Gfeller Laurie.
-
Keys To Navigating The Post-Pandemic CRE Market
Excerpt from Practical Guidance
As the commercial real estate market continues to face repercussions from the COVID-19 pandemic, lawyers should use office occupancy and leasing volume numbers to anticipate future trends and help guide clients through an uncertain landscape, says Joseph Calvanico at J2C Valuations.
-
How Rate Exportation Is Shifting Amid Regulatory Trends
All banks and their partners, including fintechs, that wish to lend to borrowers in multiple states and charge uniform interest rates should heed regulatory developments across the country and determine how best to mitigate risks in their efforts to offer credit to consumers on a nationwide basis, say attorneys at Ballard Spahr.
-
How The Commercial Real Estate Slump May Weigh On Banks
The continuing underperformance of the U.S. commercial real estate market has significant implications for the financial performance and disclosure requirements for various banks, especially regional ones with large debt exposures, say Atanu Saha and Yong Xu at StoneTurn.
-
Negotiating Material Escalation In Construction Contracts
As material price escalation clauses have remained popular in construction contracts despite an easing of recent supply chain issues, attorneys representing owners should understand key considerations for negotiating such clauses, and strategies to mitigate potential exploitation by contractors, says H. Arthur Black II at Brooks Pierce.
-
Landlords Should Prep As WeWork Faces Potential Ch. 11
After years of financial trouble and the recent announcement that it has substantial doubt that it would be able to continue as a going concern, WeWork may have a bankruptcy filing in its future that would have a significant impact on landlords and other stakeholders who are owed money by the company, say attorneys at Cadwalader.
-
Key Drivers Behind Widespread Adoption Of NAV Financing
While net asset value-based lending has existed for years, NAV lending has only started to move into the mainstream recently — likely due to difficult market conditions faced by sponsors including persistent inflation, high interest rates and a lack of exit opportunities, say Matthew Kerfoot and Jinyoung Joo at Proskauer.
-
Conn. Ruling Highlights Keys To Certificate-Of-Need Appeals
The Connecticut Supreme Court's recent decision in High Watch Recovery Center v. Department of Public Health, rejecting rigid application of statutes concerning certificate-of-need procedure, provides important guidance on building an administrative record to support a finding that a case is contested, say attorneys at Robinson & Cole.
-
Pickleball Makes Waves In Fla. Real Estate, With Risks In Play
Pickleball's burgeoning popularity in Florida is catalyzing a transformation in the state's commercial real estate market, but investors must take steps to navigate legal challenges related to noise, insurance and community dynamics, says Emmanuelle Litvinov at DarrowEverett.
-
4 Business-Building Strategies For Introvert Attorneys
Excerpt from Practical Guidance
Introverted lawyers can build client bases to rival their extroverted peers’ by adapting time-tested strategies for business development that can work for any personality — such as claiming a niche, networking for maximum impact, drawing on existing contacts and more, says Ronald Levine at Herrick Feinstein.