Commercial

  • May 28, 2024

    Apartment Co. Says Insurer Owes Millions For Hail Damage

    The owners of an apartment building blamed an insurer for breaching its contract in Kansas federal court Tuesday, alleging the carrier failed to cover over $13 million in wind, hail and water damages and underestimated the loss despite clear evidence.

  • May 28, 2024

    Jones Day, King & Spalding Rep Blackstone, Bank's $1B Deal

    Blackstone has bought a $1 billion senior mortgage loan portfolio from Deutsche Pfandbriefbank after the German bank revealed plans to offload it, with the all-cash transaction shaped by Jones Day and King & Spalding LLP. 

  • May 28, 2024

    Simpson Thacher Hires US Treasury Alum From Blackstone

    An experienced fund transactions attorney has moved from an in-house role at Blackstone to private practice at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP, the firm said Tuesday.

  • May 28, 2024

    Texas Real Estate Investment Manager Closes $1.6B Fund

    Pennybacker, an Austin, Texas-based investment manager, closed its latest fund for opportunistic investments in real estate at $1.6 billion, exceeding the vehicle's target, according to an announcement Tuesday.

  • May 28, 2024

    Colo. Creates Tax Credits For Agricultural Stewardship

    Colorado farms and ranches that use certain agricultural stewardship practices will be eligible for tax credits of up to $300,000 under legislation signed into law by Gov. Jared Polis.

  • May 24, 2024

    Lender Says Ch. 11 Triggers Payment Obligation for NYC Lofts

    A lender filed suit against Rudy Gabsi, CEO of Israeli investment firm Leny Group, alleging Gabsi is on the hook for $82 million after a borrower tied to the firm thwarted a foreclosure sale involving New York City properties by filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protections.

  • May 24, 2024

    NY AG Sues Over Illegal Long Island Wetland Construction

    New York prosecutors on Friday sued to force a contractor to pay nearly $600,000 and restore a Long Island wetland area the company has been using as a storage site after illegally clearing vegetation and building a parking lot more than a decade ago.

  • May 24, 2024

    Cell Tower Operator's Trade Secret Suit Tossed For Now

    A Pennsylvania federal judge has thrown out a cell tower operator's allegations that a rival used its confidential information on pricing from landlords and made misleading statements to buy out tower leases.

  • May 24, 2024

    DC Circ. Says Bainbridge Can't Have Argentina's Building

    The D.C. Circuit on Friday denied an appeal from Bainbridge Fund Ltd. in a property dispute with Argentina, saying the company can't take possession of the property in an effort to satisfy a $95 million judgment over defaulted bonds.

  • May 24, 2024

    Healthcare REIT Nabs $800M Despite Tenant Turbulence

    Medical Properties Trust Inc. announced Friday that the real estate investment trust has secured a £631 million ($804 million) financing from a group of investors led by real estate investment firm Song Capital, in a deal led by Goodwin Procter LLP and Slaughter and May.

  • May 24, 2024

    NYC Apartment Hotel May Qualify For Tax Break, Dept. Says

    A planned 150-unit apartment hotel building in New York City catering to a nearby hospital's patients and staff and to university students could be eligible for an industrial and commercial abatement program, the city Department of Finance said in a letter ruling.

  • May 23, 2024

    Entrepreneur Ordered To Pay $15M For Unlicensed Pot Stores

    A New York state court hit a cannabis seller with a $15 million judgment Thursday after he was found to be selling marijuana without a license at seven locations inside the state, according to an announcement by the state's attorney general.

  • May 23, 2024

    Fla. Broker Can't Collect Fees For $54M Real Estate Deal

    A real estate broker isn't owed a 1% commission on a $53.65 million deal despite introducing the eventual buyer, as the broker was not involved in the final sale, a Florida appeals court ruled.

  • May 23, 2024

    Ill. Justices OK $28M Tax Value Appeal Without Payment

    A power company's property in Illinois was not required to pay disputed property taxes before appealing a valuation, the Illinois Supreme Court affirmed Thursday, upholding a reduction in the assessment of about $28 million.

  • May 23, 2024

    JV Inks $48.5M Ft. Lauderdale Shopping Center Buy

    BH Group, PEBB Enterprises and Related Group have snapped up a mixed-use waterfront shopping center in Fort Lauderdale, Florida's Harbordale neighborhood for $48.5 million through a joint venture, with plans to further develop the property.

  • May 23, 2024

    MoFo Guides $100M Refi At Manhattan Office Property

    Morgan Stanley Bank NA and German American Capital Corp. refinanced a $100 million mortgage of the Feil Organization's Look Building, a New York City office building, in a deal guided by Morrison & Foerster LLP.

  • May 23, 2024

    Oakland Coliseum Sold To Black-Led Biz Group For $105M

    The City of Oakland has agreed to sell its share of the Oakland Coliseum to a group of Black community, business and investment leaders for a minimum of $105 million in a deal that the city said will pave the way for affordable housing units, outdoor space and future developments.

  • May 22, 2024

    CBRE Calls Exec's Noncompete Right Fit In A Small World

    A Texas appellate court wondered Wednesday whether a temporary injunction that seemingly bars a former CBRE executive from working in his trade anywhere in the world goes too far, and questioned the validity of the underlying noncompete agreement at the center of the legal battle.

  • May 22, 2024

    Ill. Justices Weigh Zurich's Right To Recover $3M Flood Loss

    The Illinois Supreme Court weighed Wednesday whether Zurich American Insurance Co. can recoup $3 million from a subcontractor for water damage repair costs the insurer paid to a general contractor despite Zurich filing suit on behalf of a different insured.

  • May 22, 2024

    FDIC Eyes 'Weak' Office, Mall Assets In Risk Assessment

    The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. deemed office and retail mall asset classes 2023's "weak" points among the otherwise resilient commercial real estate property types, in a Wednesday report summarizing risks facing FDIC-insured institutions.

  • May 22, 2024

    Real Estate Firm Buys Manhattan Retail Property For $180M

    TZ Capital scooped up a luxury retail property on Madison Ave. for $180 million — nearly $100 million less than what the building last traded for, per a source familiar with the deal Wednesday — in a move that comes as midtown Manhattan's retail market sees growing deal and leasing activity.

  • May 22, 2024

    Chancery Keeps RedBird-Brookfield Dispute Stay In Place

    A Delaware vice chancellor declined Wednesday to rule from the bench on a preliminary injunction sought by Redbird Capital Partners in a dispute over a Brookfield Infrastructure Partners claim for a $150 million escrow included in its $5.7 billion purchase of RedBird data center projects last year.

  • May 22, 2024

    Texas Billionaires Building $7B City After Finding Aquifer

    The wealthy Walker family will put down $1.6 billion in cash over the next 30 years to build their own self-sufficient city after discovering access to an underground aquifer can provide more than enough water for the project, sitting 20 miles north of Laredo, Texas.

  • May 22, 2024

    Croke Fairchild Hires 2 Real Estate Attys For Chicago Office

    Croke Fairchild Duarte & Beres LLC hired Penelope Campbell and Ari Krigel as partners for its real estate practice in Chicago, the firm announced.

  • May 22, 2024

    Sullivan & Cromwell Atty Urges Cos. To Tend To Climate Data

    Public companies should not expect stakeholder concerns over climate risk to go away, even though litigation has cast a fog of uncertainty over certain disclosure rules, a Sullivan & Cromwell lawyer said Wednesday at a panel on the topic.

Expert Analysis

  • A Legal Playbook For Stadium Construction Agreements

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    As a new wave of construction in the professional sports arena space gets underway, owners must carefully consider the unique considerations and risks associated with these large-scale projects and draft agreements accordingly, say attorneys at Akerman.

  • Document Retention Best Practices To Lower Litigation Risks

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    As new technologies emerge and terabytes of data can be within the purview of a single discovery request, businesses small and large should take four document management steps to effectively minimize risks of litigation and discovery sanctions long before litigation ensues, says Kimbrilee Weber at Norris McLaughlin.

  • Riding My Peloton Bike Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Using the Peloton platform for cycling, running, rowing and more taught me that fostering a mind-body connection will not only benefit you physically and emotionally, but also inspire stamina, focus, discipline and empathy in your legal career, says Christopher Ward at Polsinelli.

  • The Challenges SEC's Climate Disclosure Rule May Face

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    Attorneys at Debevoise examine potential legal challenges to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's new climate-related disclosure rule — against which nine suits have already been filed — including arguments under the Administrative Procedure Act, the major questions doctrine, the First Amendment and the nondelegation doctrine.

  • Spartan Arbitration Tactics Against Well-Funded Opponents

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    Like the ancient Spartans who held off a numerically superior Persian army at the Battle of Thermopylae, trial attorneys and clients faced with arbitration against an opponent with a bigger war chest can take a strategic approach to create a pass to victory, say Kostas Katsiris and Benjamin Argyle at Venable.

  • How FinCEN Proposal Expands RE Transaction Obligations

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    Against a regulatory backdrop foreshadowing anti-money laundering efforts in the real estate sector, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network's proposed rule significantly expands reporting requirements for certain nonfinanced residential real estate transfers and necessitates careful review, say attorneys at Fried Frank.

  • Unpacking FinCEN's Proposed Real Estate Transaction Rule

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    Phil Jelsma and Ulrick Matsunaga at Crosbie Gliner take a close look at the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network's recently proposed rulemaking — which mandates new disclosures for professionals involved in all-cash real estate deals — and discuss best next steps for the broad range of businesses that could be affected.

  • New FinCEN Guide Provides Useful BOI Context For Banks

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    Financial institutions should review a new Financial Crimes Enforcement Network compliance guide for helpful details about how the agency's beneficial ownership information database should be used, though questions remain about the access rule and whether it will truly streamline bank borrowers' Corporate Transparency Act due diligence, says George Singer at Holland & Hart.

  • DC's Housing Tax Break Proposal: What's In It, What's Missing

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    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.

  • Contract Disputes Recap: The Terms Matter

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    Stephanie Magnell and Zachary Jacobson at Seyfarth examine recent decisions from the U.S. Civilian Board of Contract Appeals, the Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals and the U.S. Court of Federal Claims, which offer reminders about the importance of including contract terms to address the unexpected circumstances that may interfere with performance.

  • Reducing Carbon Footprint Requires A Tricky Path For CRE

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    As real estate owners find themselves caught between rapidly evolving environmental, social and governance initiatives and complicated societal debate, they will need to carefully establish formal plans to remain both competitive and compliant, say Michael Kuhn and Mahira Khan at Jackson Walker.

  • New CMS Rule Will Change Nursing Facility Disclosures

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    A new rule from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services significantly expands disclosure requirements for nursing facilities backed by private equity companies or real estate investment trusts, likely foreshadowing increased oversight that could include more targeted audits, say Janice Davis and Christopher Ronne at Morgan Lewis.

  • What Shareholder Approval Rule Changes Mean For Cos.

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    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.