Commercial
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March 29, 2024
Green Energy Credit Sales Spur Surge In Tax Insurance
A new way for project owners to monetize clean energy tax credits by selling them for cash has turbocharged demand for insurance policies to cover various risks tied to the transactions, which can often be worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
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March 29, 2024
Rexford Buys $1B In Calif. Industrial Sites From Blackstone
Real estate investment trust Rexford Industrial Realty Inc. purchased 48 industrial properties in Southern California, totaling 3 million square feet, for a combined amount of $1 billion from Blackstone Real Estate, the REIT announced.
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March 29, 2024
Feds, Energy Cos. Clash Over Osage Wind Farm Damages Trial
The U.S. government and Enel Green Power North America Inc. are both pushing to shape a damages trial set for May after a federal judge ordered the ejectment of more than 80 wind turbines the companies installed on Osage Nation land in Oklahoma without required mineral leases.
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March 29, 2024
Atty Called A Flight Risk In $1.3 Billion Tax Fraud Case
An attorney serving a 23-year prison sentence for tax fraud in a $1.3 billion conservation easement scheme is a flight risk and should remain in federal custody while he waits for his appeal, the government told a Georgia federal court Friday.
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March 28, 2024
PE Group Seeks $32.4M In Serbia Real Estate Arbitration
A group of companies in Cyprus and an associated Rand Investments Ltd. executive that are entangled in international arbitration over allegations that Serbia expropriated real estate in Belgrade have argued that Serbia owes them €30 million ($32.4 million) for their share of the land's value.
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March 28, 2024
DOJ, FTC Weigh In On Another Pricing Algorithm Case
The U.S. Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission intervened in another alleged algorithmic collusion case Thursday with a statement of interest arguing that Atlantic City casino-hotels can't duck room rate price-fixing allegations simply by arguing there's no evidence they communicated directly or that pricing recommendations were binding.
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March 28, 2024
Q&A: Former Calif. Insurance Chief On Climate & Rate Setting
From intense wildfires to devastating floods, the effects of climate change on California's insurance market cannot be understated, a fact that experts point to often as regulators weigh how to bring insurers back to business in the Golden State.
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March 28, 2024
Insurance Litigation Week In Review
A marine insurer confirmed it's cooperating with Baltimore authorities after an insured cargo ship collided with the Francis Scott Key Bridge, music festival South by Southwest's class action coverage efforts were renewed, and North Carolina justices dismantled 30 years of intermediate appellate court adherence to "stacking" underinsured motorist policies.
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March 28, 2024
Fruit Grower Cleared To Leave Ch. 11 With $43M Exit Loan
California stone fruit producer Prima Wawona is set to wind down its packing and distribution division, hand ownership of the reorganized company to creditors and leave bankruptcy after a Delaware bankruptcy judge agreed to approve its Chapter 11 plan Thursday.
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March 28, 2024
Wash. Appeals Court Asked To Mull COVID Coverage Question
A Washington state court has halted litigation over the University of Washington's bid for COVID-19 business interruption coverage from a Liberty Mutual unit, asking a state appeals court to first determine whether the presence of COVID-19 satisfies UW's policies' direct physical loss or damage requirement and if a contamination exclusion applies.
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March 28, 2024
SL Green Borrows $205M Mortgage For NYC Office Property
Real estate investment trust SL Green Realty Corp. borrowed a $205 million mortgage from Wells Fargo for a 37-story Manhattan office building owned by a subsidiary, according to official property records.
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March 28, 2024
Silver Star Lands $135M Loan For Portfolio Liquidations
Real estate investment trust Silver Star Properties said it has borrowed $135 million so that it can liquidate its "legacy real estate portfolio" as it transitions to investing in the self-storage market.
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March 28, 2024
Investors Strike $42.5M Deal In Brookfield-GGP Merger Suit
Brookfield Property Partners LP has reached a tentative $42.5 million deal to bring an end to a yearslong battle with stockholders who alleged they were given misleading information about the global real estate company's 2018 acquisition of U.S. mall operator GGP Inc.
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March 28, 2024
Vaughan Baio Debuts ADR Team With Connell Foley Ex-Judge
Vaughan Baio & Partners has hired a retired New Jersey Superior Court assignment judge with more than 30 years of experience to join as of counsel and launch its alternative dispute resolution practice in Cherry Hill, New Jersey.
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March 28, 2024
NJ Tax Court Says Barring Assessor's Testifying Is Premature
A New Jersey property owner cannot ask that the state tax court bar an assessor from testifying in court because the request is premature, the tax court ruled.
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March 28, 2024
Rental Proptech Co. Raises $45M, Planning Tech Development
Furnished rental company Blueground raised $45 million in its latest funding round, which the property technology company said will support its product development and growth plans.
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March 28, 2024
Law Firm Real Estate Report
Recent announcements from Sidley Austin LLP and Cohen Seglias Pallas Greenhall & Furman PC about plans to move their offices in Dallas and Pittsburgh, respectively, were among the biggest real estate moves for law firms in March.
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March 28, 2024
The Home Depot Buying PE-Backed SRS For $18.25B
The Home Depot said Thursday it has agreed to acquire SRS Distribution Inc., a private equity-backed distributor of roofing and building supplies, for $18.25 billion, inclusive of debt.
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March 27, 2024
DoorDash, Grubhub Want Docs From NY Restaurant Lobbyists
DoorDash, Grubhub and Uber Eats have urged a Manhattan federal judge to let them subpoena the trade group executives who allegedly "worked closely" with officials on challenged New York City caps on fees that food delivery apps can charge restaurants.
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March 27, 2024
REIT Sold NY Center To Itself To Avoid $12.9M Order, Suit Says
An investment firm on Wednesday accused real estate investment trust SL Green Realty Corp. of transferring the ownership of a conference center between its entities so that the firm wouldn't be able to collect the asset as part of a $12.9 million court judgment.
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March 27, 2024
Zaxby's Co-Founder's $43M Easement Fight Headed For Trial
A trial will be needed to determine whether a co-founder of the Zaxby's restaurant chain and his wife are entitled to a $43.3 million tax refund for donations of conservation easements, a Georgia federal judge ruled Wednesday, saying the value of the easements remains in dispute.
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March 27, 2024
Disney, Florida District Reach Agreement On Land Use Suit
The Central Florida Tourism Oversight District on Wednesday approved a settlement with Disney in its lawsuit over two land use agreements the company signed with a predecessor district for property surrounding the Walt Disney World theme park.
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March 27, 2024
Kimco Sells 10 Shopping Centers For $248M After RPT Buy
Real estate investment trust Kimco Realty said it has sold 10 open-air shopping centers it gained in an acquisition of RPT Realty earlier this year for a total of $248 million.
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March 27, 2024
Cannabis Real Estate Firm Gets $20.2M In Fraud Verdict
A Los Angeles County court has awarded a pair of cannabis real estate firms $20.2 million in a suit alleging they were defrauded of more than $14 million in a scheme by a business owner who falsely represented that he'd owned several cannabis facilities in the state.
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March 27, 2024
City Leaders Nix Plan To Move Wizards, Caps To Virginia Site
Plans for the NBA's Washington Wizards and NHL's Washington Capitals to move from the nation's capital to a $2 billion sports and entertainment complex in northern Virginia came to an abrupt halt Wednesday afternoon, when the city of Alexandria, Virginia announced that its negotiations with Monumental Sports & Entertainment and owner Ted Leonsis "will not move forward.''
Expert Analysis
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How Cities Can Tackle Post-Pandemic Budgeting Dilemmas
Due to increasing office vacancies around the country, cities may consider politically unpopular actions to avoid bankruptcy, but they could also look to the capital markets to ride out the current real estate crisis and achieve debt service savings to help balance their budgets, say attorneys at Cadwalader.
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What Associates Need To Know Before Switching Law Firms
Excerpt from Practical Guidance
The days of staying at the same firm for the duration of one's career are mostly a thing of the past as lateral moves by lawyers are commonplace, but there are several obstacles that associates should consider before making a move, say attorneys at HWG.
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Guidance Adds Clarity To Energy Communities Bonus Credits
Recent IRS guidance on the Inflation Reduction Act's changes to tax credits for renewable energy projects offers much-needed pointers for developers and financing parties, and should allow them to more comfortably incorporate special bonus credits for projects in energy communities into their transactions, say Jorge Medina and Ira Aghai at Shearman.
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Cannabis Supercenters: Key Benefits And Legal Issues
Barstow, California’s novel plan to convert an abandoned mall into a cannabis supercenter could offer a potential blueprint for cannabis companies to thrive in a saturated market and for communities to repurpose underutilized retail spaces — but certain financing, zoning and leasing issues will need to be assessed, says Christopher Gordon at Fox Rothschild.
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A Case For Sharing Mediation Statements With Counterparties
In light of a potential growing mediation trend of only submitting statements to the mediator, litigants should think critically about the pros and cons of exchanging statements with opposing parties as it could boost the chances of reaching a settlement, says Arthur Eidelhoch at Eidelhoch Mediation.
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EB-5 Reform Continues To Weigh Heavily On Participants
Recent U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services guidance helps clarify aspects of the 2022 EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act, which increased oversight of EB-5 regional centers, but does not end the industry's continuing state of uncertainty, says Robert Divine at Baker Donelson.
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Preparing For Legal Scrutiny Of Data Retention Policies
Two recent cases involving Google and Meta should serve as a call to action for companies to ensure their data retention policies are updated and properly implemented to the degree of being able to withstand judicial scrutiny, especially as more data is generated by emerging technologies, say Jack Kallus and Labeed Choudhry at Kaufman Dolowich.
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Attorneys Should Have An Ethical Duty To Advance DEI
National and state bar associations are encouraging attorneys to apply diversity, equity and inclusion practices in the legal profession and beyond, and these associations should take it one step further by formally recognizing ethical duties for attorneys to promote DEI, which could better the legal profession and society, says Elena Mitchell at Moore & Van Allen.
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Data-Driven Insights Are Key To Attracting Today's Clients
As law firm growth slows and competition for clients increases, modern firms must rely on robust data analytics to develop the sector-based expertise and industry insights that clients increasingly prioritize in relationships with counsel, says Lavinia Calvert at Intapp.
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EV Chargers Can Bring Benefits For Calif. Property Owners
California property developers and owners face growing pressure to provide electric vehicle charging infrastructure — but this can be a unique opportunity to add value to real estate assets, and can be accomplished in multiple ways, say Riley Cutner-Orrantia and Eurie Hwang at Crosbie Gliner.
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Brownfield Renewables Guidance Leaves Site Eligibility Murky
Recent IRS guidance sheds some light on the Inflation Reduction Act's incentives for renewable energy development on contaminated sites — but the eligibility of certain sites for brownfield status remains uncertain, say Megan Caldwell and Jon Micah Goeller at Husch Blackwell.
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Pending Legislation Holds Promise For SF Buildings
Recently introduced state and local legislation could make it easier for office-to-residential conversion projects in San Francisco to secure approval and funding sources, although financial incentives similar to those implemented by other states may be necessary to ensure the feasibility of such projects, say Caroline Chase and Nick DuBroff at Allen Matkins.
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Ghosting In BigLaw: Why Better Feedback Habits Are Needed
Not giving assignments or constructive criticism to junior associates can significantly affect their performance and hours, potentially leading them to leave the firm, but partners can prevent this by asking the right questions and creating a culture of feedback, says Rachel Patterson at Orrick.