More Real Estate Coverage
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June 17, 2025
Tax Court Slashes Conservation Easement Value By $11M
The U.S. Tax Court on Tuesday lopped off nearly $11 million of the claimed value of a property donated as a conservation easement, saying the land's best use case would be for low-density residential housing, timber and recreation, not a vacation resort.
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June 17, 2025
1st Circ. Says Ex-Santander Loan Officer Can't Bypass ERISA
A former high-earning mortgage development officer for Santander Bank cannot attempt an "end run" around the Employee Retirement Income Security Act by pursuing civil claims under Rhode Island state law over her 2022 firing, a First Circuit panel has ruled.
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June 16, 2025
Colo. Justices Allow Malicious Prosecution Case To Proceed
The Colorado Supreme Court on Monday ruled unanimously that a plaintiff may still have probable cause in a malicious prosecution case even if they were unable to win in the original case at summary judgment.
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June 16, 2025
Finance Influencer Admits To Tax Fraud In $20M Ponzi Scheme
An Ohio social media finance influencer pled guilty to wire fraud and abetting a false tax filing tied to a $20 million real estate Ponzi scheme he was operating between 2019 and 2023, the U.S. Department of Justice said.
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June 13, 2025
White House Stands By Biden-Era Construction Labor Rule
The Trump administration clarified that federal agencies should still use project labor agreements on large federal construction projects, weeks after a court vacated two agencies' directives that purported to eliminate this requirement.
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June 13, 2025
Co. Must Pay Travelers $4.5M For Construction Bond Default
A signage company accused of failing to perform agreed upon work at a New York redevelopment project must reimburse Travelers over $4.5 million for settling a contractor's claims made against a performance bond, a Pennsylvania federal court ruled.
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June 13, 2025
Matador Energy Biz Taps GC As CLO Amid Leadership Shift
Matador Resources Co. announced that the oil and gas company has tapped its general counsel to step into the chief legal officer role, among a host of other leadership changes across the company.
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June 12, 2025
Locals Approve $3B Plan To Lure NHL Team Back To Atlanta
Officials in Forsyth County, Georgia, north of Atlanta, have signed off on a $3 billion mixed-use plan anchored by an arena, which developers hope will draw a professional hockey team back to the region.
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June 12, 2025
NH High Court Upholds Towns Keeping Excess Tax Revenue
The right of New Hampshire communities to retain excess statewide education property taxes for other purposes doesn't violate the state constitution's uniformity clause, the state Supreme Court ruled, partially reversing a trial court.
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June 12, 2025
Firms Seek Luxury Or Stay Put In Tight Real Estate Market
A reduction in new construction and office vacancy has led more firms to renew their office leases in recent years, while others are spending significantly more than the original asking price on leasing new luxury offices, according to a recent report.
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June 12, 2025
Wis. Children's Hospital Denied Exemption For Hospital Tower
The Children's Hospital of Wisconsin isn't eligible for a property tax exemption for a tower built in its medical complex, as it was unused during the tax year, the Wisconsin Court of Appeals ruled.
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June 11, 2025
Trade Groups Revive Suit Over Colo., Denver Efficiency Rules
A collection of trade groups renewed their arguments in Colorado federal court against rules set by the state and city of Denver establishing energy efficiency standards for buildings and limiting the use of natural gas appliances after the policies underwent a recent revision.
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June 10, 2025
Jury Awards $28M In Latest PacifiCorp Wildfire Trial
Oregonians, including a photographer and a charter boat operator, were awarded $27.97 million in noneconomic damages in the latest trial against utility PacifiCorp over wildfire damage, much less than the amount requested for the 10 plaintiffs.
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June 10, 2025
Judge Denies Calif. Tribe's Bid To Restore Gaming Eligibility
A D.C. federal judge Tuesday declined to reinstate a California tribe's gaming eligibility for a casino-resort project in the San Francisco Bay Area while the U.S. Department of the Interior reassesses its approval, ruling that the tribe hasn't shown it would be imminently harmed by the eligibility suspension.
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June 10, 2025
Ohio Ministry Residence Loses Tax Break Over Worship Use
A residence owned by a Methodist campus ministry organization in Ohio is subject to property taxes because it isn't used exclusively for public worship, the state Board of Tax Appeals ruled.
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June 09, 2025
Enviro Groups, Tribes Can Intervene In Coal Leasing Ban Row
A Wyoming federal judge allowed a coalition of tribes and environmental groups to intervene in a challenge to the Biden administration's 2024 decision ending new coal leasing on public lands in the Powder River Basin, citing the groups' participation in prior suits over leasing at the site.
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June 09, 2025
Feds Approve Mont. Coal Mine Expansion Amid Controversy
The Interior Department has said it will expand by nine years the mining plan for a Montana coal mine at the center of litigation over the mine's environmental impacts, authorizing Signal Peak Energy to recover 57 million tons of coal in a move that aligns with the Trump administration's energy emergency directive.
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June 09, 2025
Tax Court Backs Penalties In $24M Georgia Easement Feud
An Internal Revenue Service agent properly followed the procedure to secure timely supervisory approval to impose penalties against a partnership for incorrectly claiming a $24 million charitable tax deduction on its Georgia conservation easement donation, the U.S. Tax Court said Monday.
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June 09, 2025
BCLP Real Estate Finance Pros Join Kilpatrick In Atlanta, SF
Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP is boosting its real estate finance team, announcing Monday it is bringing in two Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP attorneys, one of them returning to Kilpatrick as a partner in Atlanta, the other joining as counsel in San Francisco.
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June 09, 2025
Feds Argue Koi Nation's Historic Ties Justify Calif. Land Trust
The Interior Department is looking to dismiss a challenge to its decision to take 70 acres into trust for a proposed tribal hotel and casino project in Sonoma County, California, telling a federal court that the Koi Nation has a significant historical connection to the site.
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June 06, 2025
Orthodox Family Files $50M Bias Suit Against Country Club
An Orthodox Jewish family has filed a $50 million lawsuit against a Boca Raton, Florida, country club for allegedly suspending them after the father posted a viral social media video of him helping an Instagram personality wrap tefillin — a traditional Jewish prayer ritual — on the golf course.
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June 06, 2025
11th Circ. Limits Easement Tax Break Tied To Failed Project
A Georgia partnership that formed after the failure of a resort development and donated a conservation easement in exchange for a tax break cannot take an $8.9 million deduction for the property's fair market value because the land was considered inventory, the Eleventh Circuit said Friday.
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June 05, 2025
Shumaker Brings On RE Partner In Fla. From Johnson Pope
Shumaker Loop & Kendrick LLP announced Thursday that it's continuing its Sunshine State hiring spree with a new partner to its real estate, construction and development service line in St. Petersburg, Florida, from Johnson Pope Bokor Ruppel & Burns LLP.
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June 05, 2025
Calif. Assembly OKs Exemption For Returned Tribal Land
California land that is transferred to a federally recognized Native American tribe would be exempt from state real estate transfer tax under a bill passed in the state Assembly.
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June 04, 2025
Ex-Ga. Chemical Plant Owners Sued For Toxic Waste Dumping
The owner of an abandoned northwest Georgia chemical plant filed a federal lawsuit Wednesday against its former owner-operators alleging that they left hundreds of drums of toxic waste behind, resulting in its new owner facing federal prosecution and spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to clean up.
Expert Analysis
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Adapting To Private Practice: From Fed. Prosecutor To BigLaw
Making the jump from government to private practice is no small feat, but, based on my experience transitioning to a business-driven environment after 15 years as an assistant U.S. attorney, it can be incredibly rewarding and help you become a more versatile lawyer, says Michael Beckwith at Dickinson Wright.
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Adapting To Private Practice: From SEC To BigLaw
As I adjusted to the multifaceted workflow of a BigLaw firm after leaving the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, working side by side with new colleagues on complex matters proved the fastest way to build a deep rapport and demonstrate my value, says Jennifer Lee at Jenner & Block.
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6th Circ. Ruling Paves Path Out Of Loper Bright 'Twilight Zone'
The U.S. Supreme Court’s Loper Bright ruling created a twilight zone between express statutory delegations that trigger agency deference and implicit ones that do not, but the Sixth Circuit’s recent ruling in Moctezuma-Reyes v. Garland crafted a two-part test for resolving cases within this gray area, say attorneys at Wiley.
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Rethinking 'No Comment' For Clients Facing Public Crises
“No comment” is no longer a cost-free or even a viable public communications strategy for companies in crisis, and counsel must tailor their guidance based on a variety of competing factors to help clients emerge successfully, says Robert Bowers at Moore & Van Allen.
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How Trump EPA Could Fix Carbon Combustion Residuals Rule
The Trump administration is likely targeting the recently adopted carbon combustion residual rule, especially since it imposes very stringent, detailed and expedited requirements on coal power plants — but even if the rule is not vacated entirely, there are measures that could greatly reduce its regulatory burden, says Stephen Jones at Post & Schell.
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Nippon Order Tests Gov't Control Over Foreign Investments
The U.S. government is primarily interested in restraining foreign transactions involving countries of concern, but former President Joe Biden’s January order blocking the merger of Nippon Steel and U.S. Steel shows that all foreign direct investments are under the federal government’s microscope, say attorneys at Blank Rome.
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Virginia AI Bills Could Serve As Nationwide Model
If signed into law, two Virginia bills focused on regulating the use of high-risk AI systems in the private and public sectors have the potential to influence similar legislation in other states, as well as the compliance strategies of companies operating in the commonwealth and across the U.S., say attorneys at Woods Rogers.
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Reg Waiver Eases Calif. Rebuilding, But Proceed With Care
California Gov. Gavin Newsom's executive order suspending some environmental review and permitting requirements for the reconstruction of homes and businesses damaged by recent wildfires may streamline rebuilding efforts, but will require careful navigation of the evolving regulatory landscape, says Gregory Berlin at Alston & Bird.
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Scope And Nature Of Judicial Relief Will Affect Loper's Impact
The practical result of post-Loper Bright rulings against regulatory actions will depend on the relief courts grant — and there has been controversy in these types of cases over whether the ruling is applied just to the parties or nationwide, and whether the action can be left in place while it's corrected, says Steven Gordon at Holland & Knight.
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2 Cases May Signal Where FTC Is Headed On Labor Issues
Two recent Federal Trade Commission challenges to no-hire clauses in agreements between building service firms and their customers include comments by future FTC Chair Andrew Ferguson that may offer insight into the direction the FTC is headed on labor issues, says Michael Wise at Squire Patton.
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Green Projects Face States' Foreign Land Ownership Limits
As states impose restrictions and disclosure requirements around foreign investment in agricultural land — in some cases piggybacking on existing federal rules — renewable energy developers and investors must pay close attention to how the rules vary, says Daniel Fanning at Husch Blackwell.
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Antitrust Posturing Against Algorithmic AI Should End
President-elect Donald Trump needs to rein in the federal government's antitrust crusade against algorithmic AI, sending the message that antitrust enforcement must be grounded in evidence and real harm, says attorney David Balto, a former Federal Trade Commission assistant director of policy and evaluation.
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Contract Disputes Recap: Perils Of Perfunctory Interpretation
Attorneys at Seyfarth examine three recent decisions in which the Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals, the Civilian Board of Contract Appeals and the Federal Circuit ruthlessly dismantled arguments that rely on superficial understandings of different contract terms.