Residential
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October 21, 2025
J&J Appeals $25M Loss In Conn. Builder's Asbestos Case
Johnson & Johnson has appealed its losses in a Connecticut real estate developer's asbestos lawsuit, telling state trial and appellate courts that it plans to challenge denials of multiple bids to reverse a $15 million jury verdict plus an additional $10 million in punitive damages awarded by a judge.
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October 20, 2025
NYC Real Estate Week In Review
Fried Frank, Sheppard Mullin, Gibson Dunn and Morgan Lewis are among the law firms that guided the largest New York City real estate deals that hit public records last week, with two Manhattan trades north of $200 million leading the way.
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October 20, 2025
Wells Fargo Borrowers Defend Mortgage Application Fees Suit
A proposed class of Wells Fargo borrowers is fighting the bank's dismissal bid of their suit, which accuses the bank of wrongfully charging them mortgage application fees and failing to provide proper refunds, arguing in California federal court that Wells Fargo's dismissal motion "mischaracterizes" the named plaintiff's claims.
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October 20, 2025
Miami Board Gives Key Approval For $2B Mixed-Use Project
Rosso Development, Midtown Development and Proper Hospitality, guided by Greenberg Traurig, have secured approval from Miami officials for a $2 billion mixed-use project in the city's Midtown Park neighborhood, setting the stage for construction to begin in 2026.
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October 20, 2025
9th Circ. Nixes Class' Appeal For Reverse Mortgage Loan Suit
The Ninth Circuit tossed an appeal and a related rehearing bid for a proposed class action that accused a company of running an unlawful reverse mortgage loan scheme, ruling that the proposed class of homeowners has agreed with the company to voluntarily drop their appeal.
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October 20, 2025
NY Passes Rent Algorithm Ban In Housing Package
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has signed a package of bills designed to encourage homeownership and protect renters, including a statewide ban on the use of algorithmic rent-setting software and a partial tax exemption for home sales to low-income households.
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October 20, 2025
Justices Won't Review Optional NAR Rule In Zillow Case
The U.S. Supreme Court refused Monday to review claims that Zillow and the National Association of Realtors blocked competition through an optional association rule that relegated a defunct brokerage platform's listings to a secondary tab on Zillow's site.
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October 17, 2025
Texas Appeals Court Clears River Authority Of Flood Claim
A Texas appeals court found that the San Jacinto River Authority had governmental immunity when it decided to release water from its Lake Conroe reservoir during a hurricane, saying it took a good faith action even though the decision damaged some properties.
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October 17, 2025
Feds Say Housing Activist Used Homeless For Medicaid Fraud
Federal prosecutors in North Carolina have accused a Charlotte housing advocate of using the Medicaid beneficiary numbers of unhoused individuals to orchestrate a multimillion-dollar fraud on the government, court records show.
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October 17, 2025
Taxation With Representation: Latham, Kirkland, Wachtell
In this week's Taxation With Representation, the Artificial Intelligence Infrastructure Partnership, MGX, and BlackRock's Global Infrastructure Partners acquire Aligned Data Centers from Macquarie Asset Management and co-investors; Rayonier Inc. and PotlatchDeltic Corp. merge to create a timber and wood products giant; and a Lone Star Funds affiliate acquires industrial processing equipment provider Hillenbrand Inc.
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October 16, 2025
Why Ethics Complaints Against Halligan Face 'Very High Bar'
Interim U.S. Attorney Lindsey Halligan for the Eastern District of Virginia could face bar disciplinary action or court sanctions if the prosecutions she's pursuing at President Donald Trump's behest are found to be politically motivated or baseless, although proving ethics allegations will be an uphill battle, experts say.
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October 16, 2025
Ex-Va. Federal Prosecutor Joins NY AG James' Defense Team
The former deputy criminal chief for the U.S. Attorney's Office in Norfolk, Virginia, on Oct. 16 joined the team defending New York Attorney General Letitia James in the government's case accusing her of mortgage-related fraud, filed after the president encouraged prosecutors to take action against his "guilty as hell" political opponents.
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October 16, 2025
LA Developers Charged In Homeless Housing Fund Fraud
A pair of real estate developers have been charged in separate fraud cases alleging that they misused millions of dollars meant to build and operate affordable housing for people experiencing homelessness, the U.S. Attorney's Office of the Central District of California announced Oct. 16.
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October 16, 2025
Insurers Settle Bid To Arbitrate $7M La. Hurricane Ida Case
A group of domestic and foreign insurers including underwriters at Lloyd's of London have asked a Louisiana federal judge to dismiss their lawsuit seeking an order to arbitrate a $7 million Hurricane Ida damage claim, saying they have settled the dispute.
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October 16, 2025
Latham Guides $1.8B Deal For Spanish Senior Home Operator
The real estate arm of StepStone Group Inc. and European real estate investment firm Greykite have announced a €1.5 billion ($1.8 billion) deal to acquire and recapitalize Vitalia, Spain's second largest owner-operator of senior care homes.
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October 16, 2025
Mass. Board Upholds Tax Value Of Boston Home
A Boston property owner failed to prove that the city overassessed her four-bedroom, 2,900-square-foot home, the state's Appellate Tax Board said, finding the city's assessment of $724,000 for the 2022 tax year was reasonable.
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October 16, 2025
Justices Urged To Hear Mich. Tax Foreclosure Case
A property owner has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to weigh in on her case alleging a Michigan county improperly kept the excess proceeds of her tax-foreclosed home sale, arguing the justices should settle a conflict among circuits and calling the state's process to claim such proceeds too restrictive.
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October 16, 2025
Mich. Tribunal Denies Religious Tax Break For Rental Property
A Michigan town correctly revoked a religious tax exemption for a property rented out through short-term rental platforms, the state Tax Tribunal ruled, adding that there was no evidence that Christian activities held on the property reflected the property owner's faith.
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October 16, 2025
Parker Poe Adds Onetime Stites & Harbison Office Leader
Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein LLP has brought on the former leader of Stites & Harbison PLLC's Atlanta office to its own office in the city, bolstering its real estate and finance services with an attorney who brings four decades of legal experience.
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October 16, 2025
Justices Asked To Rethink Gellert Seitz Malpractice Ruling
Lawyers for a homebuilder are asking Delaware's Supreme Court to reconsider its decision affirming the dismissal of a legal malpractice suit against Gellert Seitz Busenkell & Brown LLC over damages the builder said it suffered due to the firm's negligence handling loan-restructuring disputes, arguing that key issues have been left unresolved.
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October 16, 2025
NY Enacts Property Tax Breaks For Some Developments
New York will create a property tax exemption for some residential property transferred to low-income households and expand a property tax exemption for redeveloped family homes under bills signed by Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul on Oct. 16.
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October 16, 2025
Mass. Board Reduces Condo Value For Its Street Proximity
A Massachusetts condominium unit with a desirable view was overvalued by a local assessor, a state panel said, agreeing with the owner that its location close to a street was a detriment to its value.
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October 16, 2025
Mass. Tax Board Reduces Condo's Fair Cash Value
A Massachusetts condominium's value should be lowered because the trust that owns the property proved that the property was less updated and smaller compared with similar properties, the state tax board ruled.
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October 15, 2025
How Brownfield Legislation Can Spur More Housing In Calif.
The extension of a key legal tool in California for easing development on contaminated sites can relieve the state's housing shortage, though more work can be done to improve the legislation and make it work better with other environmental regulations, according to a partner at Cox Castle & Nicholson LLP.
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October 15, 2025
Pantzer Closes Real Estate Fund At Over $1B
Institutional fund manager Pantzer Properties said it has raised more than $1 billion for a real estate fund that aims to acquire and oversee "institutional-quality" U.S. multifamily properties located on the country's East Coast.
Expert Analysis
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Basel Endgame Rules: A Change Is Coming
The Federal Reserve Board's recently announced recalibration of the Basel endgame proposal begins a critical chapter in the evolution of not only the safety and soundness of U.S. banks, but also of banks' abilities to lend and support American businesses and consumers, say attorneys at Davis Wright.
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Reassessing Lease Provisions To Account For ESG Initiatives
As companies seek to build ESG considerations into their businesses, it's crucial to understand how such initiatives can quickly become significant enough to compel reassessment of lease agreement provisions, and how best to modify leases accordingly, say Julian Freeman and Gabe Pitassi at Cox Castle.
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Avoid Getting Burned By Agencies' Solar Financing Spotlight
Recently coordinated reports and advisories from the U.S. Department of the Treasury, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the Federal Trade Commission maximize the spotlight on the consumer solar financing market and highlight pitfalls for lenders to avoid in this burgeoning field, says Mercedes Tunstall at Cadwalader.
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Assessing Algorithmic Versus Generative AI Pricing Tools
A comparison of traditional algorithmic pricing models and those powered by generative artificial intelligence can help regulators and practitioners weigh the pros and cons of relying on large language models to price products or services, say Maxime Cohen at McGill University, and Tim Spittle and Jimmy Royer at Analysis Group.
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Navigating A Potpourri Of Possible Transparency Act Pitfalls
Despite the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network's continued release of guidance for complying with the Corporate Transparency Act, its interpretation remains in flux, making it important for companies to understand potentially problematic areas of ambiguity in the practical application of the law, say attorneys at Sidley.
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DOJ Must Overcome Hurdles In RealPage Antitrust Case
The U.S. Department of Justice's recent claims that RealPage's pricing software violates the Sherman Act mark a creative, and apparently contradictory, shift in the agency's approach to algorithmic price-fixing that will face several key challenges, say attorneys at Clifford Chance.
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What To Know About CFPB Stance On Confidentiality Terms
A recent circular from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau represents a growing effort across government agencies to address overbroad confidentiality agreements, and gives employers insight into the bureau's perspective on the issue as it relates to the Consumer Financial Protection Act, say Holly Williamson and Elizabeth King at Hunton.
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What's Next For Federal Preemption In Financial Services
The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency's review of its preemption interpretations and growing pressure from state regulators signal potential changes ahead for preemption in U.S. financial services, and the path forward will likely involve a reevaluation of the entire framework, say attorneys at Clark Hill.
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Increased Scrutiny Raises Int'l Real Estate Transaction Risks
Recently proposed regulations expanding the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States' oversight, a White House divestment order and state-level legislative efforts signal increasing scrutiny of real estate transactions that may trigger national security concerns, say Luciano Racco and Aleksis Fernández Caballero at Foley Hoag.
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Financial Incentives May Alleviate Affordable Housing Crisis
There is a wide array of financial incentives and assistance that the government can provide to both real estate developers and individuals to chip away at the housing affordability problem from multiple angles, say Eric DeBear and Madeline Williams at Cozen.
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Portland's Gross Receipts Tax Oversteps City's Authority
Recent measures by Portland, Oregon, that expand the voter-approved scope of the Clean Energy Surcharge on certain retail sales eviscerate the common meaning of the word "retail" and exceed the city's chartered authority to levy tax, say Nikki Dobay at Greenberg Traurig and Jeff Newgard at Peak Policy.
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The Bank Preemption Ripple Effects After Cantero, Flagstar
The importance of federal preemption for financial institutions will only increase as technology-driven innovations evolve, which is why the U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision in Cantero v. Bank of America and vacatur of Kivett v. Flagstar Bank have real modern-day significance for national banks, say attorneys at WilmerHale.
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Assessing The Practicality Of Harris' Affordable Housing Plan
Vice President Kamala Harris' proposed "Build the American Dream" plan to tackle housing affordability issues takes solid recommendations into account and may fare better than California's unsuccessful attempt at a similar program, but the scope of the problem is beyond what a three-point plan can solve, says Brooke Miller at Sheppard Mullin.