Residential

  • April 08, 2025

    Expedia's Cuban Island Bookings Were Illegal, Jurors Told

    A Cuban-American man who says he is the rightful heir to an island off the coast of Cuba that was seized by the Communist government told jurors Tuesday that Expedia illegally trafficked in stolen property by offering reservations for resorts on the island through its website.

  • April 08, 2025

    NY High Court Probes If State Emissions Cap Preempts City's

    New York's highest court questioned Tuesday why the state Legislature did not explicitly state that it meant for a 2019 climate law to preempt a law regulating greenhouse gas emissions that New York City passed earlier that year, amid property owners' challenge to the city law.

  • April 08, 2025

    Cushman Atty Transitions In-House As Kidder Mathews GC

    Kidder Mathews announced Monday that it has hired Edward Castro, a 30-year corporate attorney with experience in commercial real estate law, as general counsel advising the company and its 19 West Coast offices.

  • April 08, 2025

    Contractor's Win In Insurance Fraud Suit Upheld By 6th Circ.

    A Sixth Circuit panel affirmed Continental Building Co.'s defeat of a lawsuit that leveled insurance fraud claims at the general contractor, finding a subcontractor failed to trace its losses to Continental's claim that it defaulted on a contract.

  • April 08, 2025

    9th Circ. Wary Of Judge Becoming 'King' Of Veteran Housing

    The Ninth Circuit appeared skeptical Tuesday of a California federal court's decision to establish control over a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs facility due to inadequate homelessness measures, with one panel member expressing concern the district judge gave himself the overbroad powers of a "king."

  • April 08, 2025

    100 Fannie Mae Workers Fired Over 'Unethical Conduct'

    More than 100 Fannie Mae employees have been let go, the government-sponsored enterprise and the U.S. Federal Housing Finance Agency announced Tuesday, citing "unethical conduct" including fraud as the reason for the terminations.

  • April 08, 2025

    Battery Park City Authority Hires Ex-CBRE Atty As GC

    Former CBRE legal counsel and managing director Elaine Kleinberg has been hired as general counsel for New York state's Battery Park City Authority, the public benefit corporation announced Monday.

  • April 08, 2025

    No Sanctions For DC In RealPage Antitrust Case

    The District of Columbia and its attorneys at Cohen Milstein have escaped a sanctions bid in the district's rental pricing case against RealPage Inc. and local landlords, as one of the building owners also had a motion to dismiss the claims against it denied.

  • April 08, 2025

    Berkshire Unit Looks To Transfer Commission Fee Claims

    Berkshire Hathaway Energy Company is pushing a Missouri federal court to transfer a proposed class action accusing it and other companies of conspiring to artificially inflate buyer-broker commission fees, arguing the claims should be litigated in Iowa federal court instead.

  • April 08, 2025

    Starwood Pays $800M For 11 Master-Planned Communities

    A joint venture between affiliates of Starwood Capital Group and Starwood Land purchased 11 master-planned communities across the Dallas, Houston and Austin, Texas, submarkets for $800 million from Hines, the buyers announced.

  • April 07, 2025

    Realtor.com Parent Drops Trade Secrets Suit Against CoStar

    Realtor.com's parent company, Move Inc., agreed on Monday to end trade secret litigation it had lodged against rival CoStar Group Inc. and one of Realtor.com's former employees, who it alleged stole confidential trade secrets and used them after joining CoStar. 

  • April 07, 2025

    Honigman Hires Ex-Ice Miller Real Estate Atty In Chicago

    Honigman LLP added former Ice Miller LLP partner Michael R. Tirman as a real estate transactions partner in its Chicago office, the firm announced Monday.

  • April 07, 2025

    Ex-TBS GC Chairs CoStar Board In Latham-Advised Refresh

    Latham & Watkins LLP advised CoStar Group on a "refreshment" of the company's board of directors that includes a new role for a former Turner Broadcasting Systems general counsel, according to a Monday announcement that follows pressure from hedge funds D.E. Shaw and Third Point.

  • April 07, 2025

    ACLU, Others Slam Bid To 'Magic Eraser' CFPB Redlining Deal

    A slew of public interest groups mobilized Friday against the Trump administration's bid to recant a recently settled Consumer Financial Protection Bureau redlining case, telling an Illinois federal judge that the move is about politics, not fairness, and should be denied.

  • April 07, 2025

    NYC Real Estate Week In Review

    Proskauer and Mermel Associates are among the law firms that scored work on the largest New York City real estate deals that hit public records last week, with a large Extell Development buy leading the way.

  • April 07, 2025

    San Francisco Says Group Can't Sue Over Homeless Camps

    San Francisco pushed for a win in California federal court, arguing that the nonprofit accusing the city of unconstitutionally destroying homeless encampments doesn't have standing to sue.

  • April 07, 2025

    Mortgage Lenders, Attys Stole From NY Debtors, Suit Says

    A New York homeowner filed a proposed class action in Brooklyn federal court alleging that the state's mortgage lenders, loan servicing agents and foreclosure attorneys have conspired to inflate the amounts owed on post-foreclosure sales.

  • April 07, 2025

    Mass. High Court Ponders 'Reasonable' Wear In Lease Dispute

    Massachusetts justices on Monday grappled with defining "reasonable" wear and tear on a rental property as they considered whether a property owner can require tenants to have their apartments professionally cleaned when moving out.

  • April 07, 2025

    Montana To Appraise Taxable Real Property Every 2 Years

    Montana will reappraise most taxable real property every two years under a bill signed by the governor.

  • April 04, 2025

    Judge Allows Deposition Of Witnesses In Russian Exec's Suit

    A New York federal judge has ruled that the U.S. government can depose two men about a Russian bank executive's alleged effort to avoid economic sanctions following Russia's invasion and annexation of the Crimea region, saying it is necessary to "prevent a failure of justice."

  • April 04, 2025

    Ex-BigLaw Attorney, Aspen Officals Drop Remodeling Fee Suit

    Litigator Steven Molo and a county government agreed to dismiss a lawsuit claiming officials improperly charged nearly $750,000 in impact fees for a 2023 remodeling project on the attorney's Aspen, Colorado, home under a 2020 land use ordinance.

  • April 04, 2025

    Colo. Residents Say City Stormwater Fees Are Unlawful Taxes

    A Boulder, Colorado, community organization has alleged in state court that the city is unlawfully charging residents fees for stormwater and flood management in order to pay for $66 million worth of bonds issued for a local flood mitigation project.

  • April 04, 2025

    Houston Housing Authority Hit With Sex Harassment Suit

    A female former Houston Housing Authority Corp. employee has alleged in Texas federal court that she was sexually harassed, dealt with sexist remarks, got demoted and was retaliated against by her supervisor when she worked there.

  • April 04, 2025

    Morgan Properties Nabs $501M Midwest Multifamily Portfolio

    Morgan Properties purchased a 3,054-unit portfolio of multifamily assets across the Midwest from Trilogy Real Estate Group for $501 million, the multifamily community owner announced Friday.

  • April 04, 2025

    Kuwait, Feds Reach Deal In Minister Embezzlement Case

    The U.S. government, the Kuwaiti government and the California business partner of a former Kuwaiti deputy prime minister accused of embezzling millions of dollars from the Middle Eastern nation told a California federal court that they've reached a deal in a related federal civil forfeiture case.

Expert Analysis

  • Consider Best Legal Practices For Commissioning Public Art

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    Commissioning public art for real estate projects can provide many benefits to real estate developers and the public, but it's important to understand the unique legal and contracting aspects of the process to ensure that projects are completed on time and on budget, says Sarah Conley Odenkirk at ArtConverge.

  • Proposed Mortgage Assistance Rule: Tips For Servicers

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    The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's recent proposal to alter Regulation X mortgage servicing procedures to broadly construe requests for assistance, and stay foreclosure proceedings during loss mitigation review, will, if finalized, require mortgage servicers to make notable procedural changes to comply, says Louis Manetti at Locke Lord.

  • How Multifamily Property Owners Can Plan For The EV Future

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    As the electric vehicle market expands, and federal and state incentives and mandates intended to promote EV use come into effect, owners and operators of multifamily residential properties should be prepared to meet the growing demand for onsite EV charging infrastructure, say Sydney Tucker and Andreas Wokutch at Frost Brown.

  • Fla. Insurer-Breach Cases Split On Unrepaired Property Issue

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    A Florida appellate court's recent decision in Universal v. Qureshi is directly at odds with a 2020 decision from another Florida appellate court, and raises important questions for policyholders and insurers about the proper measure of damages in breach claims involving unrepaired property, say Andrea DeField and Yaniel Abreu at Hunton.

  • Colorado Banking Brief: All The Notable Legal Updates In Q3

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    In the third quarter of 2024, Colorado's banking and financial services sector faced both regulatory updates and changes to state law due to recent federal court decisions — with consequences for local governments, mortgage lenders, state-chartered trust companies and federally chartered lenders serving Colorado consumers, says Sarah Auchterlonie at Brownstein Hyatt.

  • In The CFPB Playbook: No Lazy, Hazy Days Of Summer

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    The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is headed for a brisk fall season, on the heels of a heated summer, which included the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling that the CFPB funding structure is constitutional, and in advance of the November election, says Eamonn Moran at Holland & Knight.

  • Basel Endgame Rules: A Change Is Coming

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    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.

  • Reassessing Lease Provisions To Account For ESG Initiatives

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    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.

  • Avoid Getting Burned By Agencies' Solar Financing Spotlight

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    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.

  • Assessing Algorithmic Versus Generative AI Pricing Tools

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    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.

  • Navigating A Potpourri Of Possible Transparency Act Pitfalls

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    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.

  • DOJ Must Overcome Hurdles In RealPage Antitrust Case

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    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.

  • What To Know About CFPB Stance On Confidentiality Terms

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    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.