Residential
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August 04, 2025
DC Circ. Backs FBI Agent's Bribery Sentence
The D.C. Circuit Court has affirmed a former FBI special agent's two-year sentence for taking a bribe in connection with a property-buying scheme, finding that he accepted at least $6,500 from a real estate developer in exchange for illegally sharing information from a protected database to which the FBI subscribed.
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August 04, 2025
Dorsey & Whitney RE Atty Joins Thompson Coburn In Dallas
Thompson Coburn LLP announced Monday that an experienced real estate attorney who's worked at several major firms in Dallas has come aboard from Dorsey & Whitney LLP.
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August 04, 2025
Hertz GC Leaves For Lennar After 1 Year In The Role
The general counsel of Hertz has been hired by homebuilder Lennar Corp. as its new chief legal officer, effective Sept. 2, as Lennar's longtime general counsel steps down and the car rental giant moves one of its in-house attorneys to serve in an interim capacity.
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August 04, 2025
2 Firms Guide Elme Communities' $1.6B Portfolio Sale
Elme Communities announced Monday that it plans to sell 19 multifamily assets to Cortland Partners LLC in a $1.6 billion deal, after which the multifamily real estate investment trust will liquidate remaining assets, in a deal guided by King & Spalding and Hogan Lovells.
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August 04, 2025
Real Estate Lawyers On The Move
Holland & Hart, Davis Hartman Wright and Hahn Loeser are among the law firms that have made recent real estate or construction hires.
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August 04, 2025
Condo Can't Boot Unit Owner After Assault, Mass. Court Says
A Massachusetts condominium association cannot force a unit owner charged with assaulting another resident to vacate his property, an intermediate state appellate court said Monday.
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August 04, 2025
Walker & Dunlop Lines Up $105M Refi For Nashville High-Rise
Walker & Dunlop Inc. lined up $105 million in refinancing provided by Nuveen for a 356-unit, mixed-use high-rise in Nashville, Tennessee, the commercial real estate finance and advisory services firm announced Monday.
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August 04, 2025
Texas Bill Seeks Lower Voter-Approval Property Tax Rate
Texas would reduce its voter-approval property tax rate, or the rate that a local government unit may adopt without voter approval, for large taxing units under a bill introduced in the state Senate.
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August 04, 2025
Greenberg Traurig Guides $128M Loan For NYC Tower
Real estate fund manager and operator Arden Group borrowed $128.8 million from real estate investment trust Starwood Property Trust Inc. for Arden's multifamily tower in uptown Manhattan's Inwood neighborhood in a deal guided by Greenberg Traurig LLP, according to official property records.
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August 04, 2025
Gibson Dunn Guides $320M Loan For NYC Office Conversion
An affiliate of Bushburg received a $320 million construction loan for an office-to-residential conversion in New York City's Financial District, in a deal guided by Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP, per county property records.
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August 01, 2025
Land Claimant Urges No New Trial In $30M Cuba Resort Case
The claimed owners of the Cuban barrier island Cayo Coco urged a Florida federal judge Thursday to deny a new trial to Expedia Group, Orbitz and Hotels.com after a jury awarded $29.85 million on findings that the booking sites engaged in prohibited trafficking by taking reservations for resorts on land seized by Fidel Castro's government.
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August 01, 2025
FAA Greenlights 820-Foot Tower In Sunny Isles, Fl.
The Federal Aviation Administration determined that construction of a new, 820-foot tower along the beachfront in Sunny Isles, Florida, will not impede nearby air navigation.
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August 01, 2025
Normal Wear Is On Landlord's Dime, Not Renters', Court Says
Massachusetts' highest court on Friday concluded that landlords cannot ding a tenant's security deposit for normal wear and tear like scuffs on walls, nor can they force a tenant to pay for professional cleanings during a moveout.
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August 01, 2025
Texas Bill Seeks Permanent Limit For Property Tax Increases
Texas would establish a permanent cap on increases in the appraised value of real property other than residence homesteads for property tax purposes if voters approve a proposed constitutional amendment authorizing the cap, as part of legislation filed in the state House of Representatives.
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August 01, 2025
Ex-Partner Of Seiden & Schein Says Firm Is Scapegoating Him
A former shareholder and director of the dissolved New York City real estate law firm Seiden & Schein PC hit back at its $25 million suit accusing him of poaching clients and employees and stealing confidential information, claiming in New York state court that the case is a "calculated" attempt to "smear" him and make him a "scapegoat."
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August 01, 2025
Firms Say Lien Discharge Row Was Not Vexatious Litigation
The law firms Neubert Pepe & Monteith PC and Cuddy & Feder LLP told a Connecticut state court they should not have to face a lawsuit from a couple who claim they misused the judicial system to delay payouts from a property owner, arguing that the complaint does not sufficiently allege they engaged in vexatious litigation.
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August 01, 2025
Developer Group Wants Pittsburgh Inclusionary Zoning On Ice
A Pittsburgh trade group has asked a Pennsylvania federal court to temporarily bar enforcement of a zoning ordinance mandating that large multifamily developments include affordable units, after the city's planning department demanded that a member comply with the ordinance.
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July 31, 2025
Top Property Insurance Decisions So Far In 2025
A U.K. decision over coverage for Russian-seized aircraft and a Second Circuit ruling in favor of international insurers seeking to arbitrate hurricane damage claims are among some of the biggest decisions in the property insurance space so far in 2025.
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July 31, 2025
NY Court Won't Pause Fight Over Deregulated Apartments
A New York state court judge refused to stay a dispute between current and former owners of New York City apartment buildings with illegally deregulated units while an appeal plays out, finding an eventual ruling likely won't conflict with a second suit brought against the same seller.
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July 31, 2025
NC Homebuyer Says Mortgage Co. Sent Kickbacks To Broker
A homebuyer has accused a Raleigh, North Carolina, brokerage of taking kickbacks to refer borrowers exclusively to mortgage origination company CrossCountry Mortgage under a secret arrangement by executives of the two businesses, according to a complaint filed in federal court.
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July 31, 2025
Home Sellers Defend $110M In Broker Fee Deals To 8th Circ.
Home sellers are defending $110 million in settlements cut with several real estate brokerages in the sprawling litigation targeting the National Association of Realtors' broker commission rules from objections in a series of Eighth Circuit appeals.
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July 31, 2025
Kushner JV Scores $255M Refi On Jersey City Luxury Tower
A joint venture of Kushner Real Estate Group and National Real Estate Advisors has secured a $255 million refinancing for a recently completed luxury apartment tower in Jersey City, New Jersey, according to broker JLL Capital Markets.
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July 31, 2025
Invitation Homes Expects At Least $500M In Acquisitions In '25
Invitation Homes Inc.'s CEO said during a second-quarter earnings call on July 31 that the single-family leasing and management company is "confident" it will meet or surpass its $500 million to $700 million guidance for wholly-owned home acquisitions for the 2025 fiscal year.
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July 30, 2025
How Law Firms Are Winning The Succession Game
Law firms take great care to ensure their longevity. To develop leaders, they carefully identify, mentor and groom the next generation. While top firms can outspend them, some firms are finding alternatives to acquire and retain partners. In a bid to win the loyalty of key clients, firms are increasingly involving them in their lateral hiring processes.
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July 30, 2025
Maturing Proptech Sector Navigates Uncertain Times
The volatility in the global economy this year has generated uncertainty within just about every industry, with no exception for property technology. Nonetheless, this subsector of the tech industry finds itself on relatively solid footing and with an overall positive outlook, according to professionals closely tracking its development.
Expert Analysis
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Opportunity Zone Revamp Could Improve The Program
If adopted, the budget bill's new iteration of the opportunity zone program could renew, refine and enhance the effectiveness and accountability of the original program by including structural reforms, expanded eligibility rules and incentives for rural investment, say attorneys at Pillsbury.
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What To Know About New Wash. Community Association Law
A series of recent legislative updates that greatly expand application of the Washington Uniform Common Interest Ownership Act pose significant challenges to the volunteer board members who administer and operate condos and homeowners associations, but there are ways to lessen the newly imposed administrative burden, says Tim Feth at VF Law.
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Mass. Suit Points To New Scrutiny For Home Equity Contracts
The Massachusetts attorney general’s recent charge that a lender sold unregulated reverse mortgages shows more regulators are scrutinizing mortgage alternatives like home equity contracts, but a similar case in the Ninth Circuit suggests more courts need to help develop a consensus on these products' legality, say attorneys at Weiner Brodsky.
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Evolving Federal Rules Pose Further Obstacles To NY LLC Act
Following the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network's recent changes to beneficial ownership information reporting under the federal Corporate Transparency Act — dramatically reducing the number of companies required to make disclosures — the utility of New York's LLC Transparency Act becomes less apparent, say attorneys at Pillsbury.
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4th Circ. 'Actionable Inaccuracy' Finding Deepens FCRA Split
The Fourth Circuit's March finding in Roberts v. Carter-Young Inc. that an actionable inaccuracy under the Fair Credit Reporting Act can be both legal and factual widens an existing circuit split and should prompt furnishers to review their processes for investigating readily verifiable information, say attorneys at Blank Rome.
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What Banks Should Note As Regulators Plan To Nix CRA Rule
While federal bank regulators’ recently announced intent to rescind a Biden-era Community Reinvestment Act final rule will loosen the framework for evaluating banks’ lending, service and investing activities, the decision means industry innovations and changes will remain unaddressed, say attorneys at Alston & Bird.
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Calif. Smoke Claim Ruling Gives Insurers Support On Denials
Far from being an outlier among ash, soot and smoke coverage cases, a California appellate court's recent opinion in Gharibian v. Wawanesa General Insurance reinforces the principle that policyholders must establish entitlement to coverage as a threshold matter, while supporting denials of coverage for meritless claims, says Kyle Espinola at Zelle.
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Navigating Florida's Bad Faith Reforms After Appellate Ruling
A Florida appellate court's recent decision is among the first to interpret two significant amendments to the state's insurance bad faith law, and its holding that one of the statutes could not apply retroactively may affect insurers' interpretation of the other statute, say attorneys at Cozen O'Connor.
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The Repercussions Of FEMA's Wildfire Cleanup Policy Cuts
The Federal Emergency Management Agency recently announced a decision to cease conducting additional soil tests to confirm that the land is safe and free of toxins after wildfires, meaning people could be moving back into houses unfit for human habitation, potentially leading to years of lawsuits, says Vineet Dubey at Custodio & Dubey.
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The Path Forward For Construction Cos. After Calif. Wildfires
The increasing frequency of disastrous wildfires, like those that recently occurred in California, presents a set of complex challenges for the construction industry, including regulatory hurdles and supply chain disruptions that can complicate rebuilding efforts, say attorneys at Cozen O'Connor.
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Know The Rules And Costs Of New Fla. Condo Inspection Law
Following the first report deadline for a structural integrity law meant to prevent disasters like the 2021 Surfside collapse, Florida condominium associations and unit owners should understand the process of conducting compliant inspections and anticipate new assessments to fund required maintenance, say attorneys at Ball Janik.
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Measuring And Mitigating Harm From Discriminatory Taxes
In response to new tariffs and other recent "America First Trade Policy" pronouncements, corporations should assess and take steps to minimize their potential exposure to discriminatory and reciprocal tax measures that are likely to come, say economists at Charles River Associates.
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Calif. Banking Brief: All The Notable Legal Updates In Q1
Among the most notable developments in California banking in the first quarter of the year, regulators and legislators issued regulations interpreting debt collection laws, stepped up enforcement actions, and expanded consumer protections for those affected by wildfires, says Stephen Britt at Severson & Werson.