Residential

  • March 21, 2025

    Hail Deductible Applicable In Colo. Townhomes' Storm Dispute

    A homeowners association's insurer correctly applied a hail deductible when it issued a roughly $1,600 payment despite the association's $3.5 million damage estimate, a Colorado federal court ruled Friday, rejecting the association's argument that the deductible became void once the insurer breached the policy by underpaying coverage.

  • March 21, 2025

    Loan Servicer Faces 'Zombie Mortgage' Truth In Lending Suit

    A mortgage loan servicer that allegedly tried to charge a North Carolina borrower $160,000 for a mortgage he discharged in bankruptcy during the Great Recession got hit with a proposed federal class action accusing it and a trust that purportedly attempted to foreclose his house of violating the Truth in Lending Act.

  • March 21, 2025

    Cole Schotz Guides Chetrit's $268M Loan For NYC Properties

    Developer The Chetrit Group LLC borrowed more than $268 million from real estate investment firm G4 Capital Partners for properties in New York's Upper East Side neighborhood, in a deal worked on by Cole Schotz PC, according to official property records.

  • March 21, 2025

    Seyfarth Shaw Guides $144M Brooklyn Project Financing

    Full-service real estate firm Watermark Capital Group borrowed more than $144 million from S3 Capital in a deal guided by Seyfarth Shaw LLP for a commercial real estate property that's the site of a major residential project located in Brooklyn's Sunset Park neighborhood, according to property records filed Friday.

  • March 21, 2025

    Miami Beach Gives Deauville, Towers Project Early OK

    The Miami Beach Commission voted in favor of requested land-use changes that would allow the owners of the historic Deauville Beach Resort to rebuild the hotel and add two large residential towers to the property, a project almost universally lauded in the meeting.

  • March 21, 2025

    Mich. Judge Dismisses $217M Dam Repair Tax Challenge

    A Michigan federal judge has dismissed a pair of lawsuits alleging a $217 million special assessment to fund the reconstruction of dams destroyed in 2020 floods was unfairly levied on certain properties, finding homeowners had the opportunity to oppose the assessment and litigate their claims in state court.

  • March 21, 2025

    3rd Circ. Takes On NJ Judicial Privacy Law's Constitutionality

    The Third Circuit has granted requests by several data brokers to review a lower court judge's ruling that New Jersey's judicial privacy and security measure, known as Daniel's Law, is constitutional.

  • March 21, 2025

    Taxation With Representation: Cravath, Paul Weiss, Cooley

    In this week's Taxation With Representation, Google acquires Wiz, QXO Inc. acquires Beacon Roofing Supply, and the Boston Celtics are bought by a group led by private equity firm co-founder William Chisholm.

  • March 20, 2025

    State Farm's Calif. Rate Request Exemplifies Long Negotiation

    California regulators' provisional approval of State Farm's premium increase request following the Los Angeles fires is another step forward in an insurance reform process that insurance pros view as a negotiation that has been protracted to the detriment of consumers.

  • March 20, 2025

    LA Hit With Sanctions Request In Encampment Sweep Lawsuit

    Homeless residents accused the Los Angeles City Attorney's Office of hiding documents they requested in their suit challenging the constitutionality of encampment sweeps, asking a California federal court for case-ending sanctions for the second time in two weeks.

  • March 20, 2025

    Office-To-Residential Efforts Offer Pain And Potential

    With an estimated 1 billion square feet of office space currently vacant across the country and housing affordability a widespread concern, office-to-residential conversions have obvious appeal. But experts speaking at a multifamily housing event this month said while these projects can ultimately turn out great, the challenges in completing them will prevent the volume needed to solve the nation's housing crisis.

  • March 20, 2025

    Extell Shrinks Height For Planned NYC 5th Ave. Tower

    Extell Development reduced the height of a once-proposed 78-story tower on Manhattan's Fifth Ave. down to 32 stories tall, according to recent filings with the New York City Department of Buildings, and Law360 has removed the project from its Tall Buildings Tracker.

  • March 20, 2025

    Baron Property Clinches $206M Loan To Build Fla. Rentals

    Baron Property Group borrowed $206 million from investment advisory firm Post Road Group to build its 661-unit Metro Parc North residential project in Hialeah, Florida, according to a March 20 announcement.

  • March 20, 2025

    4th Circ. Leery Of Reviving Class Claims In Lending Bias Suit

    A group of borrowers faced an uphill battle Thursday trying to convince the Fourth Circuit to revive their class claims accusing Navy Federal Credit Union of discriminatory lending practices, with one judge chastising what he said were attempts to rewrite the complaint.

  • March 20, 2025

    Jurisdictional Uncertainty Helps Preserve Ill. Tax Bias Suit

    Cook County property owners who mistakenly brought discriminatory assessment accusations in state court before taking their allegations to federal court can continue pursuing those claims, an Illinois judge said, rejecting the county's timeliness challenge. 

  • March 20, 2025

    4 Firms Help Seal $11B QXO, Beacon Deal After Buyout Battle

    QXO Inc. said Thursday it has agreed to acquire Beacon Roofing Supply Inc. for $11 billion following an at-times contentious takeover attempt that included Beacon's rejection of a prior QXO buyout proposal, in a deal guided by four law firms.

  • March 19, 2025

    Toxic-Loft Suits Too Late, But Owners Share Blame, Jury Says

    A California state jury in Los Angeles found Wednesday that 20 residents of an art loft building waited too long to file toxic exposure claims, but suggested that the building owners caused the delays, triggering further proceedings before a judge.

  • March 19, 2025

    Your Competition Is Probably Investing In Their Clients

    Legal advisers typically sit beside, not across, from their clients, and advise on deals rather than take part in them.

  • March 19, 2025

    Swiss Investor Can't Revive $230M Czech Republic Claim

    A Swiss company with failed plans to develop a Prague residential complex has lost its bid to revive a $230 million damages claim against the Czech Republic based on arguments that the arbitrators had not adequately considered the fallout after the company rebuffed a local official's bribe request.

  • March 19, 2025

    Fla. Court Affirms Boardwalk Easement, Despite Defunct Law

    Florida's First District Court of Appeal confirmed Wednesday that Walton County, Florida, had a right to a public easement on a beach, finding it need not have exercised that right before the federal government repealed the law under which the land was conveyed to private owners.

  • March 19, 2025

    QXO Pushes Deadline As Beacon Takeover Talks Press On

    QXO extended its Tuesday deadline for Beacon Roofing Supply Inc. shareholders to tender their shares until Wednesday, after announcing earlier in the month that friendly discussions had begun amid the once-hostile takeover bid.

  • March 19, 2025

    The Latest On Short-Term Rental Policies, Litigation

    The practice of short-term renting in the U.S. remains contentious, with some claiming it disrupts communities and undercuts local hotels, and others viewing it as extra money for property owners.

  • March 19, 2025

    SDS Capital Fronting $1B For Multifamily, Affordable Housing

    SDS Capital Group has launched a new $1 billion debt platform that will finance multifamily and affordable housing properties across the United States, according to an announcement from the company Wednesday.

  • March 19, 2025

    LA City Office Claims Group Ran Illegal STR Scheme

    A group advertised and rented out illegal short-term and long-term rentals in Los Angeles and also illegally jacked up rent prices after the January wildfires occurred in LA, the LA City Attorney's Office alleged in a state court suit.

  • March 19, 2025

    Nashville Developers Land $253M For 30-Story Hotel Tower

    Two real estate firms secured a $253 million financing package to build a 30-story hotel and condominium complex in Nashville's Paseo South Gulch district, borrower-side broker Walker & Dunlop said on Wednesday.

Expert Analysis

  • 2nd Circ. Ruling Clarifies When Demand Letters Are Claims

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    The Second Circuit’s decision last week in Pine Management v. Colony Insurance, affirming that an insurer had no obligation to defend an insured for claims made before the policy period, provides clarity on when presuit demands for relief constitute claims — an important issue that may be dispositive of coverage, says Bonnie Thompson at Lavin Rindner.

  • Preparing For Possible Calif. Criminal Antitrust Enforcement

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    Though a recent announcement that the California Attorney General's Office will resume criminal prosecutions in support of its antitrust enforcement may be mere saber-rattling, companies and their counsel should nevertheless be prepared for interactions with the California AG's Antitrust Section that are not limited to civil liability issues, say Dylan Ballard and Lillian Sun at V&E.

  • Conn. Loan Law Tweaks May Have 3 Major Effects On Lenders

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    Recently proposed minor amendments to Connecticut’s consumer protection laws could nonetheless mean major and unexpected changes to state consumer financial services regulations that dictate how lenders and their customer-facing service providers handle fee payments, mortgage servicer licensing and private student loans, says Jonathan Joshua at Joshua Law Firm.

  • The Challenges SEC's Climate Disclosure Rule May Face

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    Attorneys at Debevoise examine potential legal challenges to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's new climate-related disclosure rule — against which nine suits have already been filed — including arguments under the Administrative Procedure Act, the major questions doctrine, the First Amendment and the nondelegation doctrine.

  • Class Actions At The Circuit Courts: March Lessons

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    In this month's review of class action appeals, Mitchell Engel at Shook Hardy discusses four notable circuit court decisions on topics from consumer fraud to employment — and provides key takeaways for counsel on issues including coercive communications with putative class members and Article III standing at the class certification stage.

  • How FinCEN Proposal Expands RE Transaction Obligations

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    Against a regulatory backdrop foreshadowing anti-money laundering efforts in the real estate sector, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network's proposed rule significantly expands reporting requirements for certain nonfinanced residential real estate transfers and necessitates careful review, say attorneys at Fried Frank.

  • How Calif. Video Recording Ruling May Affect Insured Exams

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    A recent California appellate decision, Myasnyankin v. Nationwide, allowing policyholders to video record all parties to an insurance examination under oath, has changed the rules of the road for EUOs and potentially opened Pandora's box for future disputes, say John Edson and Preston Bennett at Sheppard Mullin.

  • Unpacking FinCEN's Proposed Real Estate Transaction Rule

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    Phil Jelsma and Ulrick Matsunaga at Crosbie Gliner take a close look at the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network's recently proposed rulemaking — which mandates new disclosures for professionals involved in all-cash real estate deals — and discuss best next steps for the broad range of businesses that could be affected.

  • Texas Insurance Ruling Could Restore Finality To Appraisal

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    The Texas Supreme Court's decision in Rodriguez v. Safeco, determining that full payment of an appraisal award precludes recovery of attorney fees, indicates a potential return to an era in which timely payment undoubtedly disposes of all possible policyholder claims, says Karl Schulz at Cozen O'Connor.

  • Contractors Need Protection From NJ Homeowner Protections

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    A recently passed New Jersey law, combined with the state's Consumer Fraud Act, is intended to protect innocent homeowners, but legislative action must be taken to prevent homeowners from abusing the law to avoid paying hardworking contractors, say Gary Strong and Madison Calkins at Gfeller Laurie.

  • NY Shouldn't Pair 421-a Restoration And Good Cause Eviction

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    The good cause eviction system of rent control should not be imposed in New York, nor should its legislation be tied to renewal of the 421-a tax abatement program, which New York City desperately needs, says Alexander Lycoyannis at Holland & Knight.

  • Setting The Stage For High Court BofA Escrow Interest Case

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    Dori Bailey and Curtis Johnson at Bond Schoeneck examine relevant legislation and case law dating back 200 years ahead of oral arguments at the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday in Cantero v. Bank of America, the outcome of which will determine whether state laws governing mortgage escrow accounts can be enforced against national banks.

  • DC's Housing Tax Break Proposal: What's In It, What's Missing

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    Proposed Washington, D.C., rules implementing the Housing in Downtown Tax Abatement program — for commercial property owners who convert properties into residential housing — thoroughly explain the process for submitting an application, but do not provide sufficient detail regarding the actual dollar value of the abatements, says Daniel Miktus at Akerman.