Residential
-
August 07, 2025
9th Circ. Backs Seattle's Win In Housing Ordinance Suit
The Ninth Circuit affirmed Seattle's lower court victory against a suit filed by landlords challenging a 2017 city housing law that, among other restrictions, prevents landlords from requiring prospective tenants to disclose whether or not they have criminal records.
-
August 07, 2025
Housing Authority Can't Slip Ex-Worker's Retaliation Lawsuit
A North Carolina federal judge has refused to end a discrimination suit against Charlotte's public housing authority Inlivian, finding that several material disputes remain about whether an ex-worker faced retaliation after whistleblowing.
-
August 07, 2025
Judge Says Wis. Tribal Roads Must Stay Open
Four Wisconsin tribal roads at the crux of a yearslong dispute over trespassing allegations must permanently remain open to the public, a federal court judge has ordered, saying there is no doubt that the town of Lac du Flambeau provided maintenance to them for decades despite an expired 50-year easement.
-
August 07, 2025
Loan Servicer Inks $2M Deal With Mass. AG Over Foreclosures
A mortgage servicing firm will pay $2 million to settle allegations that it violated Massachusetts consumer protection, debt collection and foreclosure prevention laws while previously operating as a direct loan servicer, the state attorney general's office announced on Thursday.
-
August 07, 2025
Texas Senate OKs Lower Voter-Approval Property Tax Rate
Texas would reduce its voter-approval property tax rate, the maximum rate a local government may adopt without voter approval, for large taxing units under a bill passed by the state Senate.
-
August 07, 2025
Smoke Taint Evidence Complicates Recovery For Wineries
Recent widespread fires in and around California's wine-producing regions, which produce a vast majority of the nation's wine, have spurred concern from policyholders and public officials over how wineries can seek coverage for smoke tainting their products. Victor Jacobellis, an insurance recovery attorney at Merlin Law Group, spoke to Law360 about the implications of smoke taint as well as a Senate bill that could provide a baseline standard for measuring it.
-
August 07, 2025
Trump Greenlights Private Equity, Crypto 401(k) Investing
President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday that aims to make it easier for retirement plans to invest in a wider range of assets, including cryptocurrency, private equity and real estate.
-
August 07, 2025
Housing Advocates Say Opponents Stole Name For PAC
A housing advocacy nonprofit in the Boston suburb of Newton say that opponents of a zoning measure appropriated its name, "Newton for Everyone," for a political action committee to fund candidates opposing the plan, violating its trademark rights and other laws.
-
August 07, 2025
Texas Bill Seeks Two-Thirds Vote To Exceed Max Tax Rate
Texas would require two-thirds approval from voters to allow local taxing entities to increase property taxes beyond a maximum rate permitted by law without a vote under a bill introduced in the state House of Representatives.
-
August 07, 2025
NY AG Says Landlord Overcharged City Subsidized Tenants
The New York Attorney General's Office has filed a lawsuit in state court against a New York City landlord who it says overcharged rent-stabilized tenants receiving subsidies and then sued some of the tenants for nonpayment.
-
August 07, 2025
Former LVMH Atty Joins Realtors Association's Legal Team
The National Association of Realtors announced Thursday it has appointed as its vice president of litigation and associate general counsel the former vice president of legal affairs and head of litigation at LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton Inc.
-
August 07, 2025
NC Biz Court Bulletin: Divorce Dust-Ups And Judicial Rebukes
Litigation in the North Carolina Business Court is heating up this summer with new complaints centered on fears a former state politician's divorce proceedings will impede his companies' operations and accusations that a climate technology company has failed to pay out a former engineer's ownership interest.
-
August 06, 2025
Under Pressure, Higher Ed Leans On Real Estate
As institutions of higher education contend with declining enrollment and federal funding cuts, some are finding creative ways to monetize their real estate, which comes with important legal considerations, according to attorneys.
-
August 06, 2025
Aimco Agrees To $740M New England Portfolio Sale
Real estate investment trust Apartment Investment and Management Co. will get paid $740 million for selling off a 2,719-unit portfolio of five New England apartment properties to an affiliate of real estate investor and manager Harbor Group International LLC, Aimco announced Wednesday.
-
August 06, 2025
Ex-Homeowners Seek OK On Tax Foreclosure Suit Deal
A proposed class of former property owners asked a Michigan federal judge Tuesday to give initial support to a settlement with several counties that would allow the ex-homeowners to receive the surplus profits they allege the county treasurers made selling their tax-delinquent properties.
-
August 06, 2025
Wells Fargo Beats Cert. Bid In Mortgage Racial Bias Suit
Mortgage applicants accusing Wells Fargo of discriminating against borrowers from racial minorities by charging them higher interest rates have been denied class certification, with a California federal court ruling they have failed to show sufficient commonality among their claims.
-
August 06, 2025
Colo. Justices Asked To Rule On Pro Se Appeal Authority
A plumbing company and two Colorado homeowners asked the state's Supreme Court on Tuesday to clarify that the Colorado Court of Appeals has jurisdiction to prevent litigants from making "frivolous" pro se filings, contrary to a prior ruling from the court.
-
August 06, 2025
Big CRE Brokers Report Stubborn Optimism In Q2 Results
With most of commercial real estate's major brokers posting leasing gains and capital markets closings, executives said recently in announcing second-quarter earnings that they expect activity to continue as clients grow jaded to drama from recent trade disputes.
-
August 06, 2025
AmeriFirst Financial Floats Global Deal In Ch. 11 Case
Bankrupt mortgage service provider AmeriFirst Financial Inc. proposed a global settlement of disputes in its Chapter 11 case that will break a months-long roadblock to resolution of its bankruptcy proceedings.
-
August 06, 2025
NYC Council Approves Manhattan Mixed-Use Rezoning Plan
A rezoning plan that aims to build more than 9,500 homes in midtown Manhattan was approved Wednesday by the New York City Council's Committee on Land Use and a related subcommittee.
-
August 06, 2025
Rising Star: DLA Piper's Katherine Jahnke Dale
Katherine Jahnke Dale of DLA Piper has been a key adviser on a transformation of Chicago's Fulton Market neighborhood, along with projects that include a $7 billion redevelopment near the United Center and a purchase agreement for a former steel plant now envisioned as a technology hub, earning her a spot among the real estate law practitioners under age 40 honored by Law360 as Rising Stars.
-
August 06, 2025
Inland Empire Calif. Multifamily Complex Sells For $148M
Broker Marcus & Millichap said it has arranged the $148.4 million sale of a 328-unit multifamily property in Southern California's Inland Empire area from its developer to a New York real estate firm.
-
August 05, 2025
New Developer To Build $1.5B Resi Towers In Jersey City
A new real estate developer stacked with former Brookfield Properties and Croesus Group executives unveiled the company's inaugural project on Tuesday — a $1.5 billion mixed-use project slated for construction in Jersey City, New Jersey.
-
August 05, 2025
FHFA Doubles Freddie, Fannie LIHTC Investment Caps
The Federal Housing Finance Agency will raise Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae's investment caps for Low Income Housing Tax Credit-qualifying properties from $1 billion for each government-sponsored enterprise to $2 billion annually, the agency announced on Tuesday.
-
August 05, 2025
Court Trims Most Of Contractors' Suit Against NJ Prosecutors
A New Jersey federal judge has trimmed the majority of claims brought against the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office by two contractors alleging they were illegally targeted in a criminal investigation over a business rivalry with an assistant prosecutor, ruling that the agency is protected by sovereign immunity.
Expert Analysis
-
Rocket Mortgage Appeal May Push Justices To Curb Classes
Should the U.S. Supreme Court agree to hear Alig v. Rocket Mortgage, the resulting decision could limit class sizes based on commonality under Rule 23 of the Federal Rules of Evidence as opposed to standing under Article III of the U.S. Constitution, say attorneys at Carr Maloney.
-
Fla. Condo Law Fix Clarifies Control Of Common Areas
Florida's repeal of a controversial statutory provision that permitted developers of mixed-use condominium properties to retroactively assert control over common facilities marks a critical shift in legal protections for unit owners and associations, promoting fairness, transparency and accountability, say attorneys at Pardo Jackson.
-
EDNY Ruling May Limit Some FARA Conspiracy Charges
Though the Eastern District of New York’s recent U.S. v. Sun decision upheld Foreign Agents Registration Act charges against a former aide to New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, its recognition of an affirmative legislative policy to exempt some officials may help defendants charged with related conspiracies, say attorneys at ArentFox Schiff.
-
Shifting DEI Expectations Put Banks In Legal Crosshairs
The Trump administration's rollbacks on DEI-friendly policies create something of a regulatory catch-22 for banks, wherein strict compliance would contradict established statutory and administrative mandates regarding access to credit for disadvantaged communities, say attorneys at Husch Blackwell.
-
The State Of Play In Copyright Protection For Floor Plans
With questions over copyright protections for floor plans potentially teed up in front of the U.S. Supreme Court, attorneys in the real estate industry should take steps to clarify and strengthen clients' rights and reduce the risk of litigation, says Dylan I. Scher at Quinn Emanuel.
-
Florida Case Could Redefine Construction Defect Damages
If a Florida appellate court overturns the trial court in a pending construction contract dispute, the state could experience a seismic shift in construction defect damages, effectively leaving homeowners and developers with an incomplete remedy, says Andrew Gold at Akerman.
-
Texas Bill Could Still Boost Property Rights In Gov't Disputes
The passage of a bill in Texas that would provide litigants with access to a greater swath of judicial remedies in immunity disputes with government entities and officials would be an invaluable boon for property rights, says Nathan Vrazel at Munsch Hardt.
-
Va.'s Altered Surcharge Law Poses Constitutional Questions
Virginia's recently amended consumer protection law requiring sellers to display the total price rather than expressly prohibiting surcharges follows New York's recent revision of its antisurcharge statute and may raise similar First Amendment questions, says attorneys at Stinson.
-
Ore. High Court Ruling Widens Construction Defect Coverage
A recent Oregon Supreme Court decision, Twigg v. Admiral Insurance, dispels the myth that a contractor's liability for defective work is uninsurable if pursued as a breach of contract, say attorneys at Stoel Rives.
-
Spoliation Of Evidence Is A Risky And Shortsighted Strategy
Destroying self-incriminating evidence to avoid a large judgment may seem like an attractive option to some defendants, but it is a shortsighted strategy that affords the nonspoliating party potentially case-terminating remedies, and support for a direct assault on the spoliator’s credibility, say attorneys at Mandelbaum Barrett.
-
In 2nd Place, Va. 'Rocket Docket' Remains Old Reliable
The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia was again one of the fastest civil trial courts in the nation last year, and an interview with the court’s newest judge provides insights into why it continues to soar, says Robert Tata at Hunton.
-
Operating Via Bank Charter Offers Perks Amid Industry Shift
As bank regulators become more receptive to streamlining barriers that have historically stood in the way of de novo bank formation, and as fintechs show more interest in chartering, attorneys at Goodwin outline the types of charters available and their benefits.
-
CFPB Industry Impact Uncertain Amid Priority Shift, Staff Cuts
A recent enforcement memo outlines how the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's regulatory agenda diverges from that of the previous administration, but, given the bureau's planned reduction in force, it is uncertain whether the agency will be able to enforce these new priorities, say attorneys at Troutman Pepper.