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Real Estate
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March 18, 2024
'Brazen' Text By LA Pol Surfaces In Raymond Chan RICO Trial
A former lobbyist received a "brazen" text from then-Los Angeles City Councilmember Jose Huizar in 2018 seeking a bribe from his developer client, according to testimony heard on Monday by a Los Angeles federal jury considering racketeering and bribery charges against another former city official, Raymond Chan.
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March 18, 2024
Philly Nonprofit Execs Lived Large On Co. Money, Jury Told
Jurors should not believe arguments from two nonprofit executives who are former associates of City Councilman Kenyatta Johnson who said they simply made bookkeeping mistakes and didn't concoct an alleged scheme to spend company money on things like huge bonuses, lavish vacations and bribing a Milwaukee school official, federal prosecutors said Monday.
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March 18, 2024
Colo. HOA Not Covered In Travelers Repair Payment Row
A Colorado federal judge ruled a Travelers unit doesn't have a duty to defend or indemnify a Denver homeowners association seeking coverage for a dispute with a different Travelers unit that alleged it overpaid for a hailstorm property damage claim.
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March 18, 2024
Battle Over Mass. Rezoning Law Headed To High Court In Fall
The Massachusetts attorney general's lawsuit to force a Boston suburb to comply with an ambitious housing law was fast-tracked Monday to the state's high court later this year, as more than a hundred towns around Boston watch how the dispute plays out.
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March 18, 2024
Feds, Tribes, Casinos Face Off Over Trust Land Request
The Interior Department, Detroit-area casinos and two tribes are urging the D.C. Circuit to reject the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians' bid to compel the federal government to take land into trust for a casino venture several hundred miles away from its other trust lands on Michigan's Upper Peninsula.
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March 18, 2024
Electric Battery Maker Says Mich. Officials Impeding $2B Plant
Gotion Inc. accused a Michigan township of going back on its promise to help the electric vehicle battery manufacturer get governmental approvals to build a components plant in which it plans to invest over $2 billion.
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March 18, 2024
Trump Says He Can't Secure Bond For $465M Fraud Judgment
Former President Donald Trump told a New York appellate court Monday that posting bond while he appeals a $465 million judgment against him and his business empire for allegedly defrauding banks and insurers is a "practical impossibility."
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March 18, 2024
Developers Say Mich. Township Thwarted Pot Dispensary
A local cannabis advocacy group that includes real estate developers has sued a Michigan township in federal court, alleging elected officials have impeded a proposal to build a medical and adult-use dispensary despite residents' support and additional tax revenue the municipality will reap.
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March 18, 2024
Ore. Tax Court Rejects Valuation Corrections By County
The Oregon Tax Court agreed with a residential property owner that a county assessor's corrections of a valuation due to errors were not valid, restoring the valuation to the property's real market value before the corrections.
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March 18, 2024
Md. Senate OKs Letting Only Owners Appeal Tax Values
Maryland would allow property tax assessment appeals only by the owners of the properties in question under emergency retroactive legislation approved by the state Senate.
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March 18, 2024
4th Circ. Preview: Airport Mishap, Inmate Pay Launch March
The Fourth Circuit's spring session will task the court with refereeing a power struggle between Virginia regulators and the authority that runs Washington, D.C.'s airports — stemming from a workplace amputation — and delving into the "honest belief" doctrine's role in a Family Medical Leave Act case.
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March 18, 2024
Mass. Condo Owners Didn't Prove Property Was Overvalued
Two Massachusetts property owners failed to prove their condominium was overvalued in the 2022 tax year because they didn't account for differences in the comparable properties they offered, the state tax board said in a decision released Monday.
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March 15, 2024
Hagens Berman Defends Bid To Lead Yardi Price-Fixing Suit
A putative class on Friday continued to push for the appointment of Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP as interim lead counsel for a rent price-fixing class action in Washington federal court after property management software company Yardi Systems Inc. and multiple landlords opposed the bid.
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March 15, 2024
'This Is Scary, Boss': Jury Hears Secret Audio In LA RICO Trial
A then-assistant to former Los Angeles City Councilman Jose Huizar secretly recorded his boss as they discussed what to do with a $200,000 cash bribe amid an ongoing FBI probe, according to audio heard Friday by a federal jury considering racketeering and bribery charges against another former city official, Raymond Chan.
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March 15, 2024
Real Estate Authority: Realtor Settlement, Women's Soccer
Law360 Real Estate Authority covers the most important real estate deals, litigation, policies and trends. Catch up on this week's key developments by state — as well as on the $418 million settlement by the National Association of Realtors to end broker-fee claims and the first stadium built in the United States for a women's professional sports team.
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March 15, 2024
Paxton Joins Feds In Fraud Suit Against Houston Developer
The Texas Office of the Attorney General sued a Houston-area real estate developer for deceptive trade, fraud in real estate transactions and other offenses, joining previously announced federal litigation accusing the company and its affiliates of widespread predatory practices.
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March 15, 2024
U. Of Wash. Opposes Question Cert. In COVID Coverage Suit
The University of Washington's board of regents urged a state court to reject a Liberty Mutual unit's motion to certify COVID-19 coverage questions to a state appeals court, pointing to the Washington Supreme Court's previous rejection of such a move in a separate case that similarly involved pleadings-stage coverage claims.
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March 15, 2024
NYC Settles Its Challenge Of 'Right-To-Shelter' Mandate
New York City and the Legal Aid Society have settled the city's legal challenge of the "right-to-shelter" mandate that requires shelter to be provided to any homeless person in the city, according to a stipulation filed Friday in New York state court.
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March 15, 2024
Split Texas Justices Leave Contempt Charges Against Nate Paul
The Texas Supreme Court on Friday declined to take up an appeal challenging criminal contempt charges against troubled real estate investor Nate Paul, with dissenting justices arguing that the court would "likely conclude" that Paul's due process rights were violated if it accepted the case.
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March 15, 2024
Mich. Judge Wrong To Toss Weather Expert From Icy Fall Suit
A trial court judge erred by finding that a weather expert's testimony wouldn't be relevant in a caretaker's suit alleging she slipped on black ice at her employer's property, a Michigan appellate panel has said, holding that the weather leading up to and during her fall is directly related to her claims.
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March 15, 2024
Colo. OKs Local-Option Property Tax Credits
Local governments in Colorado will be authorized to grant property tax incentives to encourage improvement in areas of local concern under legislation signed into law Friday by Democratic Gov. Jared Polis.
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March 15, 2024
Peer Street Can Solicit Ch. 11 Plan Votes, Judge Says
Peer Street told creditors of the company and its entities Friday to expect ballots for their Chapter 11 plan, after a Delaware bankruptcy judge decided the real estate investment platform had disclosed enough information about its proposal for reorganization.
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March 15, 2024
Fla. Tribe Urges No Pause In Suit Over State's Water Power
The Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida on Thursday urged a federal judge not to pause its lawsuit against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that alleges the state was improperly awarded authority over a Clean Water Act permitting program.
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March 15, 2024
Wash. Justices Affirm Condo's Roof Damage Coverage Win
A resulting loss exception in a condominium complex's policy with Farmers Insurance Exchange preserves coverage for damage caused by potentially covered perils, such as condensation and water vapor, even though the loss resulted from excluded faulty workmanship, the Washington Supreme Court unanimously ruled.
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March 15, 2024
Texas Justices To Review Tossed $22M Malpractice Verdict
The Texas Supreme Court on Friday agreed to review a split appellate decision that tossed a real estate brokerage's $22 million malpractice award against a Dallas law firm after finding that improper jury instructions influenced the verdict.
Expert Analysis
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What Recent Study Shows About AI's Promise For Legal Tasks
Amid both skepticism and excitement about the promise of generative artificial intelligence in legal contexts, the first randomized controlled trial studying its impact on basic lawyering tasks shows mixed but promising results, and underscores the need for attorneys to proactively engage with AI, says Daniel Schwarcz at University of Minnesota Law School.
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How FinCEN Proposal Expands RE Transaction Obligations
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.
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How Calif. Video Recording Ruling May Affect Insured Exams
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.
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Business Litigators Have A Source Of Untapped Fulfillment
As increasing numbers of attorneys struggle with stress and mental health issues, business litigators can find protection against burnout by remembering their important role in society — because fulfillment in one’s work isn’t just reserved for public interest lawyers, say Bennett Rawicki and Peter Bigelow at Hilgers Graben.
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Unpacking FinCEN's Proposed Real Estate Transaction Rule
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.
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Series
Skiing Makes Me A Better Lawyer
A lifetime of skiing has helped me develop important professional skills, and taught me that embracing challenges with a spirit of adventure can allow lawyers to push boundaries, expand their capabilities and ultimately excel in their careers, says Andrea Przybysz at Tucker Ellis.
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Texas Insurance Ruling Could Restore Finality To Appraisal
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.
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Think Like A Lawyer: Forget Everything You Know About IRAC
The mode of legal reasoning most students learn in law school, often called “Issue, Rule, Application, Conclusion,” or IRAC, erroneously frames analysis as a separate, discrete step, resulting in disorganized briefs and untold obfuscation — but the fix is pretty simple, says Luke Andrews at Poole Huffman.
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The Corporate Transparency Act Isn't Dead Yet
After an Alabama federal court's ruling last week rendering the Corporate Transparency Act unconstitutional, changes to the law may ultimately be required, but ongoing compliance is still the best course of action for most, says George Singer at Holland & Hart.
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New FinCEN Guide Provides Useful BOI Context For Banks
Financial institutions should review a new Financial Crimes Enforcement Network compliance guide for helpful details about how the agency's beneficial ownership information database should be used, though questions remain about the access rule and whether it will truly streamline bank borrowers' Corporate Transparency Act due diligence, says George Singer at Holland & Hart.
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How Firms Can Ensure Associate Gender Parity Lasts
Among associates, women now outnumber men for the first time, but progress toward gender equality at the top of the legal profession remains glacially slow, and firms must implement time-tested solutions to ensure associates’ gender parity lasts throughout their careers, say Kelly Culhane and Nicole Joseph at Culhane Meadows.
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Opinion
Contractors Need Protection From NJ Homeowner Protections
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.
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Opinion
NY Shouldn't Pair 421-a Restoration And Good Cause Eviction
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.
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7 Common Myths About Lateral Partner Moves
As lateral recruiting remains a key factor for law firm growth, partners considering a lateral move should be aware of a few commonly held myths — some of which contain a kernel of truth, and some of which are flat out wrong, says Dave Maurer at Major Lindsey.
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Series
Cheering In The NFL Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Balancing my time between a BigLaw career and my role as an NFL cheerleader has taught me that pursuing your passions outside of work is not a distraction, but rather an opportunity to harness important skills that can positively affect how you approach work and view success in your career, says Rachel Schuster at Sheppard Mullin.