Real Estate

  • May 23, 2025

    Real Estate Recap: Opp Zones, SFR Sector, NYC Casinos

    Catch up on this past week's key developments by state from Law360 Real Estate Authority — including how the "Big, Beautiful Bill" would tweak rules for opportunity zones, the prognosis for the single-family rental sector, and a look at the seven remaining bids for casino licenses in New York City.

  • May 23, 2025

    Calif. Developer Duped Churchgoers In $46M Scam, Feds Say

    A Sonoma, California, real estate developer faces federal wire fraud and money laundering charges in connection with claims he duped hundreds of would-be investors — some of whom are described in court filings as elderly members of his church congregation — into giving him over $46 million as purported investments in certain real estate limited partnerships that their funds were never actually invested in.

  • May 23, 2025

    9th Circ. Judges Grapple With Funko Investors' Fraud Claims

    Ninth Circuit panelists said Friday they were "struggling" with an appeal from a group of investors in a proposed class securities fraud case against toymaker Funko, expressing skepticism that the shareholders had shown corporate leadership knowingly misrepresented the status of a software update that flopped.

  • May 23, 2025

    X Corp. Hit With $8.2M Judgment Over Colo. Lease Breach

    A Colorado state judge on Friday found that X Corp. violated a lease and ordered the company to pay more than $8.2 million in unpaid rent and other costs, citing testimony from a former employee that the social media company stopped making rent payments on various leases as a "renegotiating tactic."

  • May 23, 2025

    Report By Law Prof Filed In Ex-Atty's Bid To Win Back House

    A Florida law professor's report filed this week with the state Supreme Court calls a Tampa judge's order taking away an attorney's home "manifestly erroneous," asserting the ruling handed down more than eight years ago was made without determining whether the property had state constitutional protection from creditors.

  • May 23, 2025

    9th Circ. Upholds Ch. 13 Plan Against Debt Bifurcation Appeal

    The Ninth Circuit rejected a mortgage lender's bid to overturn a California couple's bankruptcy plan, ruling their recalculated home value qualified them for Chapter 13 despite initial estimates exceeding the unsecured debt limit.

  • May 23, 2025

    IP Notebook: Trump's AI Plan, ChatGPT Logs, Dewberry Cited

    In this round of emerging issues in copyright and trademark law, Law360 takes a closer look at comments submitted to the National Science Foundation and other federal agencies to create an Artificial Intelligence Action Plan as part of an executive order from President Donald Trump.

  • May 23, 2025

    Judge Skeptical Of Harm In Recall Of Tribe's Gambling Eligibility

    A D.C. federal judge on Friday signaled concerns with the Interior Department's decision to revoke a California tribe's gambling eligibility for a casino-resort project in the Bay Area, but said that the tribe faces an uphill battle in establishing the irreparable harm needed to secure a preliminary injunction.

  • May 23, 2025

    Ga. Bar OKs Real Estate Deals Via Video

    The State Bar of Georgia has adopted a formal ethics opinion allowing attorneys to close real estate deals via video conference, finding that the remote appearances satisfy lawyers' duty to be "present" at closings.

  • May 23, 2025

    NC Biz Court Serves Up Wins In Real Estate Commission Fight

    North Carolina's business court gave a food service company and a real estate broker partial wins in their ongoing commission dispute, ruling that the broker is entitled to commissions on transactions it has not been paid for but cannot require the food firm to use it for future deals.

  • May 23, 2025

    Va. Deed Tax Due On Actual Property Value, Ruling Says

    Virginia's deed recordation tax is paid based on the current assessed value of a property, rather than its value during a foreclosure sale, the state tax commissioner said.

  • May 23, 2025

    Furniture Cos. Say Insurer Owes For $10M Flood Losses

    Two metro Detroit furniture stores accuse an insurer of breach of contract after it refused to cover more than $10 million in collective damages caused by flooding from a ruptured city water supply line in a case removed to Michigan federal court.

  • May 23, 2025

    Taxation With Representation: Troutman, A&O Shearman

    In this week's Taxation With Representation, Blackstone acquires TXNM Energy, OpenAI buys io Products, Lumen Technologies sells its Mass Markets fiber-to-the-home business in 11 states to AT&T, and AMD sells its data center infrastructure manufacturing business to Sanmina.

  • May 22, 2025

    Wash. Justices Undo Landlord Win In Eviction Answer Dispute

    Washington's highest court overturned a Seattle-area landlord's eviction victory on Thursday, saying any tenant who responds to a summons with a written "notice of appearance" can't be hit with a default judgment for failing to file an answer in an unlawful detainer action.

  • May 22, 2025

    Trump Admin Ends Early Biden-Era Memphis Redlining Deal

    A Tennessee federal judge on Wednesday approved a Trump administration request to terminate a redlining consent order with Trustmark National Bank, closing out the settlement that kicked off a Biden-era crackdown on mortgage lending discrimination.

  • May 22, 2025

    5th Circ. Revives 'Unclean Hands' Defense In Ch. 13

    A Louisiana homeowner can head back to bankruptcy court to try to discharge a $75,000 judgment against him from a contractor who said it was stiffed, a panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit has ruled.

  • May 22, 2025

    Rehab Greenhouse Violated Zoning Rules, Conn. Justices Say

    A drug rehab center's attempt to operate a 2,100-square-foot plastic greenhouse as a therapy facility on a northwestern Connecticut farm was an impermissible expansion of a previous nonconforming land use, the state's highest court ruled Thursday, overturning the center's earlier appellate court victory in a zoning dispute.

  • May 22, 2025

    Ill. AG, Trump Tower Strike $4.8M Deal To End Wastewater Row

    Illinois' attorney general announced Thursday that the state has struck a deal with the owners of Trump International Hotel and Tower in Chicago to resolve litigation over the hotel's continual underreporting of the amount of wastewater it discharges into the Chicago River, in violation of environmental laws.

  • May 22, 2025

    No COVID-19 Coverage For Hotel REIT, Texas Panel Affirms

    A group of insurers has no obligation to cover an Austin, Texas-based real estate investment trust's pandemic-related losses, a state appellate court ruled Thursday, finding that a contamination exclusion in the REIT's policies unambiguously bars coverage.

  • May 22, 2025

    Servicer, BNY Seek Exit From Mortgage Statement Suit

    Bank of New York Mellon and a mortgage servicing company have urged a Massachusetts federal court to permanently dismiss a proposed class action accusing them of trying to collect on post-bankruptcy liens, saying federal lending law does not obligate servicers to send mortgage statements to borrowers.

  • May 22, 2025

    Neb. Gov. Rejects Letting Districts Tax Outside Property

    A Nebraska bill to let some local taxing districts impose taxes on property outside their boundaries, and to create statewide standards for inspections by public housing authorities, was vetoed by the state's governor.

  • May 22, 2025

    Coalition Backs Calif. Tribe's Fight Over $700M Casino Project

    A coalition of tribes weighed in on a dispute over the federal government's decision to rescind gambling eligibility for the Scotts Valley Band of Pomo Indians' $700 million casino project, questioning the federal government's perceived acquiescence to pushback from other tribes.

  • May 22, 2025

    2nd Suit Says Fla. Investigator Lied About Insurance Fraud

    A Florida man accused of insurance fraud after helping a roofing company sign up customers whose homes suffered hurricane damage has sued the criminal investigator who referred the charges, telling a federal court that the investigator fabricated facts and intentionally misled state attorneys.

  • May 22, 2025

    Trustee Alleges Developer Sold Gas Rights To Avoid Creditors

    A bankrupt developer sold its oil and gas rights to an affiliated company for only $100 per parcel in order to keep them from becoming part of the bankruptcy estate, the estate's trustee has claimed in an adversary complaint.

  • May 22, 2025

    Ore. Lawmakers OK Renewed Historic Preservation Credit

    An expired Oregon tax credit for historic preservation would be reauthorized and limited to commercial properties under legislation passed by the state Senate and headed to the governor.

Expert Analysis

  • So You Want To Move Your Law Practice To Canada, Eh?

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    Google searches for how to move to Canada have surged in the wake of the U.S. presidential election, and if you’re an attorney considering a move to the Great White North, you’ll need to understand how the practice of law differs across the border, says David Postel at Henein Hutchison.

  • Philly's Algorithmic Rent Ban Furthers Antitrust Policy Trends

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    A Philadelphia bill banning the use of algorithmic software to set rent prices and manage occupancy rates is indicative of growing scrutiny of this technology, and reflects broader policy trends of adapting traditional antitrust principles to respond to new technology, say attorneys at Ballard Spahr.

  • Notable Q3 Updates In Insurance Class Actions

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    Total loss valuation cases and labor depreciation cases dominated the past quarter of insurance class actions, with courts continuing to reject challenges to condition adjustments in the former, and a pro-insured trend persisting in the latter, say attorneys at BakerHostetler.

  • Promoting Diversity In The Selection Of ADR Neutrals

    Excerpt from Practical Guidance
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    Choosing neutrals from diverse backgrounds is an important step in promoting inclusion in the legal profession, and it can enhance the legitimacy and public perception of alternative dispute resolution proceedings, say attorneys at Lowenstein Sandler.

  • Series

    Playing Ultimate Makes Us Better Lawyers

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    In addition to being fun, ultimate Frisbee has improved our legal careers by emphasizing the importance of professionalism, teamwork, perseverance, enthusiasm and vulnerability, say Arunabha Bhoumik and Adam Bernstein at Regeneron. 

  • How Property Insurance Coverage Shrank After The Pandemic

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    Insurers litigating property claims are leveraging rulings that provided relief in the COVID-19 context to reverse the former majority rule on physical loss or damage in all contexts, say attorneys at Reed Smith.

  • NYC Hotel Licensing Law's Costs May Outweigh Its Benefits

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    A hotel licensing bill recently approved by New York's City Council could lead to the loss of many nonunionized hotels that cannot afford to comply, says Stuart Saft at Holland & Knight.

  • E-Discovery Quarterly: Recent Rulings On Metadata

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    Several recent rulings reflect the competing considerations that arise when parties dispute the form of production for electronically stored information, underscoring that counsel must carefully consider how to produce and request reasonably usable data, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • Why Secured Lenders Must Mind The Gap In UCC Searches

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    If not adequately addressed, the Uniform Commercial Code filing indexing gap can interfere with a lender's expected lien priority, but taking appropriate preclosing actions and properly timing searches can eliminate this risk, says Robert Wonneberger at Barclay Damon.

  • Striking A Balance Between AI Use And Attorney Well-Being

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    As the legal industry increasingly adopts generative artificial intelligence tools to boost efficiency, leaders must note the hidden costs of increased productivity, and work to protect attorneys’ well-being while unlocking AI’s full potential, says Ed Sohn at Factor.

  • Empathy In Mediation Offers A Soft Landing For Disputes

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    Experiencing a crash-landing on a recent flight underscored to me how much difference empathy makes in times of crisis or stress, including during mediation, says Eydith Kaufman at Alternative Resolution Centers.

  • Series

    Being An Artist Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    My work as an artist has highlighted how using creativity and precision together — qualities that are equally essential in both art and law — not only improves outcomes, but also leads to more innovative and thoughtful work, says Sarah La Pearl at Segal McCambridge.

  • Election Outcome Could Reshape Financial Industry

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    The policies of the next presidential administration and Congress will shape the landscape of financial services in the U.S. — including banking, mortgage, investment and credit services — for years to come, affecting Wall Street investors and aspiring homeowners alike, say Alexander Hecht and Frank Guinta at Mintz.

  • How Judiciary Can Minimize AI Risks In Secondary Sources

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    Because courts’ standing orders on generative artificial intelligence and other safeguards do not address the risk of hallucinations in secondary source materials, the judiciary should consider enlisting legal publishers and database hosts to protect against AI-generated inaccuracies, say attorneys at Lankler Siffert & Wohl.

  • Calif. Ruling Offers Hope For Mitigated Negative Declarations

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    In Upland Community First v. City of Upland, a California appeals court upheld a warehouse development's mitigated negative declaration over its greenhouse gas emissions thresholds — a rare victory against this type of challenge providing reassurance that such declarations can be upheld, say attorneys at Sheppard Mullin.

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