Commercial
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April 01, 2025
Waldorf Astoria Wants Spa Workers' Wage Suit Trimmed
Spa workers' claims accusing a Waldorf Astoria of profiting off its failure to pay them overtime and minimum wages and retaliating against them after the suit was filed should be axed, the hotel told a Hawaii federal court, saying the workers' new complaint fails to fix an older one's deficiencies.
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April 01, 2025
Uneven NYC Office Leasing Sees Midtown Trophy Spike
The 12.2 million square feet of leasing activity in the Manhattan office sector in the first quarter of 2025 was heavily concentrated among trophy and Class A+ assets in the midtown submarket, according to a Tuesday report from Savills.
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April 01, 2025
Idaho Boosts Property Tax Breaks By $100M
Idaho will increase tax breaks for property owners in the state starting this year and every year thereafter under a bill signed by the governor.
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March 31, 2025
Insurer Off The Hook For Tribe's COVID Casino Shutdown
Lexington Insurance Co. does not owe a Washington tribe business-loss coverage after COVID-19 forced the shutdown of the tribe's casino, a Washington state appeals court said Monday, ruling that the virus did not cause direct physical loss or damage to tribal properties.
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March 31, 2025
Tax Court Nixes $26M Easement Deduction Over Quarry Value
The U.S. Tax Court rejected Monday a partnership's nearly $26 million conservation easement deduction tied to a 110-acre farmland in Alabama, stating the partnership had failed to prove that its hypothetical limestone quarry in the property had skyrocketed the easement's value.
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March 31, 2025
DOI Rescinds Gaming Eligibility In $700M Calif. Casino Project
The Department of the Interior has temporarily suspended a gaming eligibility determination for a California tribe's $700 million casino and gaming resort project, saying Secretary Doug Burgum is concerned that the agency didn't consider additional evidence regarding the 160-acre parcel's restored lands exception.
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March 31, 2025
Catalyst Closes $164M Sale Of Outdoor Storage Portfolios
Catalyst Investment Partners sold two outdoor storage portfolios with a total of 18 properties for $163.5 million, the industrial outdoor storage owner and operator announced Monday.
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March 31, 2025
NYC Fights Group's Claim Of Biased Property Tax System
An organization that says New York City's property tax regime discriminates against minorities can't proceed with its claim, the city told the state appellate court, saying that further discovery or trial is needed.
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March 31, 2025
Gibson Dunn Pilots Hudson Pacific's $475M Office Financing
Hudson Pacific Properties, advised by Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP, obtained a $475 million commercial mortgage-backed securities loan backed by a portfolio of six office buildings on the West Coast, the company said Monday.
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March 31, 2025
Denver Defeats Landlord's Challenge To Energy Standards
A Colorado federal judge tossed a suit challenging state and Denver laws that set target dates for certain properties to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions, saying the trade groups that brought the claims lacked standing.
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March 31, 2025
NYC Real Estate Week In Review
Goldberg Weprin and Hirschen Singer are among the law firms that scored work on the largest New York City real estate deals that hit public records last week, a slow period that saw only two deals above the $15 million mark become public.
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March 31, 2025
Wachtell, S&C Build Mechanics Bank, HomeStreet Merger
Wachtell Lipton Rosen & Katz LLP-advised Mechanics Bank on Monday announced plans to merge with Sullivan & Cromwell LLP-led HomeStreet Bank in a deal that will create a combined company with 168 branches and $23 billion in assets.
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March 31, 2025
Utah Requires Min. Property Tax Rate Consensus Certification
Utah will require a minimum property tax rate imposed by school districts to be certified by the state's tax commission, the governor's Office of Planning and Budget and the state Legislature's Office of the Legislative Fiscal Analyst under a bill signed by the governor.
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March 31, 2025
Eric Adams Urges Speedy Dismissal As NYC Primaries Loom
New York City Mayor Eric Adams on Monday urged a Manhattan federal judge to promptly throw out his bribery and corruption charges, pointing to an upcoming mayoral election filing deadline and the court's previous vows to rule quickly.
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March 28, 2025
Property Plays: GSA, JP Morgan REIT, Related
Property Plays is a weekly roundup of the latest loans, leases, sales and projects around the country. Send your tips — all confidential — to realestate@law360.com.
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March 28, 2025
Minors Sue Over Alleged Trafficking At Metro-Atlanta Hotels
Two unidentified minors have filed separate suits in federal court alleging the owners and operators of two Atlanta area hotels knew the minors were being sex trafficked but did nothing to stop it.
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March 28, 2025
NY Ski Resort Co. Appealing Court's Antitrust Ruling
A New York ski resort operator told a state court on Friday that it's appealing the state's victory in its antitrust suit, which alleged that the operator purposefully closed a local competitor after acquiring it.
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March 28, 2025
Judge Ends $400M Air Force Base PFAS Contamination Case
A Court of Federal Claims judge has dismissed a $400 million lawsuit from New Mexico landowners alleging that PFAS runoff from a nearby U.S. Air Force base contaminated their land, saying they hadn't shown any taking by the government.
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March 28, 2025
9th Circ. Affirms Maui County's Win In Religious Land-Use Suit
The Ninth Circuit is backing a Hawaii county's jury trial victory over a nonprofit's Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act lawsuit, ruling on Friday that the lower court rightfully sided with the county even though it erred by including a certain jury instruction.
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March 28, 2025
Masonry Exec Charged In Plot To Bribe Amtrak Official
The president of an Illinois-based masonry contractor awarded a $58 million federal contract to renovate Philadelphia's historic 30th Street Station has been charged with conspiring to bribe an Amtrak official, the U.S. attorney's office in the city said Friday.
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March 28, 2025
Property Owners Sue NYC Over Sidewalk Shed Legislation
A group of New York City property owners hit the city with a proposed class action alleging sidewalk shed regulations amount to an unconstitutional taking, one day after the city council approved a package of bills aiming to reform the policies.
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March 28, 2025
NYC Margaritaville Ch. 11 Plan OK'd After Buffett Hit Played
A New York bankruptcy judge on Friday confirmed the Chapter 11 plan of the developer of the Margaritaville resort in Times Square, as he played the resort's namesake song during a hearing.
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March 28, 2025
Shutts & Bowen Accused Of Sinking Florida Country Club Sale
A real estate corporation is suing Florida firm Shutts & Bowen LLP and one of its partners for malpractice, alleging that as part of a fee dispute, they scuttled a deal for the sale of a country club that the business had been negotiating.
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March 28, 2025
Calif. Tenants Claim REIT Charged Extra For Pests, Trash
A proposed class of California tenants accused real estate investment trust Equity Residential and two of its subsidiaries of unlawfully charging them separate fees for pest control and trash collection.
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March 28, 2025
Rockwood Buys $153M DC Office Building From Brookfield
Rockwood Capital has scooped up a nine-story office building in Washington, D.C., from Brookfield Properties for $153 million and secured $113.4 million in financing for the deal through a German bank, with help from King & Spalding LLP, property records show.

Morrison Cohen Chair Talks Amtrak Union Station Takeover
Y. David Scharf of Morrison Cohen LLP, who represented the lenders in a recent settlement with Amtrak after a yearslong dispute over control of Washington Union Station, spoke with Law360 Real Estate Authority about crafting a strategy for the case, how transaction work supports litigation work, and vice versa, as well as the $505 million deal that left all parties "equally unhappy."

Trade Drives Industrial Demand On Texas Border, Savills Says
A pipeline of speculative construction in markets along the Texas border is among the strongest in the U.S., with imports and exports growing in the region in recent years, although trade policies could spell a possible near-term obstacle, real estate firm Savills said in a recent report.

Owners Probe Refi Possibilities In Clean Energy Finance Tool
After a clean energy finance tool gained steam as a relatively low-cost, long-term financing option, property owners in some states are now leaning on its retroactive capabilities to free up capital and pay down senior lenders.
Expert Analysis
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How The CRE Industry Is Adapting To Tariff Uncertainty
Amid uncertainty about pending tariffs and their potential ripple effects, including higher material costs, supply chain delays and tighter margins, commercial real estate industry players are focusing on strategic planning and risk mitigation, says Daniel Leyva at Day Pitney.
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Reconciling 2 Smoke Coverage Cases From California
As highlighted by a California Department of Insurance bulletin clarifying the effect of two recent decisions on insurance coverage, the February state appellate ruling denying coverage for property damage from smoke, ash and soot should be viewed as an outlier, say attorneys at Reed Smith.
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Contractor Remedies Amid Overhaul Of Federal Spending
Now that the period for federal agencies to review their spending has ended, companies holding procurement contracts or grants should evaluate whether their agreements align with administration policies and get a plan ready to implement if their contracts or grants are modified or terminated, say attorneys at DLA Piper.
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Contract Disputes Recap: Terminations Galore
Attorneys at Seyfarth examine three recent decisions in which the Civilian Board of Contract Appeals and the Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals provide valuable insights into contract terminations, modifications and the jurisdictional requirements for claims.
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Making The Opportunity Zones Program Great At Last
As the opportunity zone program approaches its expiration, the Republican-led government could take specific steps to extend and improve the program, address its structural flaws, encourage broader participation and enable it to live up to its promised outcomes, say attorneys at Pillsbury.
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Investor Essentials For Buying Federally Owned Property
Investors and developers can take advantage of the Trump administration's plan to sell government-owned real estate by becoming familiar with the process and eligible to bid, and should prepare to move quickly once the U.S. General Services Administration posts the list of properties for sale, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.
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How 2025 Is Shaping The Future Of Bank Mergers So Far
Whether the long-anticipated great wave of consolidation in the U.S. banking industry will finally arrive in 2025 remains to be seen, but the conditions for bank mergers are more favorable now than they have been in years, say attorneys at Skadden.
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Why NY May Want To Reconsider Its LLC Transparency Law
Against the backdrop of the myriad challenges to the federal Corporate Transparency Act, it may be prudent for New York to reconsider its adoption of the LLC Transparency Act, since it's unclear whether the Empire State's "baby-CTA" statute is still necessary or was passed prematurely, say attorneys at Pillsbury.
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Dewberry Ruling Is A Wakeup Call For Trademark Owners
The U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Dewberry v. Dewberry hones in on the question of how a defendant's affiliates' profits should be treated under the Lanham Act, and should remind trademark litigants and practitioners that issues involving monetary relief should be treated seriously, say attorneys at Finnegan.
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How GSA Lease Clauses May Affect DOGE Terminations
The Department of Government Efficiency has begun to cut the U.S. General Services Administration's enormous real estate portfolio, but some standard lease clauses include limits helpful to landlords that may slow progress toward the administration's cost-cutting goals, say attorneys at Pillsbury.
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What SDNY Judge Can And Can't Do In Adams Case
The federal judge in the Southern District of New York overseeing the criminal case against New York City Mayor Eric Adams deferred making a decision on the government's motion to dismiss the indictment, and while he does have limited authority to deny the motion, that would ultimately be a futile gesture, says Ethan Greenberg at Anderson Kill.
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Rethinking 'No Comment' For Clients Facing Public Crises
“No comment” is no longer a cost-free or even a viable public communications strategy for companies in crisis, and counsel must tailor their guidance based on a variety of competing factors to help clients emerge successfully, says Robert Bowers at Moore & Van Allen.
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Corp. Transparency Act's Future Under Treasury's Bessent
The Corporate Transparency Act’s ultimate fate faced uncertain terms at the end of 2024, but new U.S. Department of the Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent's statements and actions so far demonstrate that he does not intend to ignore the law, though he may attempt to make modifications, say attorneys at Taylor English.