More Real Estate Coverage
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March 07, 2024
$285M Panama Canal Case Must Be Reviewed, Justices Told
A contractor enlisted on a multibillion-dollar project to widen the Panama Canal is urging the U.S. Supreme Court not to ignore an "open conflict" among lower courts over the vacatur standard for evident partiality, as the justices get ready to issue a certiorari decision that will likely come later this month.
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March 07, 2024
Feds Designate 1.1M Acres Of Habitat For Imperiled Fla. Bat
In a move conservation groups characterized as much welcomed and long delayed, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has designated about 1.1 million acres in southern and central Florida as critical habitat for the endangered Florida bonneted bat.
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March 07, 2024
Caribbean Resort Developer Says Partner Undermined Project
An Aspen, Colorado, developer of a Caribbean golf resort has accused one of his partners in Colorado state court of violating a non-compete provision by working on similar projects that were located too close to the luxury development.
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March 06, 2024
Federal Lawmakers Want To Protect 172 Acres For Calif. Tribe
Legislation introduced by two U.S. senators would place 172 acres into trust for a California tribe in an effort to bring its members back to its reservation where they can develop a permanent home.
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March 06, 2024
PacifiCorp Must Pay $42.4M To Oregon Fire Victims, Jury Says
A Portland jury said Tuesday that electric power company PacifiCorp must pay $42.4 million to compensate another 10 victims of devastating Labor Day fires that burned in Oregon in 2020, with thousands more class members awaiting potential trials.
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March 06, 2024
Colo. Panel OKs Conservation Easement Tax Credit Extension
Colorado would extend its conservation easement income tax credit program through 2032 and increase the statewide caps on the credit under legislation approved by a Senate committee.
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March 06, 2024
Wash. Court Says Landlord Must Face Tenant's Bias Defense
A Washington appeals court has ruled that a lower court failed to address a woman's disability discrimination defense during a hearing in her landlord's eviction suit and told the lower court to consider her defense on remand.
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March 05, 2024
Court Has No Cause To Deny Casino Land Request, Tribe Says
A Michigan tribe urged the D.C. Circuit to reverse a lower court's ruling blocking it from acquiring land for two casino developments, arguing there's no dispute it bought the land to generate gaming revenue and that the Supreme Court and Congress have recognized its endeavor.
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March 05, 2024
Utah Sues Feds To Reopen 195 Road Miles In San Rafael Desert
Utah is suing the U.S. government in a bid to toss a Bureau of Land Management decision to close 195 miles of roads in a San Rafael Desert area known as the Red Rock Wilderness, arguing that the closures don't align with an earlier BLM plan.
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March 05, 2024
DC Circ. Leery Of Challenges To Nuke Waste Storage Site
A D.C. Circuit panel on Tuesday didn't appear convinced by challenges to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission's approval of a temporary nuclear waste storage site in New Mexico.
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March 05, 2024
8th Circ. Affirms Ax Of Tribe's Drilling Approval Challenge
The Eighth Circuit upheld the U.S. Department of the Interior's approval of eight drilling applications on Tuesday, rejecting the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation's argument the drilling sites violated a tribal "setback" regulation barring drilling within 1,000 feet of Lake Sakakawea.
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March 04, 2024
What To Know About 9th Circ. Ruling On Tribe's Sacred Site
A split Ninth Circuit ruling that a sacred tribal site in Arizona's Tonto National Forest can be transferred to a copper mining company is certain to be appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court by the San Carlos Apache Tribe, which contends that the decision effectively bulldozes a long-held worship site and ultimately denies the tribe's freedom of religious expression, despite the panel's skepticism of that claim.
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March 04, 2024
5th Circ. Says $100M Royalties Row Belongs In Fed. Court
The Fifth Circuit has vacated a Texas federal court's remand of a $100 million suit in which a proposed class of mostly Texas property owners is accusing Devon Energy Production Co. of underpaying oil and gas royalties, ruling that the Class Action Fairness Act's "local controversy" exception does not apply.
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March 04, 2024
Sullivan & Cromwell-Led United Rentals Paying $1.1B For Yak
Sullivan & Cromwell LLP is representing equipment rental giant United Rentals in a new agreement to buy the Yak roadway matting business from Morgan Lewis-guided Platinum Equity for $1.1 billion, United said in a statement Monday.
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March 01, 2024
Wash. Judge Doubts Public Was Shut Out Of Shelter Plan
A Washington state appellate judge on Friday asked opponents of a plan to turn a hotel near Seattle into a shelter for homeless people why a pair of community meetings weren't enough to meet King County's obligation to listen to public feedback.
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March 01, 2024
Enviro Group Loses Challenge To NJ Wind Farm Plan
A New Jersey federal judge has tossed a challenge by a Garden State advocacy group and its founder to two offshore wind projects, including Orsted A/S' now-scrapped plan, ruling that the group failed to show how it is actually injured.
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March 01, 2024
Conn. AG Tells Lawmakers To Ban MV Realty's 'Scam Deals'
Connecticut's attorney general urged state lawmakers to protect vulnerable homeowners by passing legislation banning a business model used by MV Realty to rack up thousands in junk fees on people who sign their 40-year exclusive listing agreements.
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February 29, 2024
Veil Shouldn't Be Pierced To Decode Contracts, Panel Says
The doctrine of piercing the corporate veil shouldn't be used to interpret disputed contract terms, a split Colorado appellate panel ruled Thursday, reversing a trial court's award of more than $600,000 in a real estate fight between two longtime friends.
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February 29, 2024
STB, CSX Tell Justices To Reject Norfolk Southern Appeal
Norfolk Southern Railway Co. has taken its contentious battle to have itself declared immune to a rival's antitrust suit to the U.S. Supreme Court, but the competitor that's suing it and the regulator who declared it not exempt are both asking the justices to leave well enough alone.
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February 29, 2024
Munck Wilson Adds IP Lawyer From Wood Smith
A former Wood Smith Henning & Berman LLP attorney has made the move to Munck Wilson Mandala LLP in Los Angeles, bringing with her a history of working on intellectual property litigation and other commercial matters.
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February 28, 2024
Fla. Judge OKs $43.5M Deutsche Bank Deal In Ch. 15 Case
A Florida bankruptcy judge on Wednesday approved a $43.5 million settlement between Deutsche Bank AG and liquidators for a group of Caribbean-based companies to resolve claims against the bank for its alleged role in a real estate Ponzi scheme targeting rich South Americans.
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February 28, 2024
NY Judge In Trump Case Receives Suspicious White Powder
A suspicious white powder spilled out of an envelope addressed to the judge who ruled against Donald Trump in his New York civil fraud case, prompting emergency personnel to flood the courthouse at 60 Centre St. in Manhattan on Wednesday.
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February 27, 2024
Mohawk Nation Rejects 1796 Land Agreement, Court Told
The Mohawk Nation says it has numerous outstanding issues regarding a proposed settlement with the state of New York over 2,000 acres of land stemming from a 1796 treaty, arguing that its concerns have yet to be addressed or considered relevant by the court or its present counsel as negotiations continue.
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February 27, 2024
CARES Act Not For Violent Tenants, Court Says, Creating Split
A Washington appellate panel said Monday that the CARES Act eviction notice only applies to tenants who are late on rent, not when landlords want to quickly oust violent tenants, in an opinion that differs from a recent ruling from another state appellate panel.
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February 27, 2024
PacifiCorp Faces $50M Ask In Latest Wildfire Trial
Nine Oregonians and a summer camp for the disabled went to trial Tuesday in state court against PacifiCorp, asking a Portland jury to award at least $50 million after a cluster of 2020 wildfires left them with "nowhere to go, but nowhere to return to."
Expert Analysis
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IRS Guidance Powers Up Energy Tax Credit Transfers
Recent IRS guidance on the monetization of energy tax credits provides sufficient clarity for parties to start negotiating transfer agreements, but it is unclear when the registration process required for credits to change hands will be up and running, say attorneys at Shearman.
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LA's High-Value Real Estate Transfer Tax Should Be Scrapped
Los Angeles’ recently implemented high-value property transfer tax has chilled the real estate market, is failing to meet revenue expectations and raises significant constitutional concerns, making it a flawed piece of legislation that should be invalidated, says attorney Paul Weinberg.
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Sackett's US Waters Redefinition Is A Boon For Developers
The U.S. Supreme Court's recent landmark ruling in Sackett v. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency should reduce real estate project delays, development costs and potential legal exposures — but developers must remain mindful of how new federal and state regulations governing wetlands could affect their plans, say attorneys at Morris Manning.
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SEC Form PF Amendments Show Private Fund Adviser Focus
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission recently adopted amendments to Form PF that will establish new event-reporting requirements for private equity and large hedge fund advisers, reflecting the SEC's increased attention on the private markets also seen in its stated examination priorities and latest rule proposals, say attorneys at King & Spalding.
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What Tax-Exempt Orgs. Need From Energy Credit Guidance
Guidance clarifying the Inflation Reduction Act’s credit regime, expected from the U.S. Department of the Treasury this summer, should help tax-exempt organizations determine the benefits of clean energy projects and integrate alternative energy investments into their activities, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.
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As Sackett Trims Feds' Wetlands Role, States May Step Up
The U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision in Sackett v. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency extinguishes federal authority over many currently regulated wetlands — meaning that federal permits will no longer be required to discharge pollutants in affected areas, but also that state regulators may take a more active role, say attorneys at Kelley Drye.
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How Fla. Tort Reform Will Shift Construction Defect Suits
Recent modifications to Florida's private statutory action rules for building code violations and to the statute of limitations and repose for defect claims significantly clarify ambiguity that had existed under previous rules, and both claimants and defendants should consider new legal arguments that may become possible, say Ryan Soohoo and George Truitt at Cole Scott.
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The Nuts And Bolts Of IRS Domestic Content Tax Credit
Recent IRS guidance provides specifics on how renewable energy projects can qualify for bonus tax credits by meeting U.S. domestic content rules, but also creates a qualification framework that will be complicated for project developers to navigate, say Scott Cockerham and Wolfram Pohl at Orrick.
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Biden's Enviro Justice Focus Brings New Business Risks
A recent executive order from President Joe Biden continues the administration's whole-of-government approach toward environmental justice, and its focus on transparency may increase the risk of permit challenges, enforcement actions and citizen suits, say attorneys at King & Spalding.
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Attorneys Should Have An Ethical Duty To Advance DEI
National and state bar associations are encouraging attorneys to apply diversity, equity and inclusion practices in the legal profession and beyond, and these associations should take it one step further by formally recognizing ethical duties for attorneys to promote DEI, which could better the legal profession and society, says Elena Mitchell at Moore & Van Allen.
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EV Chargers Can Bring Benefits For Calif. Property Owners
California property developers and owners face growing pressure to provide electric vehicle charging infrastructure — but this can be a unique opportunity to add value to real estate assets, and can be accomplished in multiple ways, say Riley Cutner-Orrantia and Eurie Hwang at Crosbie Gliner.
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Brownfield Renewables Guidance Leaves Site Eligibility Murky
Recent IRS guidance sheds some light on the Inflation Reduction Act's incentives for renewable energy development on contaminated sites — but the eligibility of certain sites for brownfield status remains uncertain, say Megan Caldwell and Jon Micah Goeller at Husch Blackwell.
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Water Infrastructure Crisis Requires Private Investment
The federal government is in the process of distributing billions of dollars recently allocated for upgrades to U.S. water infrastructure — but capital, beyond what government can provide, is needed to fully address decades of neglect, meaning that private investment must be a part of the solution, says Damian Georgino at Womble Bond.