Residential
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June 03, 2024
'Luxury' Wasn't Part Of Mansion Deal, 3rd Circ. Told
An attorney for a luxury home-building company asked the Third Circuit on Monday to throw out a six-figure judgment against the company for allegedly falling short on its promise to construct a high-end house for two Western Pennsylvania homeowners, arguing the customers' suit was not based on promises made in the contract but on vague marketing statements.
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June 03, 2024
RI Panel OKs Providence Unrestricted Property Tax Rates
Rhode Island would allow the city of Providence to adopt a classification system that allows for unrestricted tax rates for the city's property classes under a bill moved to the Senate floor for consideration.
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June 03, 2024
NYC Real Estate Week In Review
Dylan Chan Law Firm and Kevin Kerveng Tung were among the law firms that guided the largest New York City real estate deals that hit public records last week, a period that saw six transactions above the $15 million mark become public.
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June 03, 2024
Conn. City Settles Suits Over Fatal Rooming House Fire
The city of New Haven, Connecticut, has settled lawsuits by the families of two tenants who died attempting to rescue others from a 2019 house fire after officials failed to inspect and vacate the two-story house where 20 people were living, the estates' attorneys have confirmed.
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June 03, 2024
Quarles & Brady Adds Real Estate Atty In Naples, Fla.
Quarles & Brady said it has added a senior counsel in its real estate practice group to its Naples office from Kilinski Van Wyk.
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June 03, 2024
Allen Matkins Lands 5-Atty Goodwin Real Estate Team In Calif.
Allen Matkins Leck Gamble Mallory & Natsis LLP announced Monday that it has picked up a real estate transaction team from Goodwin Procter LLP in California with three partners, a senior counsel and an associate attorney.
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June 03, 2024
NYC Condo Board Blames Damages On Seyfarth Atty
The board of managers for a condominium building in Manhattan wants more than $1 million in damages from its former Seyfarth Shaw LLP attorney, who the board argues hurt it in litigation with the owner of a building unit by presenting "frivolous" and "bad faith" arguments.
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June 03, 2024
Conn. To Require Interest Waivers For Some Delinquent Taxes
Connecticut will require municipal tax collectors to waive interest on delinquent property taxes when the delinquency is determined to be due to a mistake by a tax collector or assessor and not the taxpayer's fault under a bill signed by the governor.
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June 03, 2024
Ohio Property Sale Price Not Timely Enough To Raise Value
An Ohio property made up of four lots was properly valued and should not have its value increased based on a 2017 sale, because the sale was not timely, the state Board of Tax Appeals ruled.
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June 03, 2024
Common Co-Living Company Files For Ch. 7 Liquidation
The co-living company Common, which aimed to modernize apartment rentals and merged with Germany's venture backed Habyt in January 2023, filed for Chapter 7 liquidation in Delaware, listing between $10 million and $50 million of liabilities.
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June 03, 2024
Minn. Tax Court Lowers Home Value Over Native Burial Mound
The valuation of a lakeside parcel including a legally protected Native American burial mound must be lowered because a split of the property as envisioned by assessors would have been unlikely to gain the needed approvals, the Minnesota Tax Court said.
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June 03, 2024
Nursing Home Co. LaVie Hits Ch. 11 In Ga. With $1.1B Debt
Nursing home operator LaVie Care Centers LLC hit Chapter 11 on Monday in Georgia with $1.1 billion in debt, saying it has not been able to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.
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May 31, 2024
Zillow Rival Tells 9th Circ. Listing Snub Not 'Optional'
Defunct brokerage platform REX-Real Estate Exchange Inc. urged the Ninth Circuit to revive its deceptive practices suit against Zillow, arguing a Washington federal judge wrongly let the property listing giant off the hook for relegating REX home sale listings to a secondary tab on its website.
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May 31, 2024
Judge Axes Class Claims In Navy Federal Discrimination Suit
A Virginia federal judge has cut claims and denied class certification in a suit accusing Navy Federal Credit Union of racial lending discrimination, saying the statistical evidence from media reports does not establish intentional discrimination.
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May 31, 2024
Colo. Establishes Middle-Income Housing Tax Credits
Colorado is creating a pilot program to provide a tax credit for developers of housing aimed at middle-income residents under a bill signed into law by Gov. Jared Polis.
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May 31, 2024
NYC Landlord Inks Deal To End Wage Theft Suit
A former maintenance worker has agreed in principle to settle his proposed wage theft collective action against a New York City landlord and its property manager, according to a letter filed Friday in New York federal court.
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May 31, 2024
IRS Can Seek Tax Beyond Bankruptcy Deal, 11th Circ. Affirms
A deal between the IRS and an Alabama real estate developer to settle his tax debt for $2 million during Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings wasn't final, and the agency can demand additional taxes from him, the Eleventh Circuit affirmed Friday.
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May 31, 2024
Race Bias Suit Against Ga. Housing Authority Trimmed
A Georgia federal judge has narrowed the scope of a civil rights lawsuit filed by a woman who said she was denied a senior position with a local housing authority after leaders found out she'd sued her prior employer, tossing several claims Friday against the ex-chairman of the authority's board.
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May 31, 2024
Kirkland Guides Town Lane To $1.25B Debut Real Estate Fund
Kirkland & Ellis LLP advised the close of an inaugural, $1.25 billion fund for Town Lane, a real estate firm founded by a brother-sister duo with decades of combined experience at Blackstone and Sycamore Partners, according to a Friday news release.
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May 31, 2024
Colo. Justices Agree To Weigh In On Blackstone Lease Row
Colorado's high court agreed Wednesday to answer two key questions in a putative class action against Blackstone subsidiaries, after a federal judge said tenants' claims alleging the companies' lease agreements violate state law present novel legal issues with little case law to provide guidance.
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May 31, 2024
Former Miami City Atty Must Face Real Estate Fraud Suit
A former Miami city attorney can't escape a lawsuit that alleges she aided her husband in a real estate fraud scheme after a Florida state appeals court found the complaint had sufficient allegations to survive her sovereign immunity assertions.
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May 31, 2024
4th Circ. Won't Revive NC Homeowners' Storm Coverage Suit
The Fourth Circuit refused on Friday to revive a suit brought by the owners of a North Carolina beach house accusing certain underwriters at Lloyd's London of stalling a $1 million payout over hurricane damage.
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May 31, 2024
Judge Rejects Home Service Workers' Class Cert. Redo Bid
A Colorado federal judge once again refused to fully certify a putative class of home service professionals who accused HomeAdvisor Inc. and other parties of running a scheme where poor quality customer leads were generated and sold to home service professionals.
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May 31, 2024
NJ Judge Says Mortgage Lender's Counterclaim Falls Flat
A New Jersey federal judge tossed an unfair competition counterclaim brought by Nationwide Mortgage Bankers Inc. in a trade secrets suit by its rival Paramount Residential Mortgage Group, ruling that Nationwide Mortgage's counterclaim allegations do not actually count as unfair competition under Garden State law.
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May 30, 2024
CFPB To Probe 'Junk Fees' In Mortgage Closing Costs
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau said Thursday that it will scrutinize how "junk fees" may be making it more expensive to purchase a home, kicking off a broad inquiry that could presage a crackdown on rising mortgage closing costs.
Expert Analysis
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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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Pending Legislation Holds Promise For SF Buildings
Recently introduced state and local legislation could make it easier for office-to-residential conversion projects in San Francisco to secure approval and funding sources, although financial incentives similar to those implemented by other states may be necessary to ensure the feasibility of such projects, say Caroline Chase and Nick DuBroff at Allen Matkins.
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A Breakdown Of Freddie Mac's New Servicer Custody Rules
Freddie Mac's new custodial account requirements are mostly straightforward, but even full compliance with those obligations can't eliminate the risk of unexpected bank failures, so servicers should review the ratings of their depositories and create procedures for evaluating them, says Eric Edwardson at Mayer Brown.
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Ghosting In BigLaw: Why Better Feedback Habits Are Needed
Not giving assignments or constructive criticism to junior associates can significantly affect their performance and hours, potentially leading them to leave the firm, but partners can prevent this by asking the right questions and creating a culture of feedback, says Rachel Patterson at Orrick.
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Law Needs A Balance Between Humanism And Formalism
A recent Law360 guest article rightly questions the pretextual pseudo-originalism that permits ideology to masquerade as judicial philosophy, but the cure would kill the patient because directness, simplicity and humanness are achievable without renouncing form or sacrificing stare decisis, says Vanessa Kubota at the Arizona Court of Appeals.
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Short Message Data Challenges In E-Discovery
As short message platforms increasingly dominate work environments, lawyers face multiple programs, different communication styles and emoji in e-discovery, so they must consider new strategies to adapt their processes, says Cristin Traylor at Relativity.
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Ambiguity In 'Buy America' Implementation May Slow Projects
The White House Office of Management and Budget's most recent guidance, which builds on a complex patchwork of Buy America restrictions that vary by federal agency, would perpetuate government contractors' uncertainty regarding product and material classification and could delay infrastructure projects, say attorneys at Miles & Stockbridge.
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Thomas Report Is Final Straw — High Court Needs Ethics Code
As a recent report on Justice Clarence Thomas' ongoing conflicts of interest makes evident, Supreme Court justices should be subject to an enforceable and binding code of ethics — like all other federal judges — to maintain the credibility of the institution, says Erica Salmon Byrne at Ethisphere.
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La. Suit Could Set New Enviro Justice Litigation Paradigm
Inclusive Louisiana v. St. James Parish, a lawsuit filed recently in Louisiana federal court that makes wide-ranging and novel constitutional and statutory claims of environmental racism based on centuries of local history, could become a new template for environmental justice litigation against governments and businesses, say attorneys at King & Spalding.
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Lawyer Discernment Is Critical In The World Of AI
In light of growing practical concerns about risks and challenges posed by artificial intelligence, lawyers' experience with the skill of discernment will position them to help address new ethical and moral dilemmas and ensure that AI is developed and deployed in a way that benefits society as a whole, says Jennifer Gibbs at Zelle.
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Don't Forget Alumni Engagement When Merging Law Firms
Neglecting law firm alumni programs after a merger can sever the deep connections attorneys have with their former firms, but by combining good data management and creating new opportunities to reconnect, firms can make every member in their expanded network of colleagues feel valued, say Clare Roath and Erin Warner at Troutman Pepper.
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Every Lawyer Can Act To Prevent Peer Suicide
Members of the legal industry can help prevent suicide among their colleagues, and better protect their own mental health, by learning the predictors and symptoms of depression among attorneys and knowing when and how to get practical aid to peers in crisis, says Joan Bibelhausen at Minnesota Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers.
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Issues For Housing Credit Investors Following Bank Failures
Amid the uncertainty caused by the bank failures last month, low-income housing tax credit investors may want to revisit underwriting criteria for their equity guarantors and certain provisions under their partnership agreements, say Brad Butler and Maci Followell at Frost Brown.