Residential
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November 20, 2024
Boston Mayor Touts Property Tax Relief Bill Before Panel
Massachusetts lawmakers should allow Boston to adjust its property tax calculations to stabilize the share borne by residences, mitigating an impending tax hike, and boost a business personal property tax exemption, Boston's mayor told a legislative panel Wednesday.
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November 20, 2024
DACA Recipient Fights To Keep NJ Apartment Bias Suit Alive
A Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals recipient urged a New Jersey federal court not to toss her suit alleging a landlord wrongly refused her housing application, saying she was rejected because she didn't turn over documentation that is unavailable to DACA recipients.
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November 20, 2024
McCarter Partner, Former Miami Official On AI In Land Use
From planning for mega storms to streamlining zoning approvals, artificial intelligence tools are bringing efficiency and new modeling capabilities to local governments.
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November 20, 2024
MVP: Latham's Michelle Kelban
Michelle Kelban, co-chair of Latham & Watkins LLP's real estate group, helmed a $2 billion construction financing for Cain International and guided Ares Management's blockbuster purchase of GCP International, earning her a spot as one of the 2024 Law360 Real Estate MVPs.
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November 19, 2024
Online Lenders, Contractor Face Service Members' Fraud Suit
California-based contractor Multitaskr Construction Inc. and several online lending companies were hit with a consumer lawsuit in California federal court alleging they conspired to originate lucrative fraudulent loans for home improvement projects that were never completed.
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November 19, 2024
DOJ Hits Pennsylvania With Bias Suit Over Building Code
A Pennsylvania building code with an automatic sprinkler requirement for community homes for autistic people or those with intellectually disabilities is discriminatory, as it doesn't apply to "similarly sized" homes for people who aren't disabled, the federal government alleged Tuesday.
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November 19, 2024
Condo Says Insurer Underpaid By $19M After Hurricane Ian
A Florida condo association said its insurer underpaid it by nearly $19 million after Hurricane Ian destroyed its property in 2022, according to a suit that was removed to federal court.
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November 19, 2024
'Survivor' Winner Needs To Pay $3.3M Tax Bill, Judge Advises
The winner of the "Survivor" television series who evaded taxes on his $1 million in prize money and served time in prison should pay $3.3 million of his civil liabilities, including fraud penalties, a federal magistrate judge said.
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November 19, 2024
Tarter Krinsky Adds CRE Transaction Atty
An attorney with experience across the spectrum of commercial real estate transactions has joined Tarter Krinsky & Drogin LLP's real estate practice from Riley Riper Hollin & Colagreco PC, the firm announced.
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November 19, 2024
Fannie, Freddie To Buy $146B In 2025 Multifamily Loans
The Federal Housing Finance Agency raised the multifamily loan purchase caps for government-sponsored enterprises Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to $73 billion each — totaling $146 billion in 2025 — the agency announced.
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November 18, 2024
Brokerage Startup Defends Suit Over NAR Listing Rules
A residential brokerage startup defended its antitrust lawsuit from dismissal motions filed by the National Association of Realtors and multiple brokerages, arguing in Utah federal court that it has standing to bring its suit "as an excluded competitor" and that it's not required to make specific claims about the roles of the defendants in the alleged antitrust conspiracy.
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November 18, 2024
HUD Ducks Homeowner's Insurance Overpayment Suit
A Florida federal judge dismissed a homeowner's proposed class action alleging the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development failed to refund mortgage insurance premium overpayments, finding the suit seeks sweeping relief that exceeds the court's power.
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November 18, 2024
Treasury Finalizes Tougher Foreign Investment Law Penalties
The Treasury Department on Monday finalized a rule sharpening its enforcement authority to stop or demand additional information regarding foreign-investment deals that the U.S. deems potential threats to national security.
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November 18, 2024
Trump Co. Seeks Coverage Of Wage Theft, Discrimination Suit
The Trump Corp. asked a New York federal court to force an insurer to defend it in a more than $500,000 wage theft and age discrimination dispute brought by a former employee of a company-managed luxury condo in Manhattan.
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November 18, 2024
Wash. Court Asked To Eye Renewal Docs In Fire Damage Row
A Washington couple and two Progressive units urged a federal court to issue a pretrial ruling on whether the couple is entitled to up to $750,000 for a fire they said "destroyed" their home, after Progressive denied coverage for failure to pay the homeowner policy's premium.
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November 18, 2024
Justices Urged To Review Landlords' COVID Eviction Ban Suit
A group of trade associations and a nonprofit urged the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday to grant a review petition filed by landlords claiming they lost $100 million as a result of Los Angeles' COVID-19 eviction moratorium, which ended in January.
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November 18, 2024
Honolulu Property Class Is Constitutional, Court Affirms
A special Honolulu property class did not violate the state and country's equal protection clause, as a group of consolidated property owners alleged, because the property class served a legitimate policy purpose, the state Intermediate Court of Appeals has affirmed.
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November 18, 2024
NYC Real Estate Week In Review
Simpson Thacher and Paul Weiss are among the law firms that landed work on the largest New York City real estate deals that hit public records, a busy period that saw eight transactions above the $20 million mark become public.
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November 18, 2024
After High Court Snubs, What's Next For NY Rent Law Cases?
After the U.S. Supreme Court declined to review two cases challenging a tenant-friendly amendment to New York's rent regulations, attorneys say any future challenges will need to directly cite landlords' concrete injuries that stem from the state rent laws.
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November 18, 2024
NJ Justices To Consider Sanctions Against Town For Suing Attys
The New Jersey Supreme Court has decided to weigh in on whether state law provides municipalities with immunity from sanctions for frivolous litigation, as it takes up a long-running affordable housing case in Englewood Cliffs.
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November 18, 2024
Latham Leads Invitation Homes In $200M Acquisition JV
Latham & Watkins LLP advised Invitation Homes in forming a joint venture announced Monday to buy $200 million worth of newly constructed homes.
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November 15, 2024
Wash. Judge Says Junk Text Suit Must Lose Autodialer Claims
Consumers who were peppered with hundreds of unwanted text messages from a home improvement platform can move forward with their $400 million lawsuit accusing the company of ignoring the Do Not Call Registry, but will lose their autodialer claims, a Washington federal judge has ruled.
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November 15, 2024
Pa. Top Court Snapshot: Silent Partners, Skill Games In Nov.
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court's November argument schedule will task the justices with determining whether a property owner's absentee partner is an "indispensable party," whether CBD oil is reimbursable under workers' comp, and whether operating legally gray "skill games" should disqualify someone from getting a gaming license.
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November 15, 2024
Denver Voters Reject Sales Tax Hike For Affordable Housing
Denver voters narrowly rejected a ballot measure that would have increased the city's sales and use tax by 0.5 percentage points and dedicated the anticipated $100 million in revenue to the city's affordable housing efforts.
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November 15, 2024
Mass. Home's Value Should Be Lowered, Board Rules
A Massachusetts home in a flood plain should be granted a tax abatement of $860 and have its value lowered based on comparable sales in the area, the state Appellate Tax Board said in an opinion released Friday.
Expert Analysis
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Beekeeping Makes Me A Better Lawyer
The practice of patent law and beekeeping are not typically associated, but taking care of honeybees has enriched my legal practice by highlighting the importance of hands-on experience, continuous learning, mentorship and more, says David Longo at Oblon McClelland.
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Home Canning Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Making my own pickles and jams requires seeing a process through from start to finish, as does representing clients from the start of a dispute at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board through any appeals to the Federal Circuit, says attorney Kevin McNish.
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Rental Price-Fixing Suit Against RealPage Doesn't Add Up
Recent government antitrust litigation against RealPage, alleging that the software company's algorithm for setting rental prices amounts to price-fixing, has failed to allege an actual conspiracy, and is an example of regulatory overreach that should be reined in, says Andrew Ketterer at Ketterer & Ketterer.
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Navigating FEMA Grant Program For Slope Fixes After Storms
In the aftermath of Hurricanes Helene and Milton, it is critical for governments, businesses and individuals to understand the legal requirements of the Federal Emergency Management Agency's grant programs to obtain funding for crucial repairs — including restoration of damaged infrastructure caused by landslides and slope failures, says Charles Schexnaildre at Baker Donelson.
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Colorful Lessons From NYC's Emotional Support Parrot Suit
A recently settled lawsuit in New York federal court concerning housing discrimination claims from a resident who had emotional support parrots highlights the importance of housing providers treating accomodation questions seriously even if they may appear unusual or questionable, say attorneys at Seyfarth.
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Recent Securities Cases Highlight Risks In AI Disclosures
Increasing public disclosure about the use and risks of artificial intelligence, and related litigation asserting that such disclosures are false or misleading, suggest that issuers need to exercise great care with respect to how they describe the benefits of AI, say Richard Zelichov and Danny Tobey at DLA Piper.
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Consider Best Legal Practices For Commissioning Public Art
Commissioning public art for real estate projects can provide many benefits to real estate developers and the public, but it's important to understand the unique legal and contracting aspects of the process to ensure that projects are completed on time and on budget, says Sarah Conley Odenkirk at ArtConverge.
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Playing Diplomacy Makes Us Better Lawyers
Similar to the practice of law, the rules of Diplomacy — a strategic board game set in pre-World War I Europe — are neither concise nor without ambiguity, and weekly gameplay with our colleagues has revealed the game's practical applications to our work as attorneys, say Jason Osborn and Ben Bevilacqua at Winston & Strawn.
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Proposed Mortgage Assistance Rule: Tips For Servicers
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's recent proposal to alter Regulation X mortgage servicing procedures to broadly construe requests for assistance, and stay foreclosure proceedings during loss mitigation review, will, if finalized, require mortgage servicers to make notable procedural changes to comply, says Louis Manetti at Locke Lord.
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How Multifamily Property Owners Can Plan For The EV Future
As the electric vehicle market expands, and federal and state incentives and mandates intended to promote EV use come into effect, owners and operators of multifamily residential properties should be prepared to meet the growing demand for onsite EV charging infrastructure, say Sydney Tucker and Andreas Wokutch at Frost Brown.
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Fla. Insurer-Breach Cases Split On Unrepaired Property Issue
A Florida appellate court's recent decision in Universal v. Qureshi is directly at odds with a 2020 decision from another Florida appellate court, and raises important questions for policyholders and insurers about the proper measure of damages in breach claims involving unrepaired property, say Andrea DeField and Yaniel Abreu at Hunton.
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Collecting Art Makes Me A Better Lawyer
The therapeutic aspects of appreciating and collecting art improve my legal practice by enhancing my observation skills, empathy, creativity and cultural awareness, says attorney Michael McCready.
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Colorado Banking Brief: All The Notable Legal Updates In Q3
In the third quarter of 2024, Colorado's banking and financial services sector faced both regulatory updates and changes to state law due to recent federal court decisions — with consequences for local governments, mortgage lenders, state-chartered trust companies and federally chartered lenders serving Colorado consumers, says Sarah Auchterlonie at Brownstein Hyatt.