Residential

  • August 02, 2024

    Colo. Court Affirms Residential Tax Rate For Vacant Parcels

    Two vacant parcels in Colorado were correctly classified as residential, the Colorado Court of Appeals said, upholding a state assessment board finding that the parcels were used in conjunction with an adjoining residential parcel.

  • August 02, 2024

    HFZ Capital Cops To $86M Fraud Charges, Blames Ex-Chief

    Defunct real estate firm HFZ Capital Group pled guilty in an $86 million criminal case Friday, admitting that its former top executive Nir Meir evaded New York City property taxes and stole funds from commercial and residential building projects.

  • August 02, 2024

    Judge Sides With NYC Mayor In Housing Voucher Fight

    A New York state judge ruled against a proposed class of New Yorkers who want Mayor Eric Adams to implement a set of four laws that aimed to expand the city's housing voucher program.

  • August 02, 2024

    Prosecutors Back NJ Judicial Privacy Law's Constitutionality

    Daniel's Law is a "commonsense" measure necessary to counter the surge in threats and violence against judges and law enforcement officers, and it places only a "modest" burden on commercial data brokers, federal prosecutors told a New Jersey federal court weighing the future of the law.

  • August 02, 2024

    Land Sale Deals Allowed In Colo. Eminent Domain Dispute

    A Colorado appeals court ruled against the city of Westminster in its eminent domain action, ruling that three comparable sales contracts and an adjacent land parcel's $51.5 million purchase and sale contract can be admitted as evidence in a valuation trial.

  • August 02, 2024

    LaVie Agrees To Narrowed Ch. 11 Discovery With Creditors

    Bankrupt skilled-nursing facility operator LaVie Care Centers reached an agreement on Friday with the official committee of unsecured creditors in its Chapter 11 case that will allow for narrower discovery demands than originally proposed by the creditors, who are interested in the circumstances surrounding prepetition facility sales.

  • August 02, 2024

    Property Plays: VICI, Host Hotels, Tampa Bay Rays

    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.

  • August 02, 2024

    3 Real Estate Investors Cop To $119M Mortgage Fraud Scheme

    A trio of real estate investors has admitted to running an extensive, multiyear conspiracy to defraud Fannie Mae by getting the company to purchase or fund $119 million worth of mortgage loans so they could acquire residential and commercial properties, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Thursday.

  • August 02, 2024

    Haynes Boone Guides Brooklyn Apartment $150M Refi

    The developers behind a multifamily development in Brooklyn secured a $150 million refinancing from a fund linked to TPG RE Finance Trust Inc. under the guidance of Haynes and Boone LLP, per county property records.

  • August 01, 2024

    Cos., Military Housing Lender Seek Early Wins In Loans Suit

    Developers of military housing and a lender for such housing filed dueling summary judgment motions in New York federal court Wednesday, each seeking a quick win in a suit accusing the lender and others of defrauding the developers of hundreds of millions of dollars in project proceeds.

  • August 01, 2024

    Senate Advances Bipartisan Bill To End Hotel 'Junk' Fees

    The U.S. Senate voted to advance a bill out of committee that would crack down on "junk fees," or hidden fees tacked on to hotel or short-term rental bookings, an idea that has drawn bipartisan support.

  • August 01, 2024

    Real Estate Lawyers On The Move

    Honigman and Gordon Rees are among the firms that have made recent real estate or construction hires.

  • August 01, 2024

    Mother-In-Law Says Atty Misrepresented Property Investment

    The owner of a Pittsburgh-based home care agency is suing her former son-in-law in Pennsylvania state court, claiming the attorney tricked her into investing in a real estate company then mismanaged its funds and withheld her share of the proceeds.

  • August 01, 2024

    Investor Hits Arbor Realty With Securities Fraud Claims

    An investor accused real estate investment trust Arbor Realty Trust Inc. in New York federal court of misleading its investors about how the REIT was doing financially.

  • August 01, 2024

    Gibson Dunn, Fried Frank Guide $560M NYC Tower Refi

    Ares Management and Douglaston Development secured a $560 million refinancing for the pair's 938-unit Manhattan residential tower originated by Goldman Sachs USA and Wells Fargo Bank NA, guided by Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP and Fried Frank Harris Shriver & Jacobson LLP. 

  • July 31, 2024

    Top California Real Estate News In 2024 So Far

    Catch up on the hottest real estate news out of California so far this year, from homeless policy shifts and rent algorithm disputes to a $5 billion mixed-use project and a shareholder activist campaign.

  • July 31, 2024

    HSBC Says HUD Has Closed Fair Lending Probe

    HSBC's U.S. banking arm said it is no longer facing a multicity fair lending investigation from federal housing authorities after an outside complaint that prompted the probe was withdrawn.

  • July 31, 2024

    Multifamily REIT Welcomes Lagging West Coast Supply

    Essex Property Trust told investors on Wednesday that the real estate investment trust has benefited from the West Coast's failure to meaningfully expand its supply of multifamily properties.

  • July 31, 2024

    Mortgage Co.'s $300K Wage Deal Gets Initial OK

    A California federal judge has given an initial stamp of approval to a $300,000 settlement between a mortgage company and a class of its employees, ending claims that the company failed to pay hourly wages or provide meal and rest breaks.

  • July 31, 2024

    Cities, States Weigh Homeless Policies Post-Grants Pass

    In the weeks since the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that an Oregon city's camping ban doesn't amount to cruel and unusual punishment of its unhoused residents, municipal and state governments are rethinking their approach to homeless encampments and weighing newfound authority.

  • July 31, 2024

    Ga. Panel Strikes Sanctions Without Day In Court In HOA Row

    A Georgia Court of Appeals panel said Wednesday a Fulton County trial judge wrongly entered sanctions against a woman without holding a hearing after she failed to attend depositions with an Alpharetta homeowners association.

  • July 31, 2024

    Age Limits On Owning Senior Units Unlawful, NJ Panel Says

    A New Jersey appellate panel on Wednesday backed a lower court's finding that a Garden State municipality's ordinance limiting property ownership in senior housing communities to those 55 years old or older violated the federal Fair Housing Act and state Law Against Discrimination, holding that both statutes prohibit discrimination based on familial status.

  • July 31, 2024

    Locke Lord CMBS Leader On Why Multifamily Deals Scare Him

    While the multifamily sector experienced significant growth in the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic when others like the office sector have struggled, continued high interest rates are now starting to have more of an impact on the multifamily space, a Locke Lord LLP commercial mortgage-backed securities leader told Law360 in a recent interview.

  • July 31, 2024

    Rising Star: Kirkland's James Clark

    James Clark of Kirkland & Ellis LLP has for years worked on one of the world's largest development and infrastructure projects — a Herculean undertaking in Saudi Arabia — and in the process has earned a spot among the construction law practitioners under age 40 honored by Law360 as Rising Stars.

  • July 31, 2024

    Rising Star: Fried Frank's Julianne Befeler

    Julianne Befeler of Fried Frank Harris Shriver & Jacobson LLP has been a key adviser on complex commercial real estate transactions for heavy hitters including Brookfield Asset Management, Brookfield Properties and Blackstone Inc., earning her a spot among the real estate law practitioners under age 40 honored by Law360 as Rising Stars.

Expert Analysis

  • Skiing And Surfing Make Me A Better Lawyer

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    The skills I’ve learned while riding waves in the ocean and slopes in the mountains have translated to my legal career — developing strong mentor relationships, remaining calm in difficult situations, and being prepared and able to move to a backup plan when needed, says Brian Claassen at Knobbe Martens.

  • Zoning Reform May Alleviate The Affordable Housing Crisis

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    As America's affordable housing issues continue to worsen, zoning reform efforts can help to provide more affordable homes and mitigate racial and economic segregation, though opposition from residents and in courts could present challenges, say Evan Pritchard and Madeline Williams at Cozen O'Connor.

  • NJ Justices Clarify First-Party Indemnification Availability

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    In Boyle v. Huff, the New Jersey Supreme Court recently held that indemnification can be available in first-party claims, resolving an open question and setting up contracting parties for careful negotiations around indemnity clauses, says Todd Leon at Marshall Dennehey.

  • Fla. HOA Reforms Bring Major Wins For Homeowners

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    A recently signed law brings broad changes for homeowners associations in Florida, alleviating some pressure imposed by overly restrictive rules and potentially setting up litigation surrounding how HOAs enforce their governing documents, says Christopher Miller at Varnum.

  • Addressing Labor Shortages In The Construction Industry

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    As the construction industry's ongoing struggle with finding sufficient skilled workers continues, companies should consider a range of solutions including a commitment to in-house training and creative contracting protocols, say Brenda Radmacher and Allison Etkin at Akerman.

  • A Framework For Investigating Commercial Loan Fraud

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    As commercial loan transactions are increasingly subject to sophisticated fraud schemes, lenders must adopt dynamic strategies to detect, investigate and mitigate these schemes, say attorneys at Baker Donelson.

  • Glassblowing Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    I never expected that glassblowing would strongly influence my work as an attorney, but it has taught me the importance of building a solid foundation for your work, learning from others and committing to a lifetime of practice, says Margaret House at Kalijarvi Chuzi.

  • How NY Co-Ops Can Minimize Sale Rejections Based On Price

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    New York co-op sales are regularly rejected for being below undisclosed price minimums, and co-op boards should address this problem by sharing information more transparently and allowing some flexibility for below-market sales, say Pierre Debbas and Seth Feldman at Romer Debbas.

  • Money, Money, Money: Limiting White Collar Wealth Evidence

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    As courts increasingly recognize that allowing unfettered evidence of wealth could prejudice a jury against a defendant, white collar defense counsel should consider several avenues for excluding visual evidence of a lavish lifestyle at trial, says Jonathan Porter at Husch Blackwell.

  • High Court's BofA Ruling Leaves State Preemption Questions

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    A recent U.S. Supreme Court decision in Cantero v. Bank of America sheds light on whether certain state banking regulations apply to federally chartered banks, but a circuit split could still force the Supreme Court to take a more direct position, says Brett Garver at Moritt Hock.

  • How A Bumblebee Got Under Calif. Wildlife Regulator's Bonnet

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    A California bumblebee's listing as an endangered species could lead to a regulatory quagmire as California Department of Fish and Wildlife permits now routinely include survey requirements for the bee, but the regulator has yet to determine what the species needs for conservation, says David Smith at Manatt.

  • The Clock Is Ticking For Fla. Construction Defect Claims

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    Ahead of the fast-approaching July 1 deadline for filing construction defect claims in Florida, Sean Ravenel at Foran Glennon discusses how the state's new statute of repose has changed the timeline, and highlights several related issues that property owners should be aware of.

  • Wiretap Use In Cartel Probes Likely To Remain An Exception

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    Although the U.S. Department of Justice's Antitrust Division has recently signaled interest in wiretaps, the use of this technology to capture evidence of antitrust conspiracies and pursue monopolization as a criminal matter has been rare historically, and is likely to remain so, say Carsten Reichel and Will Conway at DLA Piper.