Residential
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July 11, 2024
Pa. Lawmakers OK Pittsburgh Homeowner Tax Break Program
Pennsylvania would authorize Pittsburgh to adopt a property tax relief program that would let longtime homeowners claim tax breaks related to rising real estate taxes under a bill that narrowly passed the state House and next goes to Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro.
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July 11, 2024
7th Circ. Says Indiana City's Property Seizure Was Rational
The Seventh Circuit sided with an Indiana city and its eminent domain seizure of local property owned by a fireworks business, ruling that the city's takeover of the property was rational.
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July 10, 2024
NJ Property Developer Files Ch. 11 With Up To $50M Liabilities
Real estate developer JGA Development LLC, which owns and operates 84 units and has been developing dozens more, filed for Chapter 11 protection in New Jersey on Tuesday with up to $50 million each of assets and liabilities.
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July 10, 2024
LA Sues To Block Short-Term Rental Operation
The City of Los Angeles accused a Ukrainian business owner and his cohorts in California state court of illegally advertising and booking unregistered short-term rentals "thousands upon thousands of times" and raking in millions of dollars.
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July 10, 2024
NJ Panel Says Tax Amendment Challenge Had No Real Claim
A New Jersey state appeals court on Wednesday tossed a challenge to an amendment blocking certain appeals from being litigated in the state's tax court, reasoning that parties can still fight tax matters in trial court.
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July 10, 2024
NJ Justices OK Class Waivers Sans Arbitration Mandates
Class action waivers don't require a mandatory arbitration provision to be enforceable, the New Jersey Supreme Court ruled Wednesday, while also warning that waivers deemed unconscionable for other reasons may be invalidated.
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July 10, 2024
Property Owners, Developers End $34M Apartment Sale Suit
A real estate investor, a pair of property sellers and First American Title Insurance Co. have agreed to permanently drop claims involving the $34 million sale of two Ann Arbor, Michigan, student apartment buildings, according to a federal judge's order.
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July 10, 2024
Federal Claims Tossed In Colo. Short-Term Rental Row
A Colorado federal judge partially dismissed and remanded a suit filed by a nonprofit representing vacation rental owners who claim that a resort town's laws governing short-term rental licenses are overly restrictive.
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July 10, 2024
Mich. County Fights To Keep $217M Edenville Dam Repair Tax
Homeowners attacking a localized tax to fund the reconstruction of four dams have already had a chance to contest the assessment and shouldn't get a second one, a Michigan county told a federal judge Tuesday.
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July 10, 2024
NY City Adopts 'Good Cause' Eviction Protections Once More
Poughkeepsie, New York, became the third city to opt in to "good cause" eviction protections since the state Legislature adopted the renter safeguards via the fiscal year 2025 budget, years after a local version of the regulation was struck down in court.
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July 10, 2024
7th Circ. Says Foreclosure Limits Man's Fire Coverage Claim
A homeowner did not have an insurable interest in the full value of a home that burned down while in foreclosure, the Seventh Circuit ruled, affirming that recovery was limited to the value of his temporary right to possess the property until 30 days after its judicial sale was confirmed.
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July 10, 2024
Former McElroy Deutsch CFO Hits Ch. 11 Amid Theft Cases
McElroy Deutsch Mulvaney & Carpenter's former chief financial officer filed for bankruptcy in New Jersey this week as he awaits sentencing for embezzling over $1.5 million from the firm over a period of years via fraudulent bonuses.
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July 10, 2024
The Real Estate Bankruptcies Making Headlines This Year
The real estate industry is no stranger to distress, but recent market headwinds have made it even harder for certain companies to chart the course to calmer seas. Catch up on the major real estate bankruptcy developments that have made headlines so far this year.
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July 10, 2024
Real Estate Fundraising Charts Slow Recovery
Private real estate fundraising remains fairly weak at the midpoint of the year, though investors have been building more of an appetite for the property industry that should lift prospects in the coming months.
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July 10, 2024
Insurer, Property Cos. Settle Lead Poisoning Coverage Suit
An insurer for a Detroit property owner and manager told a Michigan federal court they have settled their coverage dispute over a woman's claims that her 2-year-old girl suffered lead poisoning at the property, which she said was left in a state of disrepair.
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July 10, 2024
Sheppard Mullin Adds Winston & Strawn Real Estate Duo
Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP has strengthened its real estate, energy, land use and environmental practice with two partners in Houston who joined from Winston & Strawn LLP.
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July 10, 2024
Wash. Condo Assoc. Wants Allstate To Cover $9.7M In Repairs
A Washington condominium association is suing Allstate Insurance Co. in federal court, saying it broke their coverage agreement by refusing to cover $9.7 million in repairs for "hidden damage" to the buildings' exteriors.
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July 10, 2024
CFPB Pitches Plan To 'Streamline' Mortgage Servicing Rules
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau said Wednesday that it wants to revamp its mortgage servicing rules to make it faster and easier for struggling homeowners to access forbearance and other relief options, proposing changes that draw in part on lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic.
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July 10, 2024
Cushman's Retail Leader Talks Malls' Evolution
What do a pickleball court, a beer garden, a boxing ring and a hospital have in common? Depending on where you are in the U.S., you may come across any one of these at your local shopping mall, said Cushman & Wakefield's retail practice group leader.
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July 09, 2024
Manhattan Borough Prez Seeks Changes In NYC Housing Plan
Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine detailed proposed changes Tuesday for New York City Mayor Eric Adams' "City of Yes for Housing Opportunity" affordable housing plan, including a sunset on simplified office-to-residential conversions.
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July 09, 2024
No Respite For Sunbelt In Nationwide Apartment Permit Drop
The number of permits issued to developers of multifamily housing in the first half of 2024 marked a nearly 30% dip from levels seen during the same period in 2021, 2022 and 2023, according to a report released by Redfin on Tuesday.
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July 09, 2024
Mich. Property Tax Elimination Fails To Get On 2024 Ballot
A constitutional amendment that would have eliminated Michigan's property taxes will not appear on the 2024 state ballot after its backers failed to submit the signatures needed to qualify, the secretary of state's office confirmed Tuesday.
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July 09, 2024
Tampa Atty Accused Of Fraud In Long-Running House Dispute
A Tampa-area estate lawyer has been accused of fraud conspiracy in a state court lawsuit brought by a former tax attorney who alleges that her house was taken to collect fees stemming from a false guardianship case, saying a court order that revoked possession of the property violated the Florida Constitution.
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July 09, 2024
Fund Scores $83M For Workforce Housing Investments
Clear Investment Group raised more than $83 million for a fund that aims to "maximize investor value through the stabilization of distressed workforce housing," the multifamily real estate investment firm said Tuesday.
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July 09, 2024
REIT Closes On Ground Leases For Calif. Affordable Projects
Real estate investment trust Safehold Inc. announced that the company has closed on ground leases for the development of four affordable housing communities in Santa Clara, California, and Concord, California.
Expert Analysis
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Steps To Success For Senior Associates
Excerpt from Practical Guidance
Adriana Paris at Rissman Barrett discusses the increased responsibilities and opportunities that becoming a senior associate brings and what attorneys in this role should prioritize to flourish in this stressful but rewarding next level in their careers.
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Legal Profession Must Do More For Lawyers With Disabilities
At the start of Disability Pride month, Rosalyn Richter at Arnold & Porter looks at why lawyers with disabilities are significantly underrepresented in private practice, asserting that law firms and other employers must do more to conquer the implicit bias that deters attorneys from seeking accommodations.
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Ohio Tax Talk: Building On Federal Affordable Housing Credit
Ohio's soon-to-be-implemented low-income housing tax credit could significantly affect the state's affordable housing landscape and influence tax-credit deal financing for these projects, though Senate changes may have dampened the new credit's immense potential, say Raghav Agnihotri and Rachael Chamberlain at Frost Brown.
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Appellate Funding Disclosure: No Mandate Is Right Choice
The Advisory Committee on Appellate Rules' recent decision, forgoing a mandatory disclosure rule for litigation funding in federal appeals, is prudent, as third-party funding is only involved in a minuscule number of federal cases, and courts have ample authority to obtain funding information if necessary, says Stewart Ackerly at Statera Capital.
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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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How Attys Can Avoid Exposing Their Firms To Cyberattacks
Attorneys are the weakest link in their firms' cyberdefenses because hackers often exploit the gap between individuals’ work and personal cybersecurity habits, but there are some steps lawyers can take to reduce the risks they create for their employers, say Mark Hurley and Carmine Cicalese at Digital Privacy & Protection.
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Foreign Investment In Real Estate Is Getting More Complicated
Increasing federal scrutiny and a proliferation of new state laws targeting foreign investment in real estate may complicate or prevent transactions even by U.S. companies or funds that have shareholders or limited partners from China and other countries of concern, say attorneys at Akin.
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Virginia 'Rocket Docket' Slowdown Is Likely A Blip
After being the fastest or second-fastest federal civil trial court for 14 straight years, the Eastern District of Virginia has slid to 18th place, but the rocket docket’s statistical tumble doesn't mean the district no longer maintains a speedy civil docket, says Robert Tata at Hunton.
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Home Equity Option Contracts Appear Ripe For Rating
Given that home equity option contracts share similarities with evolving asset types like litigation funding, and that courts continue to characterize them as real estate option contracts, it seems they are poised to be rated in the near future, say Darius Horton and Holly Spencer Bunting at Mayer Brown.
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5 Management Tips To Keep Law Firm Merger Talks Moving
Many law firm mergers that make solid business sense still fall apart due to the costs and frustrations of inefficient negotiations, but firm managers can increase the chance of success by effectively planning and executing merger discussions, say Lisa Smith and Kristin Stark at Fairfax Associates.
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2 Critical Shortfalls In Fla. Condo Safety Amendments
New amendments to Florida's Building Safety Act provide condominium associations with more flexibility to comply with inspection deadlines, but vaguely defined extension criteria and unambiguous lines of responsibility warrant further legislative action, say Jordan Isrow and Andrew Ingber at Government Law Group.
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Rethinking In-Office Attendance For Associate Retention
The hybrid office attendance model doesn't work for all employees, but it does for many — and balancing these two groups is important for associate retention and maintaining a BigLaw firm culture that supports all attorneys, says Summer Eberhard at Major Lindsey.
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Justices' Minn. Takings Ruling May Have Broad Impact
The U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Tyler v. Hennepin County that a Minnesota tax foreclosure violated the U.S. Constitution's takings clause may, beyond resolving a circuit split, influence well-established foreclosure laws across the U.S., say Emily Ladd and Gregory Nowak at Miller Canfield.