Residential
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May 08, 2024
Nixon Peabody Closes Green Retrofit Deal For Mass. Housing
Nixon Peabody LLP has wrapped up a deal that will allow older adults in Quincy, Massachusetts, to use U.S. Department of Housing and Development funds and a federally insured loan to build a new HVAC system that's energy efficient and to make their housing more accessible, the firm announced Wednesday.
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May 08, 2024
Colo. Lawmakers OK Historic Structure Tax Credit Extension
Colorado's tax credit for rehabilitation of historic structures would be extended and apply to structures as young as 30 years old under legislation approved by the Senate and headed to the governor.
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May 07, 2024
LA Sued For Landmarking House Marilyn Monroe Died In
Owners of a Los Angeles home where Marilyn Monroe died sued the city in California state court saying it orchestrating an illegal, rigged process to designate it as a historical landmark, arguing Monday nothing in the home shows the actress spent a single day in it.
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May 07, 2024
Real Estate Co. Says Privilege, Immunity Don't Protect Trustee
A real estate company says a Chapter 7 trustee overseeing a Connecticut woman's personal bankruptcy cannot invoke the doctrine of qualified immunity or assert a litigation privilege to avoid being countersued for trying to stop a home sale the trustee considered fraudulent.
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May 07, 2024
Property Co. Gets $365M In Loans Modified For Biz Growth
Property owner and manager The GSH Group wrapped up the modification of $365 million in multifamily senior loans for its properties with lender Arbor Realty, it announced Tuesday.
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May 07, 2024
Real Estate Co. Settles Homeowner's Telemarketing Suit
A potential class settled its Telephone Consumer Protection Act suit against a New York real estate company that buys and sells homes, according to a New York federal judge's order.
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May 07, 2024
New Missouri Law Forces Landfills Further From Cities
A new Missouri law will increase the radius for approvals needed from nearby municipalities for several types of landfills to one mile from half a mile, in what the governor called a "win for property rights."
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May 07, 2024
HUD Unveils $5.5B In Housing Grants, New Voucher Reforms
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced Tuesday that it will send over 2,400 housing grants worth $5.5 billion to 1,200 American communities, with the agency also detailing reforms to its housing voucher programs.
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May 07, 2024
Contract's 1-Year Limit Doesn't Block NC Mold Claims
A North Carolina appeals court on Tuesday reinstated a couple's suit against a contractor they say failed to remediate water and mold damage in their house, saying the trial court was wrong to find that the contract's one-year limitation on claims applied to the state's Unfair and Deceptive Trade Practices Act.
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May 07, 2024
Ore. Tax Court Drops Values Of Residential Parcels
The Oregon Tax Court ruled that the real market values of two parcels teed up for a residential subdivision should be lowered after agreeing with the owner's comparable sales study and development cost analysis.
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May 07, 2024
Colo. House OKs Conservation Easement Tax Break Extension
Colorado would extend its conservation easement tax credit through 2031 and raise its statewide annual cap on available credits under legislation approved Tuesday by the state House of Representatives.
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May 07, 2024
NY State, Cities Urge Tossing Challenge To Rent Law Tweak
Two upstate municipalities separately urged a New York federal court to dismiss a suit challenging a December amendment to the rent stabilization laws, arguing the particulars of their recent attempts to adopt rent stabilization undermine the landlords' claims.
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May 07, 2024
Colo. Senate Approves Property Tax Cuts
Colorado would extend temporary property tax rate reductions into 2024 and set lower rates for future years under bipartisan legislation passed Tuesday by the state Senate that is forecast to save property owners nearly $1 billion in its first year if enacted.
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May 07, 2024
DLA Piper Pads Real Estate Group With New Chicago Partner
DLA Piper has added a partner to the firm's real estate practice group who will join from Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP, saying the new hire's expertise spans asset classes and deal types.
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May 06, 2024
Housing Nonprofits Sue Over Fla. Land-Buying Law
Florida's S.B. 246 violates the Fair Housing Act and the state's constitution by restricting the land purchases of Chinese citizens and others, according to a suit filed Monday by multiple fair housing nonprofits, a group representing real estate professionals and a Florida real estate brokerage.
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May 06, 2024
NJ Subdivision Assessment Spike Should Remain, Court Says
The property value of a city block bought and developed in New Jersey increased correctly based on the subdivision, the state Tax Court ruled, rejecting the property owner's argument that the assessment was wrong because the city forgot to set the new property lines.
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May 06, 2024
Redfin To Pay $9.2M To Exit Broker Fee Class Action
Redfin disclosed to regulators on Monday that it will pay $9.25 million to end claims that it caused home sellers to pay inflated commissions under rules set by the National Association of Realtors, allowing the company to exit a class action that ensnared several brokerage firms.
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May 06, 2024
Data Privacy Co. Wants Personal Info Suits In NJ State Court
Most of the recently moved lawsuits alleging violations of a New Jersey judicial privacy law should be moved back to state court since the plaintiffs and defendants reside in the Garden State, the data privacy company behind the first-of-their-kind cases has told a New Jersey federal judge.
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May 03, 2024
Freddie Mac, Insurer Settle $32M SEC Probe Coverage Dispute
Government-backed lender Freddie Mac told a Washington, D.C., federal court Friday that it has settled with an insurer in a $32 million coverage suit stemming from civil actions and federal probes around its collapse during the 2008 global financial crisis.
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May 03, 2024
Opendoor Says NAR Settlement Should Aid Growth Efforts
Leadership for Opendoor Technologies Inc. said they expect the online home-selling platform will benefit from the recent proposed legal settlement involving the National Association of Realtors as they expressed confidence in plans to "rescale" their business this year, while discussing the release of its first-quarter earnings.
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May 03, 2024
Realtors Set Aug. Launch Of Broker Fee Changes After Verdict
The National Association of Realtors on Friday said it has adopted a series of policy changes that go into effect Aug. 17 under a settlement to avoid a jury verdict finding the trade group's rules compelled home sellers to pay inflated commissions.
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May 03, 2024
Judge Says Lender Can't Escape CFPB's Loan Data Suit
A Florida federal judge has refused to dismiss the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's suit accusing mortgage servicer and lender Freedom Mortgage Corp. of violating federal law by submitting inaccurate government mortgage loan data.
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May 03, 2024
Brothers Accuse Cos. Of Mishandling $1.1M EB-5 Investments
Two brothers from India sued companies behind a combination residential-resort project they invested in under the EB-5 investor visa program, telling a Florida federal court that their green card petitions were denied because the companies mishandled their $1.1 million investment.
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May 03, 2024
Akerman Hires Miami-Dade Atty As Chair Of Land Use Team
Akerman LLP hired Dennis A. Kerbel, a veteran Miami-Dade County, Florida, government attorney, as the new chair of its land use and entitlements team in its Miami office, the firm announced.
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May 03, 2024
Stockbridge Real Estate Fund Raises $709M
San Francisco-based Stockbridge Capital Group said Friday that it had closed on a real estate investment fund with $709 million in commitments last month, the largest in its history.
Expert Analysis
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Data-Driven Insights Are Key To Attracting Today's Clients
As law firm growth slows and competition for clients increases, modern firms must rely on robust data analytics to develop the sector-based expertise and industry insights that clients increasingly prioritize in relationships with counsel, says Lavinia Calvert at Intapp.
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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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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.