Commercial
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October 07, 2024
NC Paper Mill Says Buyer Can't Ditch Deal Over Flood Damage
The owners of a shuttered paper mill in flood-ravaged western North Carolina are suing a development group for threatening to walk away from a contract to buy and redevelop the site, saying the group can't use Hurricane Helene as an excuse to slash the price.
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October 07, 2024
Supreme Court Passes On Developer's Takings Case
The U.S. Supreme Court decided Monday not to evaluate an Eleventh Circuit decision in favor of a developer who accused an Alabama county and its zoning board of an unconstitutional regulatory taking after they revoked a permit for a $1 million three-story development and issued a stop-work order.
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October 07, 2024
High Court Won't Look At Texas Tax Foreclosure Fight
The U.S. Supreme Court declined on Monday to review a Texas high court ruling that upended an oil company's victory over litigants challenging the tax foreclosure sale of mineral interests.
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October 04, 2024
Antitrust Groups Ask 9th Circ. To Revive Price-Fixing Suit
Three antitrust advocacy groups asked the Ninth Circuit to resuscitate a proposed class action accusing several hotel operators and two software companies in Nevada federal court of engaging in a price-fixing scheme involving algorithmic software.
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October 04, 2024
Martin Selig Fights Founder Deposition In Renovation Bill Suit
Affiliates of Martin Selig Real Estate told a Washington state court that the company's founding billionaire should not be deposed in a suit brought by a tenant of the Seattle Federal Reserve building over the bill for renovation work at the property.
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October 04, 2024
Property Plays: Verizon, HUD, ArentFox Schiff
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.
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October 04, 2024
Iowa Farmer Wants Court To Nix Federal 'Swampbuster' Law
A farmer pushed an Iowa federal court to overturn the "Swampbuster" part of a federal conservation program that aims to protect wetlands for public use, arguing that the law is unconstitutional.
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October 04, 2024
Fried Frank Guides ArentFox Schiff HQ Move In DC
ArentFox Schiff LLP is relocating its Washington, D.C., headquarters to Carr Properties' Midtown Center, where it will take up 120,000 square feet and three full floors, per the landlord who was advised by Fried Frank Harris Shriver & Jacobson LLP.
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October 04, 2024
Fried Frank Guides $68M Brooklyn Retail Properties Deal
Fried Frank Harris Shriver & Jacobson LLP guided L3 Capital LLC's $68 million sale of multiple properties in Brooklyn, New York, to real estate investment trust Empire State Realty Trust Inc., according to official property records.
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October 04, 2024
Ex-Skadden Partner Leaves Retirement, Joins AY Strauss
Commercial real estate boutique A.Y. Strauss announced Thursday that it had hired a former Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom LLP litigator who is returning to the legal field after retiring in 2020.
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October 04, 2024
Life Sciences Returning To Pre-Pandemic Norms, CBRE Finds
Life sciences construction costs have skyrocketed since the onset of the pandemic, attributable to inflation pressure, rising costs for specialty equipment and growing lead times for equipment shipped from overseas, per a report from CBRE.
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October 04, 2024
Ore. Court Reverses Transfer Of Pot Facility's Tax Account
A property tax account for the interior improvements in an Oregon warehouse leased to a marijuana grower was improperly reassigned from the grower to the warehouse owner, the state's tax court said, reversing a change made by a local assessor.
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October 04, 2024
Perkins Coie Renovates Portland Office Upon Lease Renewal
More than four decades after first setting up shop in Portland, Oregon, Perkins Coie announced this week that it is renewing its office lease in the city's Pearl District and conducting renovations to include features like uniform offices and hoteling areas.
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October 03, 2024
Brookfield Sued Over LA Subway Terminal Building Damage
The owner of the subterranean floors of Los Angeles' old Subway Terminal Building has filed suit against Brookfield Properties Multifamily LLC and the affiliated owner of aboveground luxury units, arguing the pair must pay for water damage in the basement.
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October 03, 2024
Helene's Devastation Worsened By Inadequate Insurance
Hurricane Helene's devastating path across the southeastern U.S. has brought concerns about inadequate flood insurance and resilience measures to the forefront of a national conversation on the risks of extreme precipitation.
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October 03, 2024
12 Lawyers Who Are The Future Of The Supreme Court Bar
One attorney hasn't lost a single U.S. Supreme Court case she's argued, or even a single justice's vote. One attorney is perhaps "the preeminent SCOTUS advocate." And one may soon become U.S. solicitor general, despite acknowledging there are "judges out there who don't like me." All three are among a dozen lawyers in the vanguard of the Supreme Court bar's next generation, poised to follow in the footsteps of the bar's current icons.
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October 03, 2024
Crowell & Moring Loses Bid For $30M COVID Rent Refund
Crowell & Moring LLP cannot make its landlord in the District of Columbia pay back $30 million in rent it paid during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic when the office building stood empty and most of the firm's attorneys worked from home, a D.C. judge ruled Thursday.
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October 03, 2024
Allred Feud With Ex-Tenant Over 'Large Rodent' Puzzles Judge
Gloria Allred's long-running dispute with a former tenant — who said he fled rats in her Manhattan apartment eight years ago — spilled into New York federal court Monday, leaving the judge to wonder aloud why the celebrity attorney was still suing the man over a $25,000 claim as he sought bankruptcy protection.
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October 03, 2024
NJ Mogul's Brother Says Lawyering Isn't Racketeering
Parker McCay PA shareholder Philip A. Norcross is urging a New Jersey state judge to toss the sweeping indictment against him, his power broker brother and others over an alleged extortion scheme to acquire riverfront property in a distressed city, arguing that none of the targeted conduct is criminal.
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October 03, 2024
Brokerage Made 'Mockery' Of Courts, Texas Justices Told
A Dallas law firm urged the Texas Supreme Court at a hearing Thursday to uphold an appellate court's ruling that tossed a $22 million malpractice verdict against the firm in a dispute with a real estate brokerage, accusing the company of changing positions "depending on where the money lies."
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October 03, 2024
Ohio Justices Reject Neighbor's Objection To Gas Pipeline
The Ohio Supreme Court on Thursday affirmed a state siting board's accelerated approval for a NiSource unit's 3.7-mile natural gas pipeline in the city of Maumee, rejecting a commercial property owner's claims that the project's risks were not adequately considered.
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October 03, 2024
King & Spalding RE Pro Rejoins Barnes & Thornburg In Dallas
Barnes & Thornburg LLP announced that a former partner has rejoined the firm's real estate department from King & Spalding LLP, adding that the returning attorney's practice centers on commercial real estate and real estate finance.
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October 03, 2024
Real Estate Lawyers On The Move
Honigman, DLA Piper and Eversheds Sutherland are among the law firms that have made recent real estate or construction hires.
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October 03, 2024
Steward Health Gets OK To Sell 3 Arizona Hospitals
A Texas bankruptcy judge on Thursday approved national hospital chain Steward Health's sale of three of its Arizona hospitals to regional hospital chain HonorHealth.
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October 02, 2024
Fried Frank, DLA Piper Steer Commercial REIT's $251M Listing
Shares of real estate investment trust FrontView began trading Wednesday after it priced a nearly $251 million initial public offering within its intended price range, with Fried Frank Harris Shriver & Jacobson LLP advising the company and DLA Piper serving as counsel for the underwriters.
Expert Analysis
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Playing Dungeons & Dragons Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Playing Dungeons & Dragons – a tabletop role-playing game – helped pave the way for my legal career by providing me with foundational skills such as persuasion and team building, says Derrick Carman at Robins Kaplan.
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Teaching Scuba Diving Makes Me A Better Lawyer
As a master scuba instructor, I’ve learned how to prepare for the unexpected, overcome fears and practice patience, and each of these skills – among the many others I’ve developed – has profoundly enhanced my work as a lawyer, says Ron Raether at Troutman Pepper.
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Shipping Containers As Building Elements Require Diligence
With the shipping container market projected to double between 2020 and 2028, repurposing containers as storage units, office spaces and housing may become more common, but developers must make sure they comply with requirements that can vary by intended use and location, says Steven Otto at Crosbie Gliner.
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NY Tax Talk: Triggers For Tax On Software-As-A-Service
Recent decisions by New York’s Tax Appeals Tribunal and Division of Tax Appeals, finding that services bundled with prewritten software were tangible property, provide insight into the features and customer interactions that render such products subject to New York sales tax, say Elizabeth Cha and Madison Ball at Eversheds Sutherland.
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Rock Climbing Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Rock climbing requires problem-solving, focus, risk management and resilience, skills that are also invaluable assets in my role as a finance lawyer, says Mei Zhang at Haynes and Boone.
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NY Ruling Offers A Foreclosure Road Map For Lenders
A New York appellate court recently upheld a summary judgment ruling in favor of a commercial lender's foreclosure in U.S. Bank v. 1226 Evergreen Bapaz, illustrating the proofs lenders will need to prosecute a foreclosure action, especially where the plaintiff is an assignee of the originating lender, say attorneys at Sherman Atlas.
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Kentucky Tax Talk: Appeals Court Revisits Leases' Tax Effects
With better facts and greater emphasis on the Kentucky Constitution, Walgreen Co. may succeed in its latest Kentucky Court of Appeals challenge to a tax assessor's method of valuing leaseholds on real property for purposes of determining ad valorem tax, say Mark Sommer and Elizabeth Ethington at Frost Brown Todd.
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Utilizing Liability Exemption When Calif. Cities Lease Property
With rising costs pushing California municipalities to lease real estate assets instead of purchasing them, municipalities should review the ample case law that supports certain exceptions to California Constitution Section 18(a) requirements, providing that certain long-term lease obligations are not considered to be liabilities, says Steven Otto at Crosbie Gliner.
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How NJ Worker Status Ruling Benefits Real Estate Industry
In Kennedy v. Weichert, the New Jersey Supreme Court recently said a real estate agent’s employment contract would supersede the usual ABC test analysis to determine his classification as an independent contractor, preserving operational flexibility for the industry — and potentially others, say Jason Finkelstein and Dalila Haden at Cole Schotz.
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A Checklist For Lenders Preparing For CRE Loan Defaults
Considering the recent interest rate environment, lenders should brush up on the proper steps that they should take when preparing to respond to a borrower's default on a commercial real estate loan, and borrowers should understand what lenders will be reviewing, says attorney Norma Williams.
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7th Circ Joins Trend Of No CGL Coverage For Structural Flaws
The Seventh Circuit, which recently held potential structural instability did not count as property damage under a construction company's commercial general liability policy, joins a growing consensus that faulty work does not implicate coverage without tangible and present damage to the project, say Sarah Abrams at Baleen Specialty, and Elan Kandel and James Talbert at Bailey Cavalieri.
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Criminal Enforcement Considerations For Gov't Contractors
Government contractors increasingly exposed to criminal liability risks should establish programs that enable detection and remediation of employee misconduct, consider voluntary disclosure, and be aware of the potentially disastrous consequences of failing to make a mandatory disclosure where the government concludes it was required, say attorneys at Crowell & Moring.
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Solving Puzzles Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Tackling daily puzzles — like Wordle, KenKen and Connections — has bolstered my intellectual property litigation practice by helping me to exercise different mental skills, acknowledge minor but important details, and build and reinforce good habits, says Roy Wepner at Kaplan Breyer.