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Real Estate
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January 07, 2025
Bill To Protect Wounded Knee Massacre Site Reintroduced
A federal bill seeking to preserve a section of land at Wounded Knee Creek, where about 150 Lakota Indians were killed by the U.S. Army more than a century ago, has been reintroduced to the U.S. House for consideration during the Trump administration.
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January 07, 2025
Ex-Ill. Speaker Madigan Testifies In His Racketeering Trial
Former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan took the stand in his own defense Tuesday, testifying that he neither traded his public office for private gain nor demanded or accepted anything valuable in exchange for his official action, adding that he was "very angry" to learn that people who he'd recommended for jobs did little to no work.
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January 07, 2025
Dallas County Settles With Developer In Denied Permit Row
A Dallas developer and Dallas County buried the hatchet in a suit over the county's denial of a permit application for 11 residential lots in a subdivision, telling a Texas federal judge they had reached a settlement agreement in a Tuesday joint stipulation of voluntary dismissal.
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January 07, 2025
Mortgage Servicer Makes Borrowers To 'Pay-To-Pay,' Suit Says
Residential mortgage servicer Select Portfolio Servicing Inc. must face a customer's proposed class action alleging it breaks North Carolina state laws with $15 fees it charges borrowers who make monthly payments over the phone.
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January 07, 2025
Biden Designates Two New National Monuments In California
President Joe Biden on Tuesday designated two sites in California as national monuments amid years of calls from Native American tribes and state and federal lawmakers, in turn protecting 848,000 acres from development.
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January 07, 2025
Mont. Bill Floats Mine, Data Center Property Tax Changes
Montana would lower the property tax rate imposed on metal mines, certain agricultural land and railroads but raise the rate on data center property as part of a bill introduced in the state Senate.
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January 07, 2025
Mich. Town Tries To Ditch $5M Suit Over Dispensary Flip-Flop
A Michigan township accused of greenlighting, and then blocking, a developer's special-use permit for a marijuana dispensary said Tuesday the developer suing it for $5 million never actually got the required prequalification from the state.
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January 07, 2025
DOJ Revamps Process For Federal Real Estate Deals
The U.S. Department of Justice has replaced "outdated provisions" that guided how federal agencies acquired real property with 10 new federal provisions that have the goal of "promoting government efficiency and saving taxpayer funds," the DOJ said Tuesday.
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January 07, 2025
Property Owner Says Insurer Owes $16.2M For Fire Damage
A Colorado property owner is seeking to recover $16.2 million from its insurer for property damage caused by the 2021 Marshall Fire, telling a federal court the carrier wrongly concluded the properties did not sustain direct physical damage in order to justify replacement costs.
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January 07, 2025
NC Homeowners Certified In HOA Debt Collection Class Action
A federal judge has certified two classes of North Carolina homeowners who allege that a debt collector charged excessive fees and sent misleading notices to scare people into ponying up the cash, but the judge excluded a third proposed class that she said was too ambiguous.
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January 07, 2025
Mont. Bill Seeks Review Process For Tax-Exempt Property
Montana would require the state Department of Revenue to create a program to review property that is exempt from taxation under a bill introduced in the state House of Representatives.
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January 07, 2025
Developer Says Mass. Stalling $15M Brownfields Tax Credit
The developer of a 3.5-acre luxury condo and apartment complex in Boston's Seaport District is accusing the state of improperly second-guessing the work of its licensed environmental remediation consultant to deny a $15.3 million brownfields tax credit, then dragging its feet on an administrative appeal.
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January 07, 2025
NC Biz Court Limits MV Realty's Usable Trial Evidence
Embattled Florida real estate company MV Realty will not be allowed to introduce certain evidence at its upcoming fraud trial about its calls to consumers, as a punishment for providing the state inaccurate information during discovery, the North Carolina Business Court has ruled.
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January 07, 2025
Title Insurer Says Atty Skipped Bills, Let Staff Steal IOLTA
Title insurer CATIC has fired back at a Connecticut attorney suing over his removal from the boards of two affiliated companies, accusing him of not paying bills, failing to prevent staffers from stealing money from his trust account, and breaching his duties to the company.
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January 07, 2025
DOJ Ropes Landlords Into RealPage Antitrust Case
The U.S. Department of Justice dramatically expanded its antitrust case against RealPage on Tuesday, accusing half a dozen residential landlords of using the software company's tools to coordinate rental rates while reaching a settlement with one of the property owners.
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January 07, 2025
Braverman Greenspun Acquires NY Real Estate Boutique
Braverman Greenspun PC said Tuesday it has acquired real estate boutique Zingman & Associates PLLC, allowing it to deepen its capabilities in landlord-tenant related issues.
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January 07, 2025
Osage Nation Asks Court To Confirm Reservation Boundaries
The Osage Nation has urged an Oklahoma federal court to acknowledge its reservation's continued existence, arguing that a conclusion the Tenth Circuit reached 15 years ago saying the tribe's boundaries were disestablished was based entirely on extratextual factors.
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January 07, 2025
No Problem With $217M Dam Repair Tax, Mich. Panel Says
A Michigan appellate panel on Monday said a $217 million special assessment levied on property owners for dam repairs and lake level restoration after devastating 2020 floods was established through a legally sound process, ruling the owners were never entitled to have a pseudo-judicial review of the tax.
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January 07, 2025
NYC Condo Owner Hits Ch. 11 With More Than $70M Debt
The owner of 105 unsold New York City waterfront condominium units has filed for Chapter 11 protection with more than $70 million in liabilities.
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January 07, 2025
Landowner Gets Pot Farm Transport Easement Nixed
A California state appeals court has vacated a conditional use permit that the County of Santa Barbara issued to a cannabis farm, finding that a nearby landowner can deny the use of an easement on its property to transport the federally illegal goods.
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January 06, 2025
Cos. Accused Of Misusing EB-5 Investor Funds
More than $80 million in EB-5 investor funds that were intended for a Brooklyn real estate project were misused to purchase shares in a related company, a suit claimed in New York federal court.
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January 06, 2025
Another Building Contractor Agrees To End No-Hire Pacts
The Federal Trade Commission said Monday that Planned Building Services has agreed not to enforce terms in its contracts that prevent building owners from hiring the service contractor's workers, in a second recent case targeting the building services industry.
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January 06, 2025
Biden Signs DC Football Stadium Bill Into Law
President Joe Biden on Monday gave Washington, D.C., government control over a site that could become home to a new stadium for the NFL's Commanders.
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January 06, 2025
Zurich Seeks Coverage Support In MetLife Building Injury Row
Zurich American Insurance Co. asked a New York federal court Monday to force another insurer to tap into its $3 million policy to cover the defense of Manhattan's MetLife Building against a suit filed by a worker who was injured at its loading dock.
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January 06, 2025
Verizon Seeks $1.15M Legal Fee After Texas Land Dispute
Verizon's real estate unit asked a Delaware vice chancellor to approve a $1.15 million attorney fee request for beating a Connecticut real estate investment firm's breach of contract suit, rejecting the losing side's call for offsets covering fees that Verizon said were never incurred.
Expert Analysis
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Opinion
States Should Loosen Law Firm Ownership Restrictions
Despite growing buzz, normalized nonlawyer ownership of law firms is a distant prospect, so the legal community should focus first on liberalizing state restrictions on attorney and firm purchases of practices, which would bolster succession planning and improve access to justice, says Michael Di Gennaro at The Law Practice Exchange.
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FBI Raid Signals Growing Criminal Enforcement Of Algorithms
The U.S. Department of Justice Antitrust Division's increased willingness to pursue the use of algorithmic pricing as a potential criminal violation means that companies need to understand the software solutions they employ and stay abreast of antitrust best practices when contracting with providers, say attorneys at Rule Garza.
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State Licensing Pitfalls Mortgage Servicers Must Beware
A recent enforcement action from the Washington Department of Financial Institutions demonstrates how subtle distinctions in state mortgage servicer licensing laws may come as a surprise to some companies, even if they never directly receive payments or interact with borrowers, says Clayton Swears at Hudson Cook.
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Keys To Strong Parking, Storage Contracts For NYC Buildings
Drafting and enforcing unambiguous parking and storage unit license agreements are essential tasks for co-op and condo boards in New York City, with recent cases highlighting how prudent terms can minimize potential headaches, say Matthew Eiben and Adam Lindenbaum at Rosenberg & Estis.
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Series
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.
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Texas Ethics Opinion Flags Hazards Of Unauthorized Practice
The Texas Professional Ethics Committee's recently issued proposed opinion finding that in-house counsel providing legal services to the company's clients constitutes the unauthorized practice of law is a valuable clarification given that a UPL violation — a misdemeanor in most states — carries high stakes, say Hilary Gerzhoy and Julienne Pasichow at HWG.
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Realtor Settlement May Create New Antitrust Pitfalls
Following a recent antitrust settlement between the National Association of Realtors and home sellers, practices are set to change and the increased competition may benefit both brokers and homebuyers, but the loss of the customary method of buyer broker compensation could lead to new antitrust concerns, says Colin Ahler at Snell & Wilmer.
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In Memoriam: The Modern Administrative State
On June 28, the modern administrative state, where courts deferred to agency interpretations of ambiguous statutes, died when the U.S. Supreme Court overruled its previous decision in Chevron v. Natural Resources Defense Council — but it is survived by many cases decided under the Chevron framework, say Joseph Schaeffer and Jessica Deyoe at Babst Calland.
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What Fla. Ruling Means For Insurer Managed Repair Programs
A recent Florida state court ruling in Fraga v. Citizens Property Insurance, holding that the insurer could not seek to add additional terms in its managed repair program consent form, should promote clear written contract terms that clarify the relationship between insurers, policyholders and contractors, says Chip Merlin at Merlin Law Group.
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Preparing For CFPB 'Junk Fee' Push Into Mortgage Industry
As the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau considers expanding its "junk fee" initiative into mortgage closing costs, mortgage lenders and third parties must develop plans now that anticipate potential rulemaking or enforcement activity in this space, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.
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How To Clean Up Your Generative AI-Produced Legal Drafts
As law firms increasingly rely on generative artificial intelligence tools to produce legal text, attorneys should be on guard for the overuse of cohesive devices in initial drafts, and consider a few editing pointers to clean up AI’s repetitive and choppy outputs, says Ivy Grey at WordRake.
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Series
After Chevron: Opportunities For Change In FHFA Practices
The U.S. Supreme Court's overturning of the Chevron doctrine should lead to better cooperation between the Federal Housing Finance Agency and Congress, and may give the FHFA a chance to embrace transparency and innovation and promote sustainable housing practices, says Mehdi Sinaki at Michelman & Robinson.
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Series
NC Banking Brief: All The Notable Legal Updates In Q2
After federal banking agencies last quarter released a supplemental final rule updating the Community Reinvestment Act, North Carolina banks involved in community development should consider how the new rule might open up opportunities for investment and services that can benefit underserved areas, says Adam Goldblatt at Michael Best.
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Series
Boxing Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Boxing has influenced my legal work by enabling me to confidently hone the skills I've learned from the sport, like the ability to remain calm under pressure, evaluate an opponent's weaknesses and recognize when to seize an important opportunity, says Kirsten Soto at Clyde & Co.
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What NYC's Green Fast Track Means For Affordable Housing
New York City's Green Fast Track for Housing initiative, which went into effect last month, aims to speed up the environmental review process for modest residential developments and could potentially pave the way for similar initiatives in other cities, say Vivien Krieger and Rachel Scall at Cozen O'Connor.