Commercial
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November 22, 2024
Big Lots Can Close On $760M Asset Sale, Judge Says
A Delaware bankruptcy judge Friday approved the $760 million sale of bankrupt discount retail chain Big Lots to a private equity group and told creditors they were out of time to challenge the company's Chapter 11 financing.
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November 22, 2024
Property Plays: Fannie Mae, Extell, Knott Development
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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November 21, 2024
Ill. High Court Won't Shield Sun-Times In Trump Tax Case
The Illinois Supreme Court ruled Thursday that the Chicago Sun-Times can't use an anti-SLAPP law to duck a defamation suit over the paper's coverage of an investigation into a $1 million property tax reduction granted to Trump Tower during the president-elect's first term.
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November 21, 2024
Weed Co. Must Pay $5M To Entrepeneur In Investor Dispute
A marijuana consulting firm must pay $5 million to a former business partner after allegedly derailing plans to purchase a marijuana grow facility in Michigan by convincing the main investors to put their money into a Colorado weed business instead.
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November 21, 2024
Concerns Remain Over Pricing In Final Calif. Insurance Rule
Insurers in California will be able to price policies using catastrophe models meant to predict future climate risks, but they must adhere to one of several options for increasing coverage availability, under a final rule that has left lingering concerns. Here, Law360 provides a background and overview of the regulation on catastrophe modeling and ratemaking.
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November 21, 2024
NYC Watchdog Calls Stadiums Bad Bet In Willets Point Report
New York City's Independent Budget Office said Thursday that stadiums have proved a poor use of tax dollars in the first tally of expenses since Mayor Eric Adams announced a project to bring a soccer stadium, hotel and affordable housing to the city's Willets Point district in Queens.
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November 21, 2024
EB-5 Experts Eyeing 4 Suits For Needed Clarity
A 2022 law that revived and revamped the EB-5 immigrant investor visa program has left stakeholders with unanswered questions, and immigration attorneys said at a webinar Wednesday that they're eyeing four current cases for potential answers.
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November 21, 2024
Hype For Energy Tax Perks Could Shield Regs From Repeal
President-elect Donald Trump and Republican lawmakers could turn to an oversight tool called the Congressional Review Act to undermine clean energy tax credit regulations implementing key parts of Democrats' signature climate law, but the strategy may falter due to GOP support for the incentives.
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November 21, 2024
Ga. Attys' Easement Fraud Class Suit Shipped To State Court
A Georgia federal judge kicked back to state court a proposed class action accusing conservation easement fund organizers of racketeering and defrauding investors, saying the organizers failed to prove that the proposed class had at least 100 investors or that the case hinged on federal law.
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November 21, 2024
Experts Cool On 'Chill' Defense In NJ RICO Case
Former prosecutors and academics are doubtful two of New Jersey's most politically connected attorneys can convince a judge that the racketeering case against them will have a chilling effect on lawyering, given that prosecutors only have to show they knew the end game of the notorious Democratic power broker they're accused of helping.
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November 21, 2024
La. Parishes Can't Change Property Values After Court Rulings
Louisiana parish assessors lack the authority to unilaterally change a property's assessment if they become aware of an error in the assessment after a local board or the state Tax Commission sets the property's value, the state attorney general's office said.
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November 21, 2024
PierFerd Adds Fla. Transactions Partner From Taylor English
Pierson Ferdinand LLP just got a bit larger with the addition of a partner in Miami from Taylor English Duma LLP, bringing expertise in real estate, banking and financial services that is expected to bolster the firm's ongoing growth.
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November 20, 2024
Suit Alleges Fraud In Scuttled Deal Over Calif. Pot Grow
A California company is looking to claw back a $250,000 down payment to purchase a cannabis entity's cultivation operation, claiming a grower and others involved in the failed deal conspired to take the money, according to a lawsuit filed in California state court.
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November 20, 2024
RE Firm Savanna Closes $255M Manhattan Office Building Buy
Savanna has purchased a distressed 12-story, 176,588-square-foot Manhattan office building for a "deeply discounted" $255 million price tag, the real estate investment firm announced on Wednesday.
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November 20, 2024
3 Firms Guide $425M Loan For Ariz. Sports Complex Project
CTL Capital LLC loaned $425 million to Knott Development for its Tucson, Arizona, sports complex project, with the deal receiving guidance from Thompson Hine LLP, Goulston & Storrs LLP and Snell & Wilmer LLP.
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November 20, 2024
NJ Power Broker, Attys Demand Wiretap Docs In RICO Case
George E. Norcross III, a politically influential insurance executive in New Jersey, and others accused alongside him of a massive racketeering scheme demanded Wednesday that state prosecutors turn over complete wiretap application information dating back to 2016, arguing that those details form the core of the state's case against them.
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November 20, 2024
Extell To Tear Down Madison Ave. Office For Mixed-Use Tower
Extell Development plans to demolish an office building on Manhattan's Madison Avenue and erect a mixed-use tower with apartments on the site, according to New York City records filed this week.
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November 20, 2024
McCarter Partner, Former Miami Official On AI In Land Use
From planning for mega storms to streamlining zoning approvals, artificial intelligence tools are bringing efficiency and new modeling capabilities to local governments.
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November 20, 2024
MVP: Latham's Michelle Kelban
Michelle Kelban, co-chair of Latham & Watkins LLP's real estate group, helmed a $2 billion construction financing for Cain International and guided Ares Management's blockbuster purchase of GCP International, earning her a spot as one of the 2024 Law360 Real Estate MVPs.
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November 19, 2024
DC Circ. Ruling Adds New Wrinkle To Agency NEPA Reviews
Federal regulators may be left to question the limits of their powers in overseeing projects and enforcing environmental law after a recent D.C. Circuit ruling calling into question the White House's ability to set environmental policy.
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November 19, 2024
Calif. Hotel Wants To Stay Open Through Another Ch. 11
A California judge on Tuesday asked bankrupt San Jose hotel owner SC SJ Holdings for more information about who owns the cash management account that the debtor wants to use to keep operating during its second run through Chapter 11.
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November 19, 2024
Ohio Board OKs Income Approach In Two Theater Valuations
Two Ohio movie theaters should be valued using the income approach to valuation applied by a county appraiser, the state tax board said in separate rulings involving two counties.
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November 19, 2024
PierFerd Adds FisherBroyles RE Partner To DC Shop
Pierson Ferdinand LLP has added a FisherBroyles LLP partner who works with real estate financing and transactional matters to its Washington, D.C., team, the firm announced Tuesday.
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November 19, 2024
Fried Frank Guides REIT's Ongoing Brooklyn Retail Expansion
Empire State Realty Trust closed on the purchases of two properties in the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York — the latest in the company's spate of retail acquisitions in that area — in a deal guided by Fried Frank Harris Shriver & Jacobson LLP.
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November 19, 2024
Tarter Krinsky Adds CRE Transaction Atty
An attorney with experience across the spectrum of commercial real estate transactions has joined Tarter Krinsky & Drogin LLP's real estate practice from Riley Riper Hollin & Colagreco PC, the firm announced.
Expert Analysis
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Ch. 12 Ruling Is A Helpful Addition To Interest Rate Case Law
In its recent In re: Topp ruling, the Eighth Circuit addressed the question of which rate of interest debtors should pay under a bankruptcy plan, showing that the choice of interest rate plan is a factual issue subject to appellate review for clear error, and not a legal issue subject to de novo review, says Donald Swanson at Koley Jessen.
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Appellate Rulings Highlight Telecom Standard Uncertainties
Two recent contrasting appellate opinions in Cellco v. White Deer Township and NMSurf v. Webber — interpreting Sections 332 and 253 of the Communications Act, respectively — demonstrate the continuing uncertainty carriers face when challenging state and local requirements that may impede their provision of telecommunications services, say attorneys at Davis Wright.
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How Investors Can Seize Renewables Opportunities In RE
As governments and stakeholders increasingly focus on sustainability in the real estate sector, investors could capture significant upside by implementing an operational real estate strategy focused on renewable energy sources, say attorneys at Goodwin.
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Insurance Cos. Are Stretching Construction Standard Limits
In the construction sector, the importance of closely vetting downstream parties' insurance policies has never been more critical — owners and general contractors need to be on the lookout for ever broader carrier-specific expansions of standard insurance provisions that are perilous for risk transfer, says Eric Clarkson at Saxe Doernberger.
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Potential WeWork Bankruptcy May Disrupt Coworking Spaces
If WeWork files for bankruptcy, as hinted at in its recent quarterly earnings report, landlords may struggle to take over management of WeWork's coworking spaces, but the coworking industry as a whole is showing some promise in adapting to the market's evolving post-pandemic office needs, says Ann Chandler at Hall Estill.
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A Cautionary Tale Of Flawed Debt Accounting And SEC Fines
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's recent improper-accounting charges against Malvern Bancorp and its ex-CFO highlight crucial practice issues, including the need to objectively evaluate borrowers' credit, say attorneys at Arnold & Porter.
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Bat's Newly Endangered Status Likely To Slow Development
A recent change in the classification of the northern long-eared bat from "threatened" to "endangered" could have significant effects on development in large portions of the Eastern and Southeastern U.S. — and in the absence of straightforward guidelines, developers will have to assess each project individually, says Peter McGrath at Moore & Van Allen.
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Litigation Can Facilitate EB-5 Investor Visa Determinations
Processing times in the EB-5 investor visa program continue to rise, but filing a mandamus claim in the right venue against U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services may offer applicants mired in delay a means to expedite processing, says Mark Stevens at Clark Hill.
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Regulators Must Get Creative To Keep Groundwater Flowing
Even as populations have boomed in Sun Belt states like Arizona, California and Texas, groundwater levels have diminished due to drought and overuse — so regulators must explore options including pumping limits, groundwater replenishment and wastewater reuse to ensure future supplies for residential and commercial needs, says Jeffrey Davis at Integral Consulting.
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Key Provisions In Florida's New Insurer Accountability Act
Florida's recent bipartisan Insurer Accountability Act introduces a range of new obligations for insurance companies and regulatory bodies to strengthen consumer protection, and other states may follow suit should it prove successful at ensuring a reliable insurance market, say Jan Larson and Benjamin Malings at Jenner & Block.
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Best Practices For Lenders To Limit Recourse Liability
As projects face loan maturities in a higher interest rate environment, lenders should diligently observe even seemingly innocuous formalities following an event of default in order to minimize potential recourse liability, especially when borrowers have certain covenants, say Ryan Goins and Matthias Kleinsasser at Winstead.
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The Basics Of Being A Knowledge Management Attorney
Excerpt from Practical Guidance
Michael Lehet at Ogletree Deakins discusses the role of knowledge management attorneys at law firms, the common tasks they perform and practical tips for lawyers who may be considering becoming one.
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Rising Interest Rates Bring Risk For Construction Contractors
With rising interest rates causing many construction projects to be slowed or halted, it's important for general contractors to implement safeguard measures against the risk of significant financial losses caused by owner-driven schedule modifications, says Kevin Riexinger at Gfeller Laurie.