Commercial
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December 03, 2024
Duo Launch $1B Office-To-Resi Conversion Venture
Dune Real Estate Partners LP and developer TF Cornerstone announced Tuesday that the pair have launched Alta Residential, a $1 billion venture that will complete office-to-residential conversions in major metropolitan areas nationwide.
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December 02, 2024
Manhattan Office Space Leases Decline As Demand Goes Up
The monthly leasing volume of Manhattan, New York, office space decreased by 12.4% in November but still topped prior years, with demand set to be the strongest since the pandemic, according to a Colliers report released Monday.
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December 02, 2024
Kirkland Adds 2 Real Estate Partners To NYC Office
Kirkland & Ellis LLP has hired ex-Fried Frank partner Matthew Bettinger and former Schulte Roth & Zabel LLP partner Seth R. Henslovitz as new partners for its real estate team in New York City, the firm announced on Monday.
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December 02, 2024
Deal Struck In Discount Chain Plan, No Sanctions In J&J Case
Holders of notes issued by 99 Cents Only will take a $297 million haircut, Beasley Allen dodged discovery sanctions in Johnson & Johnson's latest spinoff bankruptcy and a Mexican industrial equipment leasing group sought U.S. recognition for its reorganization. This is the week in bankruptcy.
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December 02, 2024
Cargo Facility Merits Property Tax Break, Mass. Justices Told
A property leased from the Massachusetts Port Authority to a for-profit cargo enterprise is exempt from property tax because the facility serves a public purpose, the lessee told the state's highest court Monday, urging reversal of a tax board decision.
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December 02, 2024
EB-5 Visa Scam Suit Against Fla. Immigration Atty Ends
A Florida federal judge on Monday dismissed with prejudice a lawsuit against an immigration attorney over a $500,000 visa scam after the two parties filed a stipulation of dismissal.
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December 02, 2024
NYC Real Estate Week In Review
Goodwin Procter and Blank Rome are among more than half a dozen law firms that guided the top New York City real estate deals that hit public records last week, a busy period for filings despite the holiday-shortened week.
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December 02, 2024
Partnership Offers Proptech Players Range Of Legal Expertise
Goodwin Procter LLP and the Center for Real Estate Technology and Innovation have teamed up to try to help proptech companies capitalize on a potential upswing. Law360 Real Estate Authority recently spoke with the founder and co-leader of Goodwin's proptech group and the founder of CRETI about what they think they can provide to help companies succeed.
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December 02, 2024
NJ Siblings Say Fox Rothschild Must Face Malpractice Suit
Two siblings have called on a New Jersey state court to reject Fox Rothschild LLP's bid to exit their malpractice suit alleging a lawyer now at the firm bungled a 1984 property deed and 1993 trust belonging to their late stepfather, depriving them of a lucrative land parcel.
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November 27, 2024
Developer Reboots Plan For Miami Beach Deauville Project
Miami Beach officials have reviewed a new plan to bring a hotel and condominium towers to the city's former Deauville Beach Resort location, with developers relying on a new state law preventing voter opposition of the sort that ended a previous intended development at the site two years ago.
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November 27, 2024
Illinois Top Court Will Decide Fate Of $7B Power Line Permit
The Illinois Supreme Court has agreed to review a lower court's decision striking state utility regulators' approval to build part of the $7 billion Grain Belt Express high-voltage transmission line.
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November 27, 2024
Lender Seeks $1M Limit After Broker's Claim Notice Mistake
A lender assigned insurance rights by an underlying defendant as part of a $1 million settlement told a Florida federal court that it is still owed the defendant's $1 million limit even though the defendant's insurance broker failed to notify the correct carrier about the lender's lawsuit.
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November 27, 2024
Mich. Bill Would Bar Local Property Tax Caps Tied To Rate Cut
Michigan would bar local governments from imposing caps on annual property tax revenue that require an automatic rate reduction as part of a bill introduced in the state House of Representatives.
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November 27, 2024
City Golf Course Exempt From Property Tax, Fla. Justices Say
A municipal golf course in Florida is exempt from property taxes despite a management agreement with a for-profit company, the state Supreme Court ruled Wednesday, reversing an appeals court decision.
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November 27, 2024
Conn. High Court Snapshot: Bank Regulation, Workers' Comp
When it convenes for the third term of the season, the Connecticut Supreme Court will hear cases that could affect the scope of the state banking department's authority to determine its own jurisdiction and clarify a workers' compensation benefits law.
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November 27, 2024
Virgin Islands Mall, Lloyd's End $6M Spat Over July 4 Fire
The owner of a historic marketplace in the U.S. Virgin Islands, which accused certain underwriters at Lloyd's of London of denying more than $6 million in claims after an Independence Day fire, agreed to drop all claims against the underwriter, according to a notice Monday.
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November 27, 2024
Co. Seeks $4.4M In Bad Faith Damages Over Developer Row
A collections company that was assigned insurance rights as part of settled, underlying litigation concerning a real estate development in Washington state told a federal court it's entitled to over $4.4 million in bad faith damages against an insurer, arguing the carrier prioritized its own interests ahead of its insured.
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November 26, 2024
Developer Accuses Fla. Attys Of 'Fraudulent Billing' Scheme
A real estate developer embroiled in a dispute with Conrad & Scherer LLP over unpaid legal fees has filed a new lawsuit against two of the firm's partners, claiming they operated a "bait and switch" scheme to overbill him for their work in litigation over a loan to finance construction of a $76 million Aspen home.
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November 26, 2024
Claims Court Won't Let US Slip Landowners' Flooding Suit
The U.S. Court of Federal Claims has refused to let the federal government escape a suit filed by property owners who claimed that their properties were taken without just compensation due to years of destructive flooding caused by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
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November 26, 2024
Delta's Preemption Stance Flops In Seattle Jet Pollution Suit
A Washington federal judge has declined Delta and Alaska Airlines' bid to dismiss a proposed class action filed by neighbors of Seattle's primary airport over alleged flight-path pollution, saying it's too early to tell whether the claims will be preempted by federal regulations governing air travel or plane emissions.
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November 26, 2024
Blackstone, Santander OK $1B Infrastructure Loan Portfolio Deal
Blackstone Inc. has acquired the interests of a $1 billion infrastructure loan portfolio from Santander Corporate & Investment Banking, the private equity giant announced Tuesday.
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November 26, 2024
New Orleans Property Owner Revives Bid To Nix Arbitration
A New Orleans property owner has again urged a Louisiana federal judge to overturn his order forcing it to arbitrate a $7 million Hurricane Ida damage claim with 11 insurers for a block of luxury apartments and retail shops, pointing to a recent ruling by the state's top court.
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November 26, 2024
Surgeon Acquitted Of Wire Fraud In Case Over $60M Fla. Hotel
A Florida federal jury has acquitted a Colombian surgeon of wire fraud conspiracy following a trial over the government's allegations that he defrauded investors through a Ponzi-like scheme involving a $60 million luxury hotel project in one of Miami-Dade County's high-end neighborhoods.
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November 26, 2024
Indicted Ex-Conn. Budget Official May Ask To Delay Trial
Ex-Connecticut budget official Konstantinos "Kosta" Diamantis is considering a bid to delay his February trial on 22 charges that he coerced contractors to pay him kickbacks on school construction jobs, according to a Tuesday motion by prosecutors seeking to postpone certain deadlines.
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November 26, 2024
Illinois Landowners Blast FERC Moves On $7B Power Line
The Federal Energy Regulatory unlawfully amended a negotiated rate authority for the $7 billion Grain Belt Express high-voltage power line despite not sanctioning a 2020 change in project ownership, Illinois residents, farmers and landowners told the D.C. Circuit Monday.
Expert Analysis
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Why Courts Are Nixing Insurer Defense Recoupment Claims
Following a recent trend, the Hawaii Supreme Court's decision in St. Paul Fire & Marine Insurance Co. v. Bodell Construction Co. provides a concise explanation of the argument that an insurer generally may not recoup costs for defending claims, based on three considerations, says Bradley Nash at Hoguet Newman.
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The SEC's Cooled Down But Still Spicy Private Fund Rules
Timothy Spangler and Lindsay Trapp at Dechert consider recently finalized U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission rules, which significantly alter the scope of obligations private fund advisers must meet under the Investment Advisers Act, noting the absence of several contentious proposals and litigation that could result in implementation delays.
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Trump NY Fraud Trial Shows Civil, Criminal Case Differences
Former President Donald Trump’s civil fraud trial currently unfolding in New York provides a reminder that civil bench trials can be just as damaging, if not more so, than criminal prosecutions, due to several key elements of civil litigation procedure, says retired attorney David Moskowitz.
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A Year-End Look At Florida's Capital Investment Tax Credit
Notwithstanding the Walt Disney Co.’s feud with Gov. Ron DeSantis this year, Florida's capital investment tax credit will continue to make the state a favored destination for large corporations, particularly in light of the new federal alternative minimum tax and the Pillar Two top-up tax, says Alan Lederman at Gunster.
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Crypto Has Democratized Trading In Bankruptcy Claims
Following the pandemic, there has been a wave of cryptocurrency bankruptcies and a related increase in access to information, allowing nontraditional bankruptcy investors to purchase claims and democratizing a once closed segment of alternative investing, says Joseph Sarachek at Strategic Liquidity.
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Paths Forward For RE Buyers In Turbulent Market Conditions
Real estate borrowers are facing significant challenges in financing new acquisitions or developments amid escalating interest rates, but opportunistic debt funds may be able to help bridge through the present environment, say Jon Gallant and Jared Hodges at Knowles Gallant.
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DC Ruling Provides Support For Builders Risk Claim Recovery
To deny coverage for builders risk claims, insurers have been increasingly relying on two arguments, both of which have been invalidated in the recent U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia decision, South Capitol Bridgebuilders v. Lexington, say Greg Podolak and Cheryl Kozdrey at Saxe Doernberger.
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What NJ's Green Remediation Guidance Means For Cleanups
Recent guidance from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection promoting greener approaches to restoring contaminated sites demonstrates the state's commitment to sustainability and environmental justice — but could also entail more complexity, higher costs and longer remediation timelines, say J. Michael Showalter and Bradley Rochlen at ArentFox Schiff.
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Inside Bank Regulators' Community Lending Law Overhaul
The federal banking agencies' recently finalized changes to the Community Reinvestment Act not only account for the gradual shift to an environment where lending and deposit-taking are primarily conducted online, but also implement other updates such as diversity initiatives and a new series of lending tests, say attorneys at Norton Rose.
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Sellers Seeking Best Deal Should Focus On Terms And Price
Rising interest rates and a decline in the automotive mergers and acquisitions market mean that a failed deal carries greater stakes, and sellers therefore should pursue not only the optimum price but also the optimum terms to safeguard their agreement, says Joseph Aboyoun at Fox Rothschild.
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Illinois Trump Tower Ruling Illuminates Insurance 'Occurrence'
In Continental Casualty v. 401 North Wabash Venture, an Illinois appellate court found that Trump Tower was not entitled to insurance coverage for operating its HVAC system without a permit, helping to further define a widely litigated general liability insurance issue — what constitutes an "occurrence," say Robert Tugander and Greg Mann at Rivkin Radler.
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A Bird's Eye View Of NYC's New Parapet Inspection Law
Building owners in New York City should be ready for the city's new parapet inspection requirements going into effect in January, which will likely necessitate additional construction work for countless buildings not previously subject to formal inspections, says Benjamin Fox Tracy at Braverman Greenspun.
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How Fla. Bankruptcy Ruling May Affect Equity Owners
A Florida bankruptcy court’s recent ruling in Vital Pharmaceuticals — which rejected the Third Circuit’s Majestic Star decision that determined a bankrupt corporation’s flow-through status was not protected by the automatic stay — may significantly affect how equity owners can mitigate the impact of flow-through structures in bankruptcy, say Eric Behl-Remijan and Natasha Hwangpo at Ropes & Gray.