Commercial
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December 17, 2024
Fox Rothschild Leader On Landlords Mired In Pot Crackdown
Landlords now find themselves on the front lines of the rocky rollout of New York’s cannabis law. The co-leader of Fox Rothschilds' NYC real estate team, who represents numerous landlords caught up in the pot shop crackdown, spoke to Law360 Real Estate Authority about how to navigate the process.
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December 16, 2024
11th Circ. Says Citrus Grower's Coverage Row Was Ripe
A citrus grower's bid for damages from its insurer in connection with environmental remediation costs was ripe, the Eleventh Circuit said, reviving the case after finding that a Florida district court wrongly dismissed it by conflating the issue of ripeness with the merits of the grower's claims.
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December 16, 2024
Minn. Panel Revives $1.5M Fire Loss Row Against State Farm
A Minnesota state appeals court revived a property owner's $1.5 million bid for additional coverage over a building fire, finding Monday that while state law and the owner's State Farm policy required it to sue within two years of the loss, that requirement didn't extend to the owner's appraisal demand.
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December 16, 2024
Colo. Justices Revoke Decision On Eviction Jury Trials
The Colorado Supreme Court on Monday rescinded its October ruling that tenants facing eviction are entitled to jury trials if there are factual disputes, after a tenant revealed in her rehearing petition that she was sent an eviction notice in the mail and wasn't personally served.
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December 16, 2024
SEC Wants Out Of PE Firm's 'Fishing Expedition' Suit
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has asked a Texas federal judge to toss a suit brought by a real estate-focused private equity fund alleging the SEC subjected it to an unconstitutional "fishing expedition" outside its regulatory purview, arguing that sovereign immunity bars the firm's claims and that the court has no jurisdiction over the case.
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December 16, 2024
Blindsided Developer Says $112K Legal Bill Should Be $25K
A real estate developer fighting a $112,000 legal bill from Conrad & Scherer LLP testified in a Florida state court Monday that he hired the firm for its banking regulation expertise but not for trial work in a lawsuit over a luxury house in Colorado.
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December 16, 2024
Ex-Top Aide To NYC Mayor Denies Guilt As Indictment Looms
A former top adviser to New York City Mayor Eric Adams professed innocence Monday as she braced for state criminal charges related to allegedly improper gifts.
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December 16, 2024
NYC Real Estate Week In Review
Jeffrey Zwick & Associates PC and Hirschen Singer & Epstein LLP are among the firms that landed work on the largest New York City real estate deals that hit public records last week, with transactions in Manhattan and the Bronx leading the way.
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December 16, 2024
What They're Saying About South Florida Real Estate
As 2024 comes to a close, Law360 Real Estate Authority checked in with attorneys, developers, brokers and other professionals to gather their views on what the year meant for the South Florida market and what they anticipate for 2025.
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December 16, 2024
High Court Won't Hear Wisconsin Takings Case
The U.S. Supreme Court declined Monday to consider claims that federal courts wrongly shut the door on constitutional takings claims from two residents of Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin, whose properties were taken to make way for a Foxconn Technology Group plant.
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December 13, 2024
5th Circ. Revives Challenge To Dallas Flood Project
A Texas federal judge jumped the gun dismissing two Dallas property owners' claims that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has failed to fully analyze the potential impacts of a flood control project in the city, a Fifth Circuit panel said Friday.
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December 13, 2024
Kluger Kaplan Shifting To Bigger Space In Miami Office Tower
Kluger Kaplan Silverman Katzen Levine PL renewed its lease for the 34-story Citigroup Center in downtown Miami, and also plans to move to a new 17,757-square-foot office space within the Class A office tower in the second quarter of 2025, the Citigroup Center announced Friday.
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December 13, 2024
NYC Hospital System Wants Out Of REIT's $50M Campus Suit
The New York City Health and Hospitals Corp. and the New York City Economic Development Corp. asked a New York federal court Friday to dismiss a $50 million suit that accused them of being misleading when it came to the development of a floodwall that's supposed to be part of a commercial life sciences campus project.
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December 13, 2024
Conn. Stadium Bidder Can't Pursue 'Sham' Process Claims
An unsuccessful bidder for the redevelopment of Trinity Health Stadium in Hartford, Connecticut, lacks standing to carry on a 56-count lawsuit against 19 defendants that it accused of executing a "sham" process, a state appeals court ruled Friday.
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December 13, 2024
Gibson Dunn Adds Real Estate Atty Focused On Data Centers
Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP said Dec. 12 that it's brought on a real estate and digital infrastructure lawyer who represents the owners and operators of data centers as the rise of artificial intelligence fuels surging demand for such facilities.
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December 13, 2024
Trio Lands $600M Loan For Data Center Development
Three companies developing a 50-megawatt build-to-suit data center in northern Virginia obtained a $600 million loan that was arranged by Newmark Group Inc., the commercial real estate adviser announced Friday.
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December 13, 2024
Mystery Lawyer Guides $140M Ex-Con Landlord Loan Deal
Most attorneys take a victory lap after sealing a nine-figure real estate deal, but when Dalan Real Estate purchased a roughly $140 million New York City loan portfolio from Axos Bank comprising loans backed by a notorious landlord's properties, the lawyer who represented the bank was nowhere to be found.
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December 13, 2024
New York Firms Whiteman Osterman, Nolan Heller Merge
New York law firm Whiteman Osterman & Hanna LLP announced Thursday a merger with business firm Nolan Heller Kauffman LLP that will bring 113 attorneys under the Whiteman Osterman name.
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December 13, 2024
Fight Over $40M Discount For Boston Casino Headed To Trial
A Massachusetts judge declined to toss allegations that Wynn Resorts lied to a landowner to secure a $40 million discount on real estate where the company built the Encore Boston Harbor casino, teeing up a bench trial in the case.
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December 12, 2024
Pawnbroker Pleads Guilty To Bribing Ex-Newark Deputy Mayor
A Garden State pawnbroker and jeweler admitted in New Jersey federal court Thursday that he took part in a bribery scheme to influence a former Newark official regarding the acquisition and redevelopment of city-owned properties.
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December 12, 2024
Ch. 7 Trustee Must Explain $200M Holdback Bid, Court Told
The owner of two bankrupt real estate companies has asked a Connecticut state court for permission to question the Chapter 7 trustee who wants a $200 million placeholder in connection with a shareholder's derivative claims, arguing the trustee must detail his allegations of the owner diverting millions to other business interests.
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December 12, 2024
11th Circ. Won't Rehear Guatemala Power Plant Fight
The Eleventh Circuit will not reconsider its decision refusing to vacate an arbitral award issued following an ill-fated Guatemalan power plant construction project, rejecting arguments that the tribunal improperly turned a blind eye to alleged corruption underlying the project.
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December 12, 2024
JLL Predicts CRE Supply Shortages, An Office Pivot In 2025
Supply shortages will be the name of the game across nearly every commercial real estate asset class in 2025, lending an advantage to early movers as transaction activity begins to heat up again, per a December report from JLL on commercial real estate trends in 2025.
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December 12, 2024
Cannabis Shops Ask DC Judge To Halt Store Shutdowns
A coalition of Washington, D.C.-based recreational marijuana shops is asking a D.C. federal judge to put a stop to district regulators' enforcement actions against their stores, saying the businesses face "imminent destruction" absent an injunction.
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December 12, 2024
NY Courts Defy Watchdog, Won't Release Judicial Ethics Data
Counsel for the New York State Unified Court System told the state transparency watchdog Wednesday it has no obligation to release judges' and court officials' financial disclosure data under public records law.
Expert Analysis
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Dealmaker Lessons From CFIUS' New Enforcement Webpage
The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States’ recently launched webpage, which details the actions — and inactions — that led to enforcement activity, provides important insights for dealmakers about filing requirements, mitigation commitments and the cost of noncompliance, say attorneys at Dechert.
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Reassessing Lease Provisions To Account For ESG Initiatives
As companies seek to build ESG considerations into their businesses, it's crucial to understand how such initiatives can quickly become significant enough to compel reassessment of lease agreement provisions, and how best to modify leases accordingly, say Julian Freeman and Gabe Pitassi at Cox Castle.
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Avoid Getting Burned By Agencies' Solar Financing Spotlight
Recently coordinated reports and advisories from the U.S. Department of the Treasury, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the Federal Trade Commission maximize the spotlight on the consumer solar financing market and highlight pitfalls for lenders to avoid in this burgeoning field, says Mercedes Tunstall at Cadwalader.
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Co-Tenancy Clause Pointers For Shopping Center Landlords
Large retail tenants often require co-tenancy provisions in their leases, entitling them to remedies if a shopping center's occupancy drops in certain ways, but landlords must draft these provisions carefully to avoid giving tenants too much control, says Gary Glick at Cox Castle.
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Assessing Algorithmic Versus Generative AI Pricing Tools
A comparison of traditional algorithmic pricing models and those powered by generative artificial intelligence can help regulators and practitioners weigh the pros and cons of relying on large language models to price products or services, say Maxime Cohen at McGill University, and Tim Spittle and Jimmy Royer at Analysis Group.
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Navigating A Potpourri Of Possible Transparency Act Pitfalls
Despite the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network's continued release of guidance for complying with the Corporate Transparency Act, its interpretation remains in flux, making it important for companies to understand potentially problematic areas of ambiguity in the practical application of the law, say attorneys at Sidley.
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Keys To Successful Commercial Property Insurance Claims
Excerpt from Practical Guidance
While insurance needs for commercial leasing arrangements are driven by the characteristics of the premises and the nature of the tenants' intended operations, there are several universal best practices landlords and their counsel can follow when making claims after loss or damage.
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Tips For Handling Single Asset Real Estate Bankruptcy Cases
Excerpt from Practical Guidance
Bankruptcy counsel should consider several strategies when representing either a debtor or lender in single asset real estate debtor Chapter 11 cases, which generally arise when a debtor is forced to file for relief to stop an impending foreclosure sale.
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Increased Scrutiny Raises Int'l Real Estate Transaction Risks
Recently proposed regulations expanding the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States' oversight, a White House divestment order and state-level legislative efforts signal increasing scrutiny of real estate transactions that may trigger national security concerns, say Luciano Racco and Aleksis Fernández Caballero at Foley Hoag.
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Portland's Gross Receipts Tax Oversteps City's Authority
Recent measures by Portland, Oregon, that expand the voter-approved scope of the Clean Energy Surcharge on certain retail sales eviscerate the common meaning of the word "retail" and exceed the city's chartered authority to levy tax, say Nikki Dobay at Greenberg Traurig and Jeff Newgard at Peak Policy.
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Proposed Law Would Harm NYC Hospitality Industry
A recently proposed New York City Law that would update hotel licensing and staff coverage requirements could give the city commissioner and unions undue control over the city's hospitality industry, and harm smaller hotels that cannot afford full-time employees, says Stuart Saft at Holland & Knight.
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Class Actions At The Circuit Courts: August Lessons
In this month's review of class action appeals, Mitchell Engel at Shook Hardy considers certification cases touching on classwide evidence of injury from debt collection practices, defining coupon settlements under the Class Action Fairness Act, proper approaches for evaluating attorney fee awards in class action settlements, and more.
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Brownfield Questions Surround IRS Tax Credit Bonus
Though the IRS has published guidance regarding the Inflation Reduction Act's 10% adder for tax credits generated by renewable energy projects constructed on brownfield sites, considerable guesswork remains as potential implications seem contrary to IRS intentions, say Megan Caldwell and Jon Micah Goeller at Husch Blackwell.