Residential

  • October 11, 2024

    Fla. Suit Over $79M Bezos Property Purchase Moves Forward

    A Florida state court judge on Friday denied a motion to dismiss a lawsuit accusing a real estate broker of misrepresenting that Amazon founder Jeff Bezos wasn't the true purchaser of a $79 million property on Miami's exclusive Indian Creek Island, causing the seller to reduce the listing price by millions.

  • October 11, 2024

    Wash. Tribal Panel Upholds Eviction Ruling Against Families

    An appeals court for Washington state's Nooksack Indian Tribe has declined to reconsider a ruling that would evict a group of families claiming title under a federal homeownership program.

  • October 11, 2024

    Property Plays: Tallest Towers, 701 Brickell, Nuveen

    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.

  • October 11, 2024

    Texas Affordable Housing Property To Include Health Services

    Multifamily developer NRP Group said it has finalized the financing for a mixed-income, 67-unit project in Fort Worth, Texas, to provide affordable housing with an on-site health facility.

  • October 11, 2024

    Julie Chrisley Appeals Ga. Judge's Resentencing Ruling

    Former real estate mogul and reality television star Julie Chrisley, who was convicted of running a yearslong bank fraud scheme with her husband, Todd, is appealing a federal judge's decision to resentence her to the same seven-year prison term she first received nearly two years ago.

  • October 11, 2024

    Indicted NJ Power Broker Says Civil Suit Belongs In Biz Court 

    Indicted Garden State power broker George E. Norcross III has asked a New Jersey state judge to transfer the civil racketeering suit brought against him and his attorney brother by a Philadelphia developer to the state's complex business litigation program.

  • October 11, 2024

    More Ga. PFAS Suits Are Coming. Here's How Attys Prepare

    Leading attorneys in PFAS litigation say new regulations and ever-increasing lawsuits require attorneys to think carefully about proactive measures clients can take to limit PFAS use, and about the latest scientific research into how the so-called forever chemicals impact humans and the environment.

  • October 11, 2024

    Minn. Tax Court Cuts $100K From Lakefront Cabin Value

    A Minnesota lakefront cabin property was overvalued by a county assessor, the state's tax court said, reducing the assessment by more than $100,000 and rejecting the county's comparable sales analysis.

  • October 10, 2024

    Citadel Credit Union Reaches $6.5M Redlining Deal With DOJ

    The U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania announced Thursday it reached a deal with Citadel Federal Credit Union to settle allegations it engaged in lending discrimination in Black and Latino neighborhoods, with the credit union agreeing to invest $6.5 million in neighborhoods of color in Philadelphia.

  • October 10, 2024

    Homebuyers Tell 8th Circ. Broker Deal Gives Them Nothing

    Homebuyers are urging the Eighth Circuit to undo the approval of $208.5 million in settlements struck by real estate brokerages in the sprawling litigation over industry rules covering broker fees, saying the deals only provide money for sellers.

  • October 10, 2024

    3M, Other Cos. Hit With PFAS Contamination Class Action

    Nantucket, Massachusetts, residents seek to hold the 3M Co., The Chemours Co. and other companies liable for perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances that allegedly contaminated their properties, their drinking water and the residents themselves.

  • October 10, 2024

    Too Early To Decide Indemnification In Flood Row, BNSF Says

    Railway giant BNSF told a California federal court that it's too early for the court to decide whether two Travelers units have a duty to indemnify BNSF in a lawsuit alleging that a track relocation project BNSF undertook caused significant flooding, noting the case is still pending.

  • October 10, 2024

    Housing Nonprofit Hits NY Town With Disability Bias Suit

    A housing nonprofit has claimed in New York federal court that local officials stopped the construction of an affordable housing project in the Hamptons because a lot of the units would go to people with mental health disabilities and military veterans, who would receive supportive services.

  • October 10, 2024

    Freddie Mac, Axis Ink Deal Over $32M SEC Probe Coverage

    Government-backed mortgage buyer Freddie Mac told a D.C. federal court it reached a settlement with an excess insurer over its $32 million defense bill from a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission investigation and lawsuits concerning its exposure to subprime mortgages in the lead-up to the 2008 financial crisis.

  • October 10, 2024

    NYC Landlord Fights Gibson Dunn Legal Fees Bill

    New York City multifamily landlord Pinnacle Group NY LLC and CEO Joel Wiener told a New York state court that Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP can't force them to arbitrate a dispute over a $1.74 million outstanding bill for legal fees.

  • October 10, 2024

    Atty For McElroy Deutsch's Ex-CFO Wants Out Of Theft Case

    An attorney representing McElroy Deutsch Mulvaney & Carpenter LLP's former chief financial officer — who is behind bars on charges of stealing from the firm — has asked to be relieved as counsel in the firm's New Jersey suit against the former CFO because he has not paid his legal bills.

  • October 10, 2024

    Investor Connected To Texas AG Seeks To Ax Fraud Case

    Nate Paul, a real estate investor at the heart of the failed impeachment of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, has moved to dismiss federal wire fraud and conspiracy charges against him, arguing that the indictment does not claim that he acted willfully when allegedly ripping off lenders and investors.

  • October 10, 2024

    Back-To-Back Storms Expose Outdated NFIP Holes, Pro Says

    The one-two punch of hurricanes Helene and Milton should give policymakers another reason to bolster the country's leading flood insurer and rethink water risks, according to Chad Berginnis, executive director of the Association of State Floodplain Managers and a leading figure among flood loss reduction professionals. Here, Law360 talks to Berginnis about how the back-to-back storms lay bare the country's flood risks.

  • October 09, 2024

    The Tallest Towers And The Law Firms They Lean On

    As new skyscrapers reshape skylines across the country, Law360 Real Estate Authority is tracking the development of the tallest towers and the law firms guiding them, detailing the challenges and triumphs along the way.

  • October 09, 2024

    Atty, Claims Firm Barred From Soliciting Foreclosure Class

    A Michigan law firm and a third-party claims firm agreed Wednesday not to solicit potential members to an action alleging Michigan counties kept profits from foreclosures of tax-delinquent properties, following a meeting with class attorneys who had urged a judge to bar them from attempting to poach class members.

  • October 09, 2024

    Emmet Marvin, Jeffrey Zwick Guide $155M NYC Project Loan

    An affiliate of nursing and rehabilitation center operator Allure Group secured a $155 million loan from Valley National Bank, tied to a New York mixed-use development, in a deal guided by Emmet Marvin & Martin LLP and Jeffrey Zwick and Associates PC.

  • October 09, 2024

    Settlement Approved For DACA Loan Discrimination Suit

    A California federal judge gave the green light to a settlement that will end a proposed class action accusing First Tech Federal Credit Union of denying home loans to recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.

  • October 09, 2024

    Loan Officer Says Mortgage Co. Failed To Pay Workers OT

    Loan officers frequently clocked in more than 40 hours per week and were classified as nonexempt but were not paid at time and a half for those extra hours, a former employee at a mortgage company told a Wisconsin federal court.

  • October 09, 2024

    How Built Environment Interacts With Climate Risk

    As worsening disasters result in skyrocketing property insurance rates, CoreLogic data shows that construction decisions can cause significant variations in climate risk, even in neighboring counties.

  • October 09, 2024

    Unclear Road For $275M Biz Tax Plan, DC Panel Chair Says

    The District of Columbia Tax Revision Commission may scrap a proposal for a business activity tax that could raise $275 million annually to reduce other business taxes, the panel chair said Wednesday.

Expert Analysis

  • Expect CFPB Scrutiny On AI In Lending

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    As the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau prioritizes regulatory oversight of the financial services industry's use of automated systems and artificial technology, it will need to balance regulation and innovation, and companies should prepare to mitigate any potential for bias or unfair, deceptive or abusive acts and practices, say attorneys at Goodwin.

  • Texas Construction Statute Of Repose Leaves Open Questions

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    Texas' new significantly shorter statute of repose barring certain suits against construction contractors contains some ambiguous wording that will likely raise questions to be decided by courts, says Mason Hester at Munsch Hardt.

  • In The CFPB Playbook: Abuse Policy, PACE, Payment Apps

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    From defining "abusive" conduct to implementing green energy financing to policing payment apps, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau was busy last quarter. Akerman's Nora Rigby discusses all this and more in the first installment of bureau activity recaps by former CFPB personnel.

  • How To Avoid Flopping When Flipping Fla. Real Estate

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    As land prices rise, Florida real estate developers are increasingly contracting to flip property to other purchasers for a profit, and they should carefully consider the unique risks and issues associated with the different forms that the process can take, says Gary Kaleita at Lowndes.

  • States Must Fight Predatory Real Estate Listing Agreements

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    As momentum against long-term real estate listing agreements continues to grow, states should take action to render existing agreements unenforceable and discourage future unfair and deceptive trade practices in real estate, says Elizabeth Blosser at the American Land Title Association.

  • Steps To Success For Senior Associates

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    Adriana Paris at Rissman Barrett discusses the increased responsibilities and opportunities that becoming a senior associate brings and what attorneys in this role should prioritize to flourish in this stressful but rewarding next level in their careers.

  • Ohio Tax Talk: Building On Federal Affordable Housing Credit

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    Ohio's soon-to-be-implemented low-income housing tax credit could significantly affect the state's affordable housing landscape and influence tax-credit deal financing for these projects, though Senate changes may have dampened the new credit's immense potential, say Raghav Agnihotri and Rachael Chamberlain at Frost Brown.

  • LA's High-Value Real Estate Transfer Tax Should Be Scrapped

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    Los Angeles’ recently implemented high-value property transfer tax has chilled the real estate market, is failing to meet revenue expectations and raises significant constitutional concerns, making it a flawed piece of legislation that should be invalidated, says attorney Paul Weinberg.

  • Foreign Investment In Real Estate Is Getting More Complicated

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    Increasing federal scrutiny and a proliferation of new state laws targeting foreign investment in real estate may complicate or prevent transactions even by U.S. companies or funds that have shareholders or limited partners from China and other countries of concern, say attorneys at Akin.

  • Home Equity Option Contracts Appear Ripe For Rating

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    Given that home equity option contracts share similarities with evolving asset types like litigation funding, and that courts continue to characterize them as real estate option contracts, it seems they are poised to be rated in the near future, say Darius Horton and Holly Spencer Bunting at Mayer Brown.

  • 2 Critical Shortfalls In Fla. Condo Safety Amendments

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    New amendments to Florida's Building Safety Act provide condominium associations with more flexibility to comply with inspection deadlines, but vaguely defined extension criteria and unambiguous lines of responsibility warrant further legislative action, say Jordan Isrow and Andrew Ingber at Government Law Group.

  • Justices' Minn. Takings Ruling May Have Broad Impact

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Tyler v. Hennepin County that a Minnesota tax foreclosure violated the U.S. Constitution's takings clause may, beyond resolving a circuit split, influence well-established foreclosure laws across the U.S., say Emily Ladd and Gregory Nowak at Miller Canfield.

  • Challenging Standing In Antitrust Class Actions: Rule 23

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    A recent Sixth Circuit decision in Fox v. Saginaw County that rejected the common attempt to use Rule 23 to sidestep Article III's standing limitations shows antitrust defendants' success in challenging standing will rest on happenstance without more clarity from the Supreme Court — which no litigant should be comfortable with, say Michael Hamburger and Holly Tao at White & Case.