Residential
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October 27, 2025
NYC Property Tax Limit Measure Sent To Hochul
New York state would allow New York City to adopt lower annual growth caps for the portion of the overall property tax levy paid by each property tax class for the city's 2026 fiscal year under a bill sent to Gov. Kathy Hochul.
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October 24, 2025
NJ Panel Tosses Sprawling Legal Malpractice, Fraud Suit
A New Jersey state appellate court has backed the permanent dismissal of a developer's legal malpractice and fraud suit against Cooper Levenson April Niedelman & Wagenheim PA and other parties, ruling that the state's entire controversy doctrine, which requires litigants to put all their relevant allegations in a single suit, bars his claims.
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October 24, 2025
Fannie Mae Promotes Deputy GC To Acting Top Atty
Fannie Mae announced that it has elevated its deputy general counsel to acting general counsel, after the previous attorney to hold the position decided to move on from the post.
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October 24, 2025
Miskel Backman, Nelson Mullins Steer $68M Fla. Land Buy
Miskel Backman LLP and Nelson Mullins LLP guided a joint venture's $68 million acquisition of a 170-acre tract in Broward County, Florida, where the partnership plans to build a sprawling mixed-use development.
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October 24, 2025
Michigan Appellate Court Clears Up Landlord Liability Dispute
A Michigan appellate court ruled that tenants do not need to prove that their landlords were notified of unfit conditions at their units in order to bring claims under a state law requiring property owners to keep premises in reasonable repair.
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October 24, 2025
Fla. Landlord Not Covered In Rat Infestation Suit, Insurer Says
An insurer said it has no duty to defend or indemnify a landlord accused of causing its tenants to get sick from a rat infestation and unsanitary conditions, telling a Florida federal court Friday that its policy bars coverage for bodily injury arising out of organic pathogens and pollutants.
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October 24, 2025
Blackstone Sells Back Fla. Multifamily Property For $193M
A Blackstone entity has reportedly sold back a South Florida multifamily community for $193 million to an entity related to private real estate investment company TA Realty LLC.
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October 24, 2025
Builder Awarded $1.4M In Subcontractor, Surety Breach Suit
A Florida state court awarded the general contractor for a luxury high-rise condominium in St. Petersburg nearly $1.4 million in damages after finding that a framing and drywall subcontractor and its payment and performance bond surety breached their respective contracts.
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October 24, 2025
Mass. Appeals Court Finds No Evidence To Drop Home's Value
A Massachusetts homeowner failed to show that a local assessor overvalued his property and made procedural errors, the state appeals court ruled Friday, upholding his property's value.
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October 24, 2025
FPI's $3M Deal Gets Initial OK In Yardi Price-Fixing Suit
A Washington federal judge has granted preliminary approval to property management firm FPI Management Inc.'s $2.8 million deal settling out of a proposed price-fixing class action accusing it and others of using Yardi Systems Inc.'s third-party software to inflate residential rents.
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October 24, 2025
2 Firms Guide Federated Hermes' $331M US Real Estate Foray
K&L Gates LLP and Goodwin Procter LLP guided Federated Hermes Inc.'s $331 million purchase of a majority stake in real estate investment manager FCP Fund Manager LP, marking its foray into the U.S. real estate market, the buyer announced.
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October 24, 2025
NY AG Pleads Not Guilty, Says Prosecutor's Appt. Is 'Unlawful'
New York Attorney General Letitia James pled not guilty in Virginia federal court Friday to mortgage-related fraud charges that she says are part of President Donald Trump's revenge campaign against his perceived political foes, teeing up a fight over a White House-appointed prosecutor's legal authority.
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October 23, 2025
Illinois Seeking Transparency With State Farm Suit, Pros Say
In suing State Farm for homeowners insurance data, the state of Illinois is taking an approach to regulating carriers with transparency in mind that could be replicated elsewhere, but lowering climate-influenced costs will be a challenge, experts said.
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October 23, 2025
Judge Axes Va. Homeowner's Suit Over Marine Base Security
A U.S. Court of Federal Claims judge on Oct. 23 tossed a Quantico, Virginia, homeowner's takings suit against the federal government, which was accused of taking her property without just compensation by having military base-related restrictions that impeded her attempts to use the property as a short-term rental.
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October 23, 2025
Blackstone Upbeat On Data Centers, Preps 401(k) Asset Focus
Executives at private equity giant Blackstone Inc. said in a call with analysts on Oct. 23 that data center dealmaking is still on the upswing, and that it is making moves in anticipation of formal guidance from the federal government on the ability of defined contribution retirement plans to invest in alternative assets like real estate.
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October 23, 2025
Del. Justices Won't Reconsider Gellert Seitz Malpractice Ruling
The Delaware Supreme Court on Oct. 23 rejected a request to reconsider its decision affirming the dismissal of a legal malpractice suit against Gellert Seitz Busenkell & Brown LLC over damages a homebuilder said it suffered due to the firm's negligence handling loan-restructuring disputes, saying the request is "without merit."
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October 23, 2025
Court Won't Rethink 'Survivor' Winner's $3M Tax Bill
A Rhode Island federal judge won't reconsider his opinion that the first winner of reality show "Survivor" must pay $3.3 million in taxes, maintaining that it is unclear whether the federal government can take his sister's property to pay down the debt.
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October 22, 2025
What's Next After Fla. Courts Block Condo Termination Bid
The Florida Supreme Court's decision not to take up a developer's appeal of a ruling blocking its bid to redevelop a Miami condominium tower has amplified debate over laws governing condo terminations and whether state legislators should take action.
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October 22, 2025
Slate Nets $64M Refi For Brooklyn Multifamily Property
Slate Property Group and its development partner Avenue Realty Capital took out a $64 million refinancing loan for The Welz, which is their 19-story, 162-unit multifamily residential building in Brooklyn's East Williamsburg neighborhood, Slate announced Wednesday.
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October 22, 2025
'Forthright' Yardi Source Code Production Beats Rent Suit
Yardi thinks it's found the right formula for beating antitrust litigation targeting algorithms allegedly used to fix prices for rental housing, hotel rooms and more, winning a California state court ruling the software company's attorneys say is the first to nix claims by looking at the source code itself.
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October 22, 2025
REIT Inks $7M Settlement Of Ex-CEO's Class Action Claims
A real estate investment trust has reached a $7.125 million deal to end a proposed investor class action brought by its former CEO alleging its insiders breached their fiduciary duties after the company's common stock was diluted by "disastrous" stock redemption decisions.
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October 22, 2025
DHS Unveils Proposal To Reduce EB-5 Investor Visa Fees
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security on Wednesday rolled out a proposed fee schedule for the EB-5 foreign investor visa program that will see investors paying about 14% less in form fees after a steep fee increase in 2024.
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October 22, 2025
NJ Panel Hints Affordable Housing Rules Fight Is Moot
A New Jersey appellate panel questioned on Wednesday whether 28 towns' challenge to interim affordable housing rules might become moot, as permanent regulations are expected within two months — but municipal attorneys argued the current rules have already forced planning decisions that could be upended.
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October 22, 2025
3rd Circ. Tosses Elderly Woman's Solar Panels Fraud Suit
The Third Circuit on Wednesday backed the dismissal of an elderly woman's fraud claims against two solar panel financiers, which she accused of saddling her with a nearly $100,000 debt after she was tricked getting rooftop solar panels a salesperson told her were free.
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October 22, 2025
2 Firms Help Closer Properties Pick Up $76M NYC Sites
Closer Properties, advised by Paul Hastings, is acquiring six adjacent property parcels on Manhattan's Upper East Side from W Financial, led by Meister Seelig & Fein, in a $76 million all-cash deal amid plans to build luxury housing on the sites.
Expert Analysis
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Dewberry Ruling Is A Wakeup Call For Trademark Owners
The U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Dewberry v. Dewberry hones in on the question of how a defendant's affiliates' profits should be treated under the Lanham Act, and should remind trademark litigants and practitioners that issues involving monetary relief should be treated seriously, say attorneys at Finnegan.
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California Climate Lawsuit Bill Is Constitutionally Flawed
A bill in the California Legislature that would let victims of climate-related disasters like the Los Angeles wildfires sue oil and gas producers for spreading misinformation about climate change is too vague, retroactive and focused on one industry to survive constitutional scrutiny, says Kyla Christoffersen Powell at the Civil Justice Association of California.
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The Current And Future State Of Bank-Fintech Partnerships
Though the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau under President Donald Trump seems likely to cultivate an environment friendlier to the financial services industry, bank-fintech partnerships should stay devoted to proactive compliance and be ready to adapt to regulatory shifts that may intensify scrutiny from enforcers, say attorneys at Greenberg Traurig.
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Rethinking 'No Comment' For Clients Facing Public Crises
“No comment†is no longer a cost-free or even a viable public communications strategy for companies in crisis, and counsel must tailor their guidance based on a variety of competing factors to help clients emerge successfully, says Robert Bowers at Moore & Van Allen.
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Navigating Mortgage Insurance Provisions After LA Fires
As homeowners affected by the Los Angeles wildfires consider rebuilding, mortgage lenders and servicers must negotiate the complex intersection between the standard deed of trust and property insurance, says Heather Wright at Buchalter.
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Class Actions At The Circuit Courts: February Lessons
In this month's review of class action appeals, Mitchell Engel at Shook Hardy discusses five federal appellate court class certification decisions and identifies practice tips from cases involving breach of life insurance contracts, constitutional violations of inmates and more.
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Year Of The Snake Will Shake Up RE And Mortgage Finance
The year ahead may bring profound transformation and opportunities for growth in the real estate and mortgage finance sectors, with significant issues including policy battles and questions surrounding the future of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, says Marty Green at Polunsky Beitel.
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How Southern Calif. Fires Can Affect National, Local Pricing
The fire-related California state of emergency declared last month in Los Angeles and Ventura counties triggered laws around price-gouging and pricing restrictions that affect not just individuals and businesses in the state, but also nationwide, meaning sellers should be mindful of how price changes are discussed and rolled out, say attorneys at Proskauer.
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sa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½ Small Biz Study Brings Fair Lending Considerations
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's recent report highlighting potential racial discrimination in small business lending may not result in more aggressive enforcement under the Trump administration — but lenders can expect state regulators, private plaintiffs and advocacy groups to step up their own efforts, say attorneys at Husch Blackwell.
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Expect To Feel Aftershocks Of Chopra's sa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½ Shake-Up
Publications released by Consumer Financial Protection Bureau personnel in the last days of the Biden administration outline former Director Rohit Chopra's long-term vision for aggressive state-level enforcement of federal consumer financial laws, opening the doors for states to launch investigations and pursue actions, say attorneys at Hudson Cook.
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Corp. Transparency Act's Future Under Treasury's Bessent
The Corporate Transparency Act’s ultimate fate faced uncertain terms at the end of 2024, but new U.S. Department of the Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent's statements and actions so far demonstrate that he does not intend to ignore the law, though he may attempt to make modifications, say attorneys at Taylor English.
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Nippon Order Tests Gov't Control Over Foreign Investments
The U.S. government is primarily interested in restraining foreign transactions involving countries of concern, but former President Joe Biden’s January order blocking the merger of Nippon Steel and U.S. Steel shows that all foreign direct investments are under the federal government’s microscope, say attorneys at Blank Rome.
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A Look At A Possible Corporate Transparency Act Exemption
Attorneys at Kirkland offer a deep dive into the application of the Corporate Transparency Act's reporting requirements specifically to U.S.-domiciled co-issuers in typical collateralized loan obligation transactions, and consider whether such issuers may be able to assert an exemption from the CTA's reporting requirements.