Residential
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September 05, 2025
Court Rules Miami Can Pursue Suit Over County Transit Zones
Friction between the city of Miami and Miami-Dade County over the county's recent expansion of a preemptive zoning incentive program does not appear likely to lessen soon, as a state judge decided Friday that the city can proceed with a lawsuit.
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September 05, 2025
NJ Court Won't Push Affordable Housing Project Through
A New Jersey state appeals court affirmed Friday that a developer can't bypass a municipality's zoning rules and obtain approvals for an affordable housing project, even though the development is part of the municipality's plan to meet its affordable housing obligations.
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September 05, 2025
Asset Manager Settles REIT Contract Breach Suit For $375M
Alternative asset management company Pine River Capital Management LP has agreed to settle its breach of contract and trade secrets lawsuit in New York federal court against residential mortgage-focused real estate investment trust Two Harbors Investment Corp. for $375 million, the REIT has announced.
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September 05, 2025
Mo. House Resolution Seeks Vote On Narrowed Property Tax
Missouri would ask voters to decide if the state should amend its constitution to designate real property as the only property classified for property tax purposes under a joint resolution filed in the state House of Representatives and submitted to a special legislative committee Friday.
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September 05, 2025
Fla. Judge Sets Aside $30M Helms-Burton Verdict
A Florida federal judge on Friday set aside a $29.85 million verdict against Expedia, Orbitz and Hotels.com over Helms-Burton Act violations, finding that the entities stopped trafficking in properties confiscated by the Cuban government once they learned of a potential claim by an heir.
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September 05, 2025
NY AG Settles Lead Paint Suit With Buffalo Landlord
New York's attorney general, Erie County and the city of Buffalo have reached a proposed settlement with a Buffalo landlord and other parties who were accused of failing to deal with hazardous lead paint in multiple rental properties, according to a proposed consent order and judgment filed Friday.
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September 05, 2025
Atty Can't Duck ID Theft Conviction Over High Court Ruling
A 2023 U.S. Supreme Court ruling narrowing the definition of aggravated identity theft may not be used to vacate a former attorney's prison sentence for a mortgage fraud scheme, a Massachusetts federal judge ruled Thursday, denying a request to throw out his plea deal and order a new trial.
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September 05, 2025
Real Estate Atty Joins Burr & Forman From Morris Manning
Burr & Forman LLP has announced that an experienced real estate attorney has come aboard the firm's Atlanta office as a partner after over two decades with Morris Manning & Martin LLP, which is set to merge with Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP at the end of the year.
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September 05, 2025
Property Management Co. Hit With Disability Bias Suit In NC
Georgia-based property manager FirstKey Homes faces claims in North Carolina federal court from a former employee who claims the company forced her to notify other employees they were being fired along with other unwanted tasks in retaliation for her disability-related work-from-home requests.
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September 05, 2025
Greenberg Traurig Guides Student Housing Co.'s US Growth
Student housing provider Yugo has acquired student housing property manager and real estate investment manager Campus Advantage in a deal guided by Greenberg Traurig LLP, Yugo announced this week.
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September 04, 2025
Colo. Developer Says Wash. Atty Botched Bankruptcy Case
A Colorado company has hit a law firm and one of its former bankruptcy attorneys with a legal malpractice suit in Washington federal court, alleging that the defendants' "negligence" caused the business to lose properties worth more than $5 million in its Chapter 11 case.
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September 04, 2025
Trump Says 'Century-Old' Precedent Backs Fed Gov.'s Firing
President Donald Trump on Thursday hit back at Federal Reserve Board Gov. Lisa Cook's motion seeking to block her termination from the central bank, telling a Washington, D.C., federal court that Cook was ignoring "century-old" U.S. Supreme Court precedent that he says forecloses review of her removal for cause.
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September 04, 2025
Couple Say Mexico Timeshare Feud Belongs In State Court
A Michigan couple who sued a Mexican resort company in a fight over a timeshare contract is arguing that their case belongs in Florida state court, saying an underlying arbitration agreement calling for disputes to go to Canada cannot be heard in federal court.
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September 04, 2025
Cushman Told Hold Vote On Cleary-Advised Bermuda Move
Commercial broker Cushman & Wakefield said Thursday that it will hold a shareholder vote in October on a plan to change its place of incorporation from England to Bermuda.
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September 04, 2025
Pollution Exclusion Bars Coverage For HOA Stormwater Suit
An insurer has no duty to defend or indemnify a homeowners association against claims that its stormwater drainage system caused flooding and damage to nearby properties, a Georgia federal court ruled, saying a pollution exclusion bars coverage.
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September 04, 2025
NJ Judge Greenlights Ch. 11 Plan For Real Estate Firm
A New Jersey federal judge said Thursday he will approve a Chapter 11 plan for a troubled real estate investment firm that includes selling an affordable housing complex in Pittsburgh and creating a litigation trust to recover hundreds of millions allegedly stolen by the company's now-imprisoned founder.
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September 04, 2025
2 Firms Guide $98M Loan For Miami Condo Building
Northwind Group originated a $98 million senior secured loan in a deal that was guided by Polsinelli PC and Gangemi Law Group and is connected to the acquisition of a 238-unit Miami condominium building, the real estate private equity firm announced on Thursday.
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September 04, 2025
5 Firms Guide Rithm Capital's Crestline Buy
Five firms steered real estate-focused investment firm Rithm Capital Corp.'s purchase of Crestline Management, adding and expanding the firm's private credit, insurance and reinsurance capabilities with the acquisition.
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September 04, 2025
Engineers' UConn Housing Flub Cost $1.25M, Developer Says
Engineers working on a University of Connecticut dormitory project failed to note that the planned fifth-floor penthouses violated building and fire codes, leading to $1.25 million in costs and lost revenue for the developer, according to a lawsuit in state court.
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September 04, 2025
Feds Sue SoCal Edison Over Eaton, Fairview Wildfires
The U.S. Department of Justice on Thursday sued Southern California Edison, seeking a combined $77 million in a pair of lawsuits alleging that its negligence in maintaining its infrastructure caused the catastrophic Eaton wildfire in January and devastating Fairview fire in 2022.
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September 04, 2025
Wash. Justices To Review Voter Measure Backing Natural Gas
The Washington State Supreme Court has agreed to weigh in on a dispute over a law approved by voters that prevents local governments and code officials in the state from passing rules restricting or discouraging the use of natural gas.
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September 04, 2025
Nonprofits Defend Suit Over Fla. Land Purchases Ban
Three nonprofits, a Florida real estate brokerage and a local property owner all have told a Florida federal court not to dismiss their Fair Housing Act suit challenging a state law that bans certain foreigners, such as Chinese citizens, from buying specific types of land, arguing in part that state government officials have mischaracterized their claims.
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September 04, 2025
2 Firms Guide KKR's $308M UK Student Housing Portfolio Buy
Jones Day and CMS Cameron McKenna Nabarro Olswang LLP guided KKR's purchase of a £230 million ($308 million), 2,179-bed student housing portfolio from Curlew Student Trust.
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September 03, 2025
Real Estate Counsel Rejoins Ropes & Gray In New York
Ropes & Gray LLP said an alumnus has rejoined the firm's New York office as counsel in its real estate investments and transactions group from GIC Pte. Ltd., a Singaporean sovereign wealth fund.
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September 03, 2025
3rd Circ. Says Preclusion Ends NJ Foreclosure Fight
The Third Circuit affirmed a bankruptcy court's order allowing Nationstar Mortgage to proceed with a home foreclosure sale, finding that the homeowner was trying to relitigate the exact same issues she had already lost in state court.
Expert Analysis
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How 2 sa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½ Advisory Opinions Affect Reporting Agencies
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau issued two advisory opinions last month that demonstrate a continued commitment to address inaccuracies in background check reports and consumer file disclosures through broad interpretation of the Fair Credit Reporting Act, expanding on a coordinated federal agency effort, say attorneys at Cooley.
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Algorithmic Pricing Programs Caught In Antitrust Crosshairs
The Justice Department's investigation into software company RealPage follows a host of federal antitrust cases alleging that property owners and casino hotel operators use the same proprietary software programs to fix and maintain pricing, which means algorithmic pricing programs are considered a key price-fixing tool in the digital age, say attorneys at Ballard Spahr.
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A Welcome Turning Of The Page For Residential Real Estate
After one of the most challenging years on record for residential real estate, 2024 will likely be a time of transition to a stabler business climate, as sellers lose some of their excess bargaining power and the pace of sales picks up, says Marty Green at Polunsky Beitel.
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Strict Duty To Indemnify Ruling Bucks Recent Trend
A South Carolina federal court's recent decision that it lacked subject matter jurisdiction to decide an insurer's duty to indemnify prior to the finding of insured liability sharply diverges from the more nuanced or multipronged standards established by multiple circuit courts, says Richard Mason at MasonADR.
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Ill. Insurance Ruling Helps Developers, Community Orgs. Alike
The Illinois Supreme Court's decision in Acuity v. M/I Homes of Chicago, holding that commercial general liability policy exceptions did not prevent coverage for damage caused by faulty workmanship, will bring more potential insurance coverage for real estate developers and, in turn, larger payouts when community organizations sue them, say Howard Dakoff and Suzanne Karbarz Rovner at Levenfeld Pearlstein.
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NJ Foreclosure Law Will Have Multifaceted Impact On Lenders
New Jersey's A.B. 5664 introduces significant reforms to foreclosure proceedings in the state, potentially lessening the burden on lenders and servicers to maintain foreclosed properties, but also brings new limitations and time frames, say Christina Livorsi and Wael Amer at Day Pitney.
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11 Noteworthy sa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½ Developments From 2023
Under Rohit Chopra’s leadership, 2023 was an industrious year for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, with developments including the release of the proposed personal financial data rights rule, publication of proposed rules involving public registries for nonbanks and the bureau's continuous battle against junk fees, all of which are sure to further progress in 2024, say attorneys at Husch Blackwell.
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Insured Takeaways From 10th Circ. Interrelated Claims Ruling
The Tenth Circuit's recent ruling in American Southwest Mortgage v. Continental Casualty that multiple claims arising from consecutive audit years were interrelated — and thus subject to a per claim limit — creates a concerning precedent for policyholders, so companies should negotiate relevant policy language, says Michael Stockalper at Saxe Doernberger.
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NY Banking Brief: All The Notable Legal Updates In Q4
New York's banking and financial sector saw a number of notable regulatory and legislative changes in the final quarter of 2023, including guidance on climate risks and heightened cybersecurity protocols issued by the New York State Department of Financial Services, as well as final revisions to virtual currency listings in the state, say attorneys at WilmerHale.
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Ill. Justices Set New Standard For Analyzing Defect Claims
The Illinois Supreme Court's recent ruling in Acuity v. M/I Homes of Chicago has effectively changed the landscape for how insurers may respond to construction defect claims in the state, so insurers should carefully focus their coverage analysis on whether the business risk exclusions are applicable, say Bevin Carroll and Julie Klein at Kennedys.
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A Look At Consumer Reporting In 2023, And What's To Come
The legal landscape of consumer reporting is evolving as courts, federal regulators and state legislatures continue to weigh in — and while last year may have seen a slight downtick in the overall volume of Fair Credit Reporting Act litigation, 2024 is set to be a watershed year for this area of the law, say attorneys at Troutman Pepper.
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How New Fla. Condo Law Will Affect Owners' Finances
As this December is the deadline for condominiums in Florida to be in compliance with legislation passed after the Champlain Towers collapse, condo owners will need to prepare for both the immediate and long-term financial implications, says Greg Main-Baillie at Colliers.
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The Year Ahead In Foreign Investment And National Security
In 2024, expect the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, already at the forefront of addressing national security threats, to increase monitoring and enforcement related to outbound investment, focus on supply chain resilience in nondefense sectors, and heighten oversight of agricultural transactions, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.