Expert Analysis

• NJ Justices' Walmart Ruling Clarifies Future Snowstorm Duty

  

  A recent New Jersey Supreme Court decision, that a contractor's spreading of salt on a minimal snow accumulation in a Walmart parking lot did not create liability, delivers important clarity on the state's ongoing-storm rule, says Maxx Johnson at Stradley Ronon.

• Planning For The Impact Of FinCEN's CTA Rollback

  

  The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network's recent rollback of Corporate Transparency Act reporting obligations should reduce compliance costs, but its plans to revisit customer due diligence rules should prompt companies and financial institutions to reassess state beneficial ownership programs, say attorneys at Sidley.

• Early Action Can Benefit Distressed Restaurant Franchisees

  

  As rising costs put increased pressure on restaurants, as evidenced by recent bankruptcy filings by Popeyes, Farmer Boys and Applebees franchisees, distressed businesses should move early to preserve profitable locations, reject uneconomic obligations, manage brand defaults and choose the appropriate restructuring path, says Christopher Caplinger at Kean Miller.

• Why Data Centers Must Focus On Water Stewardship

  

  Reducing overall water use is important for data center developers and operators, but comprehensive water stewardship — including cooling system operation, chemical treatment, wastewater discharge, maintenance activities and interactions with municipal water infrastructure — is rapidly becoming both a regulatory expectation and a business imperative, say attorneys at Baker Donelson.

• 6 Key Takeaways From CFIUS Annual Report

  

  Attorneys at Simpson Thacher review highlights from the annual report of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S., released to Congress this month, including the launch of the American First Investment Policy and the Known Investor Pilot Program, and the agency's continued focus on enforcement despite its resource constraints.

• Calif. Ruling Limits Strict Liability In Lateral Support Cases

  

  A recent California appellate ruling in Quinn v. Coulton makes clear that property owners pursuing lateral support claims without excavation should prepare to prove negligence rather than rely on strict liability, reshaping how neighboring land disputes are pled and defended, says attorney Paul Weinberg.

• 4 Tips For Using AI To Max Fee Awards In NY Lease Disputes

  

  As New York's new artificial intelligence court filing rule takes effect, lawyers handling commercial lease disputes should set up an efficient billing structure, verify AI-generated research and calculations, and align fee requests to improve recoveries and avoid sanctions, say attorneys at Crowell & Moring.

• Managing Data Center Power Issues, Public Pushback

  

  The many risks associated with data center construction include power availability, government regulations and public opinion, and contractual disputes — but these can be mitigated with careful project controls, planning and targeted contract drafting, say Randa Adra and Lily Geyer at Crowell & Moring, and Natasha Dahl at Ankura.

• Data Center Risks Include Schedules, Supply Chain, Labor

  

  Managing the dynamic technical and legal risks related to data center development requires sophisticated strategies for dealing with compressed schedules and liquidated damages, supply chain and long-lead equipment challenges, and labor shortages and productivity issues, say Randa Adra and Lily Geyer at Crowell & Moring, and Natasha Dahl at Ankura.

• DOJ's FCA Push Creates Risks For Construction Contractors

  

  The construction industry may be uniquely vulnerable to a new generation of False Claims Act enforcement driven by the U.S. Department of Justice's increasing usage of the FCA to target a much broader category of conduct than it has in decades past, specifically compliance certifications and regulatory representations, say attorneys at Cozen O'Connor.

• Fed Report Underscores Focus On Nonbank, CRE Risks

  

  The Federal Reserve Board's latest supervision and regulation report highlights that broad systemic stability will not insulate individual institutions from rigorous supervisory challenges regarding concentrated commercial real estate portfolios and nonbank partnerships, says Daniel Meade at Hogan Lovells.

• 3 Upcoming Deadlines That EB-5 Investors Should Consider

  

  Potential EB-5 regional center investors should weigh three approaching deadlines, the most immediate of which is Sept. 30, that may affect their filing strategy, required capital commitment and ability to participate even if Congress fails to reauthorize the program, says Michael Ashoori at Ashoori Law.

• Assessing The Benefits Of Fla.'s Newest Business Structure

  

  As of July 1, Florida business owners can create protected series LLCs to shield assets from liability while avoiding increased costs and wasted time, but burdensome recordkeeping obligations are crucial to maintaining the very protection that makes them attractive in the first place, says Gregory Ritter at Moritt Hock.