Commercial
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August 11, 2025
How A Nonexistent Bar Unraveled A California Bribery Case
The criminal case against Palm Springs, California, developer John Wessman hinged on a cooperating witness's testimony that Wessman hatched a plan with him at a bar to bribe the city's then-mayor, but his defense counsel from Keker Van Nest & Peters LLP blew up that story on cross-examination by demonstrating the bar hadn't even opened at that time, helping to obtain an acquittal.
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August 11, 2025
CRE Fintech Firm Securities Paused For Possible Arbitration
A proposed class action accusing real estate platform CrowdStreet of enabling a $63 million fraud was paused Monday to allow individual arbitration to decide if the investors' claims can proceed.
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August 11, 2025
Cadwalader Nabs Sidley Real Estate Partner With CLO Focus
Cadwalader Wickersham & Taft LLP has brought on a structured finance pro from Sidley Austin LLP to co-head its commercial real estate collateralized loan obligation practice, the firm announced on Friday.
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August 11, 2025
2 Firms Guide REIT's Close of $145M Seattle Hotel Sale To JV
Braemar Hotels & Resorts closed on a $145 million sale of a Marriott-branded hotel in Seattle to a joint venture between Sixth Street Partners LLC and Riller Capital LLC, in a deal guided by Jackson Walker LLP and Latham & Watkins LLP, per securities filings.
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August 11, 2025
Sills Adds Ex-Rosenberg Atty To Litigation, Real Estate Teams
Sills Cummis & Gross PC hired a former Rosenberg & Estis PC member to join the firm's litigation and real estate teams in New York City.
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August 11, 2025
Judge Upholds 99-Year Lease In Dispute At Miami Beach Hotel
A state court judge largely shot down an attempt by co-owners of a Miami Beach hotel to cancel an operator's 99-year lease, rejecting arguments that the agreement requires the property to be maintained in 1950s condition.
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August 11, 2025
Allen Matkins Guides $160M Calif. Community Project Loan
Walker & Dunlop Inc.'s capital markets team has secured a $160 million loan with a $27 million "re-advance component" for the construction of a 1,900-unit, master-planned community project in Rancho Mirage, California, the commercial real estate finance and advisory firm announced Monday.
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August 11, 2025
Data Center Developer Lands $1.2B To Build Atlanta Campus
Law firms Allen Overy Shearman Sterling and Milbank LLP advised on $1.2 billion in green loan financing to data center developer DC Blox to build a campus near Atlanta.
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August 11, 2025
Nossaman Adds Public Finance Atty To Infrastructure Group
Nossaman LLP said it has hired infrastructure attorney Edsell "Chip" Eady in its San Diego office from the public finance practice at Procopio Cory Hargreaves & Savitch LLP.
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August 11, 2025
Greystone Issues $64.9M Loan For Penn. Healthcare Portfolio
Greystone has provided a nonrecourse, 24-month bridge loan of more than $64.9 million for a 506-bed, three-property Pennsylvania healthcare portfolio, the commercial real estate finance company announced Monday.
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August 11, 2025
Waterfront Building Offers High Demand, But Complex Review
People have been drawn to beaches, rivers, harbors and other waterfront sites for basically all of human history, and while still among the most desired properties for real estate development, they present multiple layers of interests and issues — and in turn laws and regulations that must be navigated to build on them.
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August 11, 2025
4 Movies To Watch About Water And Real Estate
From Hollywood blockbusters to low-budget shorts, the big screen over the decades has played host to various stories about legal conflicts that lie at the intersection of water and real estate.
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August 11, 2025
4 Teams Leaving A Mark On Revived Baltimore Waterfront
Among the $3 billion worth of early deliveries for four major Baltimore waterfront redevelopment projects are a global investment firm's 550,000-square-foot headquarters, more than 700 residential units, and over 45 acres of new or revamped park space.
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August 11, 2025
3 Big Waterfront Projects And The Legal Teams Behind Them
Massive mixed-use developments are underway alongside riverbanks and beaches across the country, including an ambitious overhaul of industrial land and designs for a multibillion-dollar stadium.
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August 11, 2025
7 Beach Disputes Vexing Courts From Coast To Coast
From a SpaceX explosion in Texas to claims of whale sightings near a New Jersey offshore wind farm, a day at the beach can sometimes lead to a day in court. Law360 Real Estate Authority compiled the most prominent recent legal disputes over beaches around the country.
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August 11, 2025
Insurer Says $50M Zoning Suit Loss Is Outside Policy Period
An insurer asked a Michigan federal judge to declare it has no obligation to cover a $50 million judgment against a township, arguing the damages that stem from the township's unconstitutional zoning restrictions that a group of wineries had challenged fall outside the policy.
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August 11, 2025
NYC Real Estate Week In Review
Gibson Dunn and Jeffrey Zwick are among the law firms that guided the largest New York City real estate deals that hit public records last week, with a pair of Brooklyn trades topping the list.
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August 11, 2025
Ballard Spahr Inks $166M Refi For NY Transit-Oriented Project
The Olayan Group and Tritec Real Estate Co. secured a Ballard Spahr LLP-guided $166.2 million refinancing for one mixed-use component of a sprawling Long Island, New York, community known as Station Yards from Greystar, the lender announced.
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August 11, 2025
Career Troutman RE Finance Atty Joins McGuireWoods In DC
McGuireWoods LLP has hired a real estate finance specialist and longtime attorney with Troutman Pepper Locke LLP to join its office in Washington, D.C., the firm announced on Monday.
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August 11, 2025
Investors Sue CTO Realty Over Alleged Dividend Deception
A proposed class of shareholders in retail-focused real estate investment trust CTO Realty Growth Inc. filed a lawsuit in Florida federal court claiming the REIT misled them about its financial metrics, the sustainability of dividends and the profitability of an Atlanta mixed-use community.
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August 11, 2025
NY Curbs Property Tax Shifts In Nassau, Suffolk Counties
New York established tighter limits on the amount of property taxes that can be shifted between property classes in certain jurisdictions in Nassau and Suffolk counties under a bill signed by Gov. Kathy Hochul.
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August 08, 2025
Judge Says Insurer Must Face $100M Biz Interruption Claim
A chemicals manufacturer accusing a reinsurer of failing to fully cover its roughly $100 million business interruption claim over a chemical plant explosion can still pursue its coverage claims, a Texas federal court ruled, finding the Texas Supreme Court would likely adopt the same holding.
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August 08, 2025
Texas Bill Seeks To Allow Injunctions Against Tax Collectors
Texas property owners could seek injunctions to prevent local taxing authorities from collecting property taxes if a taxing entity adopts a voter-approved tax increase and takes action that strays from the tax hike's stated purpose, under a bill introduced in the state House of Representatives.
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August 08, 2025
South Korea Probes 49 Foreign Luxury Apartment Buyers
South Korea's National Tax Service said it has launched a tax evasion probe into 49 owners of high-priced apartments who are from foreign countries such as the U.S. and China.
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August 08, 2025
Rite Aid Picks Azend As Buyer Of Pharmacy Assets
Pharmacy chain Rite Aid has told a New Jersey bankruptcy judge it's selected Med One Pharmacy Inc. as the buyer of drugs in its inventory, customer information, leases and other assets, months after the company transferred millions of prescriptions and dozens of stores to CVS and other businesses in Chapter 11.

Dentons Tops List Of Firms With Biggest Water Law Teams
Dentons, Troutman Pepper Locke LLP and WilmerHale are among the large U.S. law firms that have sizable teams of lawyers that work on water matters, according to an analysis by Law360 Real Estate Authority.

Under Pressure, Higher Ed Leans On Real Estate
As institutions of higher education contend with declining enrollment and federal funding cuts, some are finding creative ways to monetize their real estate, which comes with important legal considerations, according to attorneys.

Big CRE Brokers Report Stubborn Optimism In Q2 Results
With most of commercial real estate's major brokers posting leasing gains and capital markets closings, executives said recently in announcing second-quarter earnings that they expect activity to continue as clients grow jaded to drama from recent trade disputes.
Expert Analysis
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Navigating The Complexities Of NYC Waterfront Development
More than a dozen city, state and federal agencies share oversight of New York City's waterfront, presenting developers and their counsel with both challenges and opportunities to shape the regional and national economy, say attorneys at HSF Kramer.
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A Guide To Army Corps Appeals As Wetlands Definition Shifts
Two years after the Supreme Court's Sackett decision, the definition of federal wetlands is about to change again, making it an apt time to review the process by which developers can appeal an Army Corps of Engineers jurisdictional determination, says Bryan Peeples at Pender & Coward.
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New NY Residential Real Estate Rules May Be Overbroad
New legislation imposing a 90-day-waiting period and tax deduction restrictions on certain New York real estate investors may have broad effects and unintended consequences, creating impediments for a wide range of corporate and other transactions, says Libin Zhang at Fried Frank.
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11 Essential Questions When Reviewing Hurricane Insurance
As we approach peak hurricane season, business owners must understand critical coverage elements, policy limitations and claim procedures of their commercial property hurricane insurance policies to protect their operations effectively, says Carlton Wilde at Bracewell LLP.
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6 Questions We Should Ask About The Trump Trade Deals
Whenever the text becomes available, certain questions will help determine whether the Trump administration’s trade deals with U.S. trading partners have been crafted to form durable economic relationships, or ephemeral ties likely to break upon interpretive disagreement or a change in political will, says Ted Posner at Baker Botts.
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Utilizing Rep And Warranties Insurance In CRE Transactions
With insurance and commercial real estate legal trends suggesting that representations and warranties insurance is likely to grow substantially in the next several years, CRE buyers and sellers should learn how such insurance can help resolve conflicting positions during transaction negotiations, say attorneys at Troutman.
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Recent Decisions Caution Against Broad Indemnity Provisions
Two recent decisions in disparate jurisdictions are reminders that businesses and practitioners should be mindful of contractual indemnity rights and draft indemnity provisions that enhance the predictability of enforceability without being overly broad, says Gregory Jaske at Olshan Frome.
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How Real Estate Funds Can Leverage Del. Statutory Trusts
Over the last two years, traditional real estate fund sponsors have begun to more frequently adopt Delaware Statutory Trust programs, which can help diversify capital-raising strategies and access to new sources of capital, among other benefits, say attorneys at Polsinelli.
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What 9th Circ. Ruling Shows About Rebutting SEC Comments
The Ninth Circuit's June opinion in Pino v. Cardone Capital suggests that a company's lack of pushback to a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission comment may be evidence of its state of mind for evaluating potential liability, meaning companies should consider including additional disclosure in SEC response letters, say attorneys at Barnes & Thornburg.
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2 NY Cases May Clarify Foreclosure Law Retroactivity
Two pending cases may soon provide the long-awaited resolution to the question of whether retroactive application of the New York Foreclosure Abuse Prevention Act violates the state Constitution, providing a guide for New York courts inundated with motions in foreclosure and quiet title actions, says Fernando Rivera Maissonet at Hinshaw & Culbertson.
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A Look At Florida's New Protected Series LLC Legislation
A new law in Florida enhances the flexibility of using limited liability companies as the entities of choice for most privately held businesses, moving Florida into a small group of states with reliable uniform protected series legislation for series LLCs, says Louis Conti at Holland & Knight.
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How Trump's Trade Policies Are Shaping Foreign Investment
Five months into the Trump administration, investors are beginning to see the concrete effects of the president’s America First Investment Policy as it presents new opportunities for clearing transactions more quickly, while sustaining risk aversion related to Chinese trade and potentially creating different political risks, say attorneys at Covington.
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Bill Leaves Renewable Cos. In Dark On Farmland Reporting
A U.S. Senate bill to update disclosure requirements for foreign control of U.S. farmland does not provide much-needed guidance on how to report renewable energy development on agricultural property, leaving significant compliance risks for project developers, say attorneys at Hodgson Russ.