Residential
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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.
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October 22, 2025
Ex-NY AGs Say James Case Will Rally Office: 'Fuel To The Fire'
New York Attorney General Letitia James' criminal prosecution is unlikely to have any significant effect on the day-to-day operations of her office, including its suits against the federal government and an appeal in President Donald Trump's nearly $500 million civil fraud case, but former leaders of the office say it could strengthen the resolve of her staff.
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October 22, 2025
Institutional Real Estate Allocations Drop, Rebound Expected
Institutional investors planned to put less capital toward real estate strategies in 2025 than what they had earmarked the year prior, marking the first time Hodes Weill & Associates and Cornell University have seen such a decline since they began surveying over a decade ago.
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October 21, 2025
Tribe's Home Defects Suit Belongs In Arbitration, Judge Told
Lennar Corp. on Tuesday told a Florida state judge that the Seminole Tribe's lawsuit alleging construction defects in more than 550 homes built for its members must be arbitrated, arguing that purchase agreements contain provisions that require the warranty claims to be resolved out of court.
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October 21, 2025
Apartments.com Operator CoStar Beats Video Privacy Suit
A Missouri federal judge tossed a proposed class action alleging the operator of Apartments.com unlawfully shared data about the visitors to the rental website, holding that CoStar Realty isn't covered by the federal Video Privacy Protection Act because it's not a videotape business.
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October 21, 2025
9th Circ. Doubts Finance Guru's Stance In Timeshare Exit Suit
A Ninth Circuit panel signaled on Tuesday that it's unlikely to force arbitration in a proposed class action accusing celebrity financial planner Dave Ramsey of roping his radio show's listeners into a timeshare exit scheme, with two judges emphasizing that Ramsey's argument hinges on a contract that he never signed.
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October 21, 2025
Mich. Court Denies Gov't's Foreclosure Suit Atty Fee Bid
A Michigan appellate panel on Monday determined governments that foreclose on tax-delinquent properties aren't entitled to attorney fees and expenses racked up during litigation over how the surplus proceeds of the property sale are paid out.
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October 21, 2025
NYC Mayor Unveils Jewel Streets Affordable Housing Plan
New York City's mayor announced on Tuesday plans to improve the Jewel Streets area in Brooklyn and Queens by building 1,400 affordable and mixed-income homes, undertaking a rezoning plan that aims to develop an additional 3,600 homes, and investing $146 million to improve local infrastructure.
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October 21, 2025
Ex-Housing Worker Defends $2.3M Hostile Workplace Verdict
A former homeownership coordinator for the public housing authority in Charlotte, North Carolina, has urged a federal judge to let stand her $2.3 million hostile work environment verdict, saying there was more than enough evidence at trial to support the jury's decision.
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October 21, 2025
Arkansas Banks Shoulder Heavy Construction Debt Burden
Several of the nation's most highly leveraged construction lenders are Arkansas banks, as state regulators have greenlighted construction debt levels of more than 10% of total assets at a trio of institutions, according to an investigation by Law360 Real Estate Authority.
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October 21, 2025
Belkin Burden Nabs Condo & Co-Op Expert In Hiring Spree
Belkin Burden Goldman LLP added a condominium and co-op expert to its bench, noting that the new partner has expertise in corporate governance, operations disputes and building management issues.
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October 21, 2025
J&J Appeals $25M Loss In Conn. Builder's Asbestos Case
Johnson & Johnson has appealed its losses in a Connecticut real estate developer's asbestos lawsuit, telling state trial and appellate courts that it plans to challenge denials of multiple bids to reverse a $15 million jury verdict plus an additional $10 million in punitive damages awarded by a judge.
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October 20, 2025
NYC Real Estate Week In Review
Fried Frank, Sheppard Mullin, Gibson Dunn and Morgan Lewis are among the law firms that guided the largest New York City real estate deals that hit public records last week, with two Manhattan trades north of $200 million leading the way.
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October 20, 2025
Wells Fargo Borrowers Defend Mortgage Application Fees Suit
A proposed class of Wells Fargo borrowers is fighting the bank's dismissal bid of their suit, which accuses the bank of wrongfully charging them mortgage application fees and failing to provide proper refunds, arguing in California federal court that Wells Fargo's dismissal motion "mischaracterizes" the named plaintiff's claims.
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October 20, 2025
Miami Board Gives Key Approval For $2B Mixed-Use Project
Rosso Development, Midtown Development and Proper Hospitality, guided by Greenberg Traurig, have secured approval from Miami officials for a $2 billion mixed-use project in the city's Midtown Park neighborhood, setting the stage for construction to begin in 2026.
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October 20, 2025
9th Circ. Nixes Class' Appeal For Reverse Mortgage Loan Suit
The Ninth Circuit tossed an appeal and a related rehearing bid for a proposed class action that accused a company of running an unlawful reverse mortgage loan scheme, ruling that the proposed class of homeowners has agreed with the company to voluntarily drop their appeal.
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October 20, 2025
NY Passes Rent Algorithm Ban In Housing Package
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has signed a package of bills designed to encourage homeownership and protect renters, including a statewide ban on the use of algorithmic rent-setting software and a partial tax exemption for home sales to low-income households.
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October 20, 2025
Justices Won't Review Optional NAR Rule In Zillow Case
The U.S. Supreme Court refused Monday to review claims that Zillow and the National Association of Realtors blocked competition through an optional association rule that relegated a defunct brokerage platform's listings to a secondary tab on Zillow's site.
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October 17, 2025
Texas Appeals Court Clears River Authority Of Flood Claim
A Texas appeals court found that the San Jacinto River Authority had governmental immunity when it decided to release water from its Lake Conroe reservoir during a hurricane, saying it took a good faith action even though the decision damaged some properties.
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October 17, 2025
Feds Say Housing Activist Used Homeless For Medicaid Fraud
Federal prosecutors in North Carolina have accused a Charlotte housing advocate of using the Medicaid beneficiary numbers of unhoused individuals to orchestrate a multimillion-dollar fraud on the government, court records show.
Expert Analysis
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There's No Crying In Property Valuation Baseball Arbitration
The World Series is the perfect time to consider how the form of arbitration used for settling MLB salary disputes — in which each side offers competing valuations to an arbitrator, who must select one — is often ideal for resolving property valuation disputes, say Sean O’Donnell at Herrick Feinstein and Mark Dunec at FTI Consulting.
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Navigating Fla.'s Shorter Construction Defect Claim Window
In light of recent legislation reducing the amount of time Florida homeowners have to bring construction defect claims, homeowners should be sure to understand their rights and responsibilities regarding maintenance, repairs and inspections set forth in developer-drafted documents, say Brian Tannenbaum and Nicholas Vargo at Ball Janik.
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Rental Price-Fixing Suit Against RealPage Doesn't Add Up
Recent government antitrust litigation against RealPage, alleging that the software company's algorithm for setting rental prices amounts to price-fixing, has failed to allege an actual conspiracy, and is an example of regulatory overreach that should be reined in, says Andrew Ketterer at Ketterer & Ketterer.
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Navigating FEMA Grant Program For Slope Fixes After Storms
In the aftermath of Hurricanes Helene and Milton, it is critical for governments, businesses and individuals to understand the legal requirements of the Federal Emergency Management Agency's grant programs to obtain funding for crucial repairs — including restoration of damaged infrastructure caused by landslides and slope failures, says Charles Schexnaildre at Baker Donelson.
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Colorful Lessons From NYC's Emotional Support Parrot Suit
A recently settled lawsuit in New York federal court concerning housing discrimination claims from a resident who had emotional support parrots highlights the importance of housing providers treating accomodation questions seriously even if they may appear unusual or questionable, say attorneys at Seyfarth.
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Recent Securities Cases Highlight Risks In AI Disclosures
Increasing public disclosure about the use and risks of artificial intelligence, and related litigation asserting that such disclosures are false or misleading, suggest that issuers need to exercise great care with respect to how they describe the benefits of AI, say Richard Zelichov and Danny Tobey at DLA Piper.
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Consider Best Legal Practices For Commissioning Public Art
Commissioning public art for real estate projects can provide many benefits to real estate developers and the public, but it's important to understand the unique legal and contracting aspects of the process to ensure that projects are completed on time and on budget, says Sarah Conley Odenkirk at ArtConverge.
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Proposed Mortgage Assistance Rule: Tips For Servicers
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's recent proposal to alter Regulation X mortgage servicing procedures to broadly construe requests for assistance, and stay foreclosure proceedings during loss mitigation review, will, if finalized, require mortgage servicers to make notable procedural changes to comply, says Louis Manetti at Locke Lord.
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How Multifamily Property Owners Can Plan For The EV Future
As the electric vehicle market expands, and federal and state incentives and mandates intended to promote EV use come into effect, owners and operators of multifamily residential properties should be prepared to meet the growing demand for onsite EV charging infrastructure, say Sydney Tucker and Andreas Wokutch at Frost Brown.
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Fla. Insurer-Breach Cases Split On Unrepaired Property Issue
A Florida appellate court's recent decision in Universal v. Qureshi is directly at odds with a 2020 decision from another Florida appellate court, and raises important questions for policyholders and insurers about the proper measure of damages in breach claims involving unrepaired property, say Andrea DeField and Yaniel Abreu at Hunton.
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Colorado Banking Brief: All The Notable Legal Updates In Q3
In the third quarter of 2024, Colorado's banking and financial services sector faced both regulatory updates and changes to state law due to recent federal court decisions — with consequences for local governments, mortgage lenders, state-chartered trust companies and federally chartered lenders serving Colorado consumers, says Sarah Auchterlonie at Brownstein Hyatt.
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In The CFPB Playbook: No Lazy, Hazy Days Of Summer
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is headed for a brisk fall season, on the heels of a heated summer, which included the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling that the CFPB funding structure is constitutional, and in advance of the November election, says Eamonn Moran at Holland & Knight.
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Basel Endgame Rules: A Change Is Coming
The Federal Reserve Board's recently announced recalibration of the Basel endgame proposal begins a critical chapter in the evolution of not only the safety and soundness of U.S. banks, but also of banks' abilities to lend and support American businesses and consumers, say attorneys at Davis Wright.