Residential
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August 27, 2025
Ga. Justices Back Income Approach For Low-Income Housing
County tax assessors in Georgia may use a method known as the income approach to determine the fair market value of properties that qualify for federal low-income housing tax credits, the state Supreme Court ruled, reversing an appeals court finding.
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August 27, 2025
Widow Wasn't Forced Into Sewage Settlement, 4th Circ. Told
The city of Charlotte, North Carolina, told the Fourth Circuit it did not pressure a widow to settle her property damage claims stemming from a sewage backup in her home, saying she was represented by a lawyer and was in good mental and physical health when she accepted the deal.
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August 27, 2025
Attys Navigate Tangle Of Transit-Oriented Zoning In Miami
The Miami City Commission's recent approval of a new category of transit-oriented zoning has added another layer to a rapidly changing, increasingly complex web of regulations and incentives that real estate attorneys must consider when guiding development projects in the city.
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August 27, 2025
Howard & Howard Hires Condo Law Pro
Howard & Howard has announced the firm added a real estate transactional and litigation expert, who is joining its Chicago office from a two-partner practice.
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August 27, 2025
NJ Panel Backs Co.'s Single-Family Subdivision Project
A New Jersey appellate court on Wednesday backed a lower court order that vacated a township planning board's rejection of an application for a subdivision project with nine single-family lots.
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August 27, 2025
Contractors Looking To AI To Navigate Construction Tariffs
Construction contractors are increasingly leveraging the power of artificial intelligence and technology to navigate the headwinds and uncertainty that have come with President Donald Trump's trade war, a technology executive recently told Law360 Real Estate Authority.
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August 27, 2025
Jones Day Continues Real Estate Growth With McDermott Atty
Jones Day announced the latest addition to its real estate practice on Wednesday, welcoming a New York-based attorney from McDermott Will & Schulte LLP.
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August 27, 2025
Atty Eyes Chilling Effect From Texas Foreign Ownership Law
In the latest effort by states to deter foreign control of real estate, Texas has introduced a sweeping prohibition, effective Sept. 1, against certain countries owning real property in the state. Polsinelli shareholder Weston B. Rockers explains how deals could be structured going forward — and how the law may scramble existing transactions.
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August 26, 2025
Expedia Says 11th Circ. Ruling Dooms Helms-Burton Verdict
Expedia, Orbitz and Hotels.com tried to undo a $29.85 million verdict over Helms-Burton Act violations Tuesday, telling a Florida federal judge the plaintiff, who claims his family owned a Cuban barrier island before its seizure by Fidel Castro's government, does not meet the Eleventh Circuit's recently set standard.
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August 26, 2025
Expert Sees No 'Ugly House' Mixup In Warner Bros. IP Case
During the second day of trial in Delaware federal court, a trademark litigation survey expert testified she found no public confusion with respect to Warner Bros. Discovery Inc.'s "Ugliest House in America" series and HomeVestors Inc.'s house-flipping business and "Ugliest House of the Year" campaign.
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August 26, 2025
Ohio House Bills Seek To End Or Limit Property Taxes
Three bills introduced in the Ohio House of Representatives would eliminate property taxes by 2030, allow voters to introduce ballot initiatives to lower property taxes and increase the approval threshold for passage of certain property taxes.
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August 26, 2025
NYC Real Estate Week In Review
Fried Frank, Davis Polk and Seyfarth guided a Manhattan real estate deal north of $1 billion, the first 10-figure New York City deed that's hit records this year and one of three large trades that became public last week.
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August 26, 2025
Calif. Senate OKs New Tax Default Property Sales Rules
California county boards of supervisors would be required to take new steps before approving the sale of a tax-defaulted property under a bill passed by the state Senate.
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August 26, 2025
1st Circ. Says Insurer Owes No Defense In Eviction Suits
A Liberty Mutual unit has no duty to defend a commercial real estate loan provider in underlying suits over the eviction of residents from a Massachusetts senior care facility, the First Circuit ruled, finding the insurer's denial of coverage to be reasonable.
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August 26, 2025
Fed's Lisa Cook Preps Lawsuit Over Trump Firing
Federal Reserve Gov. Lisa Cook is preparing to file a lawsuit over President Donald Trump's announcement that she has been terminated from her position, allegedly for committing mortgage fraud, her lawyer said Tuesday.
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August 26, 2025
Buchalter Adds Ex-Carlton Fields Attys To LA Office
Buchalter has hired two former Carlton Fields attorneys as shareholders for its corporate team in Los Angeles, and one of the announced hires is returning to the firm after almost 30 years.
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August 25, 2025
Nationstar Loan Payoff Statement Fees OK'd By Wash. Judge
A Washington federal judge has sided with Nationstar in a proposed class action alleging illegal fees, recognizing the home loan servicer is allowed to charge a "reasonable fee" for expedited delivery of a loan payoff statement upon request.
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August 25, 2025
Washington Judge OKs Tenant Class Challenging Lease Terms
A Washington federal judge certified a class of Washington tenants accusing a landlord for more than 700 U.S. residential properties of having lease provisions, such as service fees, that violate state law.
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August 25, 2025
Warner Bros. Denies 'Ugly House' Infringement At Del. Trial
An attorney for Warner Bros. Discovery Inc. told a Delaware federal judge on Monday its popular "Ugliest House in America" show had "nothing to do" with HomeVestors of America Inc.'s "Ugly House" competition, kicking off an infringement trial where the latter company is seeking millions in disgorgement.
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August 25, 2025
Trump Fires Fed's Lisa Cook Over Mortgage Fraud Allegation
President Donald Trump on Monday evening fired Federal Reserve Gov. Lisa Cook over his administration's allegation that she committed mortgage fraud, thrusting the White House into uncharted territory in its campaign to exert control over the central bank.
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August 25, 2025
Trustee For NJ House Flipper Cos. Seeks OK For Oct. Auction
The Chapter 11 trustee for companies tied to celebrity house flippers accused of a Ponzi-like scheme Monday asked a New Jersey bankruptcy judge to approve procedures for the sale of the companies' assets.
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August 25, 2025
Mich. Judge Backs 125% Recovery In Tax Foreclosure Deal
A Michigan federal judge has given the initial approval to a settlement between a proposed class of former property owners and two counties over allegations that the counties unlawfully kept surplus proceeds from the sales of their tax-foreclosed properties, a deal similar to one the same judge OK'd last week.
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August 25, 2025
Jury Awards Ex-Housing Worker $2.3M In Hostile Workplace Suit
A federal jury on Monday awarded a former homeownership coordinator at the public housing authority in Charlotte, North Carolina, more than $2 million in damages in her suit claiming she was subject to a hostile work environment after she reported concerns that the agency was discriminating against elderly and disabled veterans and other housing applicants.
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August 25, 2025
Vornado To Buy NYC Office Tower, Scraps Residential Plan
Vornado Realty Trust will pay $218 million to acquire and redevelop a 36-story office condominium into a new office property, canceling the seller's previous plan to convert the property into a residential building, the real estate investment trust announced Monday.
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August 25, 2025
NJ Court Upholds Most Claims In Judicial Privacy Suits
Lawsuits filed by a data privacy group representing judges, prosecutors and law enforcement officials may continue against companies and groups that published their home addresses and unlisted phone numbers after a New Jersey federal judge on Monday denied the defendants' motions to dismiss.
Expert Analysis
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What's New In Kentucky's Financial Services Overhaul
Kentucky's H.B. 726 will go into effect in July and brings with it some significant restructuring to the Kentucky Financial Services Code, including changes to mortgage loan license fees and repeals of provisions relating to installment term loans and savings associations, say attorneys at Frost Brown.
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A Comparison Of FDIC, OCC Proposed Merger Approaches
Max Bonici and Connor Webb at Venable take a closer look at the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.'s and Office of the Comptroller of the Currency's respective bank merger proposals and highlight certain common themes and important differences, in light of regulators continually rethinking their approaches to bank mergers.
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Tax Assessment: Recapping Georgia's Legislative Session
Jonathan Feldman and Alla Raykin at Eversheds Sutherland examine tax-related changes from Georgia’s General Assembly — such as the governor’s successful push to accelerate income tax cuts — and suggest steps to take before certain tax incentives are challenged in the state's next legislative session.
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11th Circ. Ruling May Foreshadow Ch. 15 Clashes
The Eleventh Circuit's recent decision in In re: Talal Qais Abdulmunem Al Zawawi has introduced a split from the Second Circuit regarding whether debtors in foreign proceedings must have a domicile, calling attention to the understudied nature of Chapter 15 of the Bankruptcy Code, say attorneys at Cleary.
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A Look At New IRS Rules For Domestically Controlled REITs
The Internal Revenue Services' finalized Treasury Regulations addressing whether real estate investment trusts qualify as domestically controlled adopt the basic structure of previous proposals, but certain new and modified rules may mitigate the regulations' impact, say attorneys at Simpson Thacher.
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What CRA Deadline Means For Biden Admin. Rulemaking
With the 2024 election rapidly approaching, the Biden administration must race to finalize proposed agency actions within the next few weeks, or be exposed to the chance that the following Congress will overturn the rules under the Congressional Review Act, say attorneys at Covington.
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How New Rule Would Change CFIUS Enforcement Powers
Before the May 15 comment deadline, companies may want to weigh in on proposed regulatory changes to enforcement and mitigation tools at the disposal of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, including broadened subpoena powers, difficult new mitigation timelines and higher maximum penalties, say attorneys at Venable.
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2nd Circ. Eminent Domain Ruling Empowers Municipalities
The Second Circuit's recent decision in Brinkmann v. Town of Southold, finding that a pretextual taking does not violate the Fifth Amendment's takings clause, gives municipalities a powerful tool with which to block unwanted development projects, even in bad faith, say James O'Connor and Benjamin Sugarman at Phillips Lytle.
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SEC Should Be Allowed To Equip Investors With Climate Info
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's new rule to require more climate-related disclosures will provide investors with much-needed clarity, despite opponents' attempts to challenge the rule with misused legal arguments, say Sarah Goetz at Democracy Forward and Cynthia Hanawalt at Columbia University’s Sabin Center for Climate Change.
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8 Fla. Statutes That Construction Cos. Should Prepare For
In this article, Jason Lambert at Hill Ward discusses a number of recent bills out of the Florida Legislature targeting construction companies in the Sunshine State that have been sent to the governor for signature, at least some of which will have broad impacts that affected companies should prepare for ahead of the July 1 effective date.
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Time To Fix NYC's Broken Property Assessment System
A New York appellate court's decision to revive Tax Equity Now New York v. City of New York may force the city to revamp its outdated and unfair real estate tax assessment system, which could be fixed with a couple of simple changes, says Seth Feldman at Romer Debbas.
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Understanding The IRC's Excessive Refund Claim Penalty
Taxpayers considering protective refund claims pending resolution of major questions in tax cases like Moore v. U.S., which is pending before the U.S. Supreme Court, should understand how doing so may also leave them vulnerable to an excessive refund claim penalty under Internal Revenue Code Section 6676, say attorneys at McDermott.
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Bankruptcy Ruling Shifts Lease Rejection Claim Calculation
A New York federal court’s recent ruling in In re: Cortlandt provides guidance on how to calculate a landlord's damages claim when a bankruptcy debtor rejects a lease, changing from an approach that considers the remaining rent due under the lease to one that considers the remaining time, say Bethany Simmons and Noah Weingarten at Loeb & Loeb.