Commercial
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October 07, 2024
Brothers' $10B Real Estate Battle Nets Another $11.6M In Fees
A California judge granted over $11 million in attorney fees Monday to a man who prevailed in a 20-year legal battle with his brother over a real estate empire when a jury awarded him and his other brothers a $10 billion verdict, granting the bulk of the request.
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October 07, 2024
NYC Real Estate Week In Review
Fried Frank and DLA Piper are among the law firms that steered the largest New York City real estate deals to hit records last week, with several Empire State Realty Trust matters topping the list.
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October 07, 2024
Feds Seek Tape, Allege Witness Tampering In WeWork Case
Prosecutors asked Sunday to subpoena a recording of an incident in which they say a former investment firm CEO who is accused of making a fraudulent offer for WeWork shares had improper contact with a witness expected to testify at the ex-CEO's upcoming trial.
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October 07, 2024
Royer Cooper Finds Right Fit With Ex-Armstrong Teasdale Atty
A real estate attorney's more than two decades of experience representing stakeholders on all sides of commercial real estate transactions made him the perfect choice for Royer Cooper Cohen Braunfeld LLC to make its first lateral addition to the Philadelphia-based firm's real estate practice in three years.
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October 07, 2024
6 High Court Cases To Watch For Trial Attorneys
As the U.S. Supreme Court lifts the curtain on a new term, the justices are slated to consider a variety of cases impacting the work of trial litigators, including a death penalty case over a state-disavowed conviction, the boundaries of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, and corporate veil piercing.
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October 07, 2024
3 Firms Advise $1B Blue Owl Buy Of Data Center Firm IPI
Asset manager Blue Owl Capital said Monday that it will pay $1 billion to acquire digital infrastructure fund manager IPI Partners, in a deal advised by Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP, Morrison Foerster LLP and Kirkland & Ellis LLP.
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October 07, 2024
NC Paper Mill Says Buyer Can't Ditch Deal Over Flood Damage
The owners of a shuttered paper mill in flood-ravaged western North Carolina are suing a development group for threatening to walk away from a contract to buy and redevelop the site, saying the group can't use Hurricane Helene as an excuse to slash the price.
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October 07, 2024
Supreme Court Passes On Developer's Takings Case
The U.S. Supreme Court decided Monday not to evaluate an Eleventh Circuit decision in favor of a developer who accused an Alabama county and its zoning board of an unconstitutional regulatory taking after they revoked a permit for a $1 million three-story development and issued a stop-work order.
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October 07, 2024
High Court Won't Look At Texas Tax Foreclosure Fight
The U.S. Supreme Court declined on Monday to review a Texas high court ruling that upended an oil company's victory over litigants challenging the tax foreclosure sale of mineral interests.
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October 04, 2024
Antitrust Groups Ask 9th Circ. To Revive Price-Fixing Suit
Three antitrust advocacy groups asked the Ninth Circuit to resuscitate a proposed class action accusing several hotel operators and two software companies in Nevada federal court of engaging in a price-fixing scheme involving algorithmic software.
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October 04, 2024
Martin Selig Fights Founder Deposition In Renovation Bill Suit
Affiliates of Martin Selig Real Estate told a Washington state court that the company's founding billionaire should not be deposed in a suit brought by a tenant of the Seattle Federal Reserve building over the bill for renovation work at the property.
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October 04, 2024
Property Plays: Verizon, HUD, ArentFox Schiff
Property Plays is a weekly roundup of the latest loans, leases, sales and projects around the country. Send your tips — all confidential — to realestate@law360.com.
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October 04, 2024
Iowa Farmer Wants Court To Nix Federal 'Swampbuster' Law
A farmer pushed an Iowa federal court to overturn the "Swampbuster" part of a federal conservation program that aims to protect wetlands for public use, arguing that the law is unconstitutional.
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October 04, 2024
EB-5 Partner Accuses NC Atty Of Aiding Investor Coup
A company created to protect an investment project supporting green card applications for Chinese nationals accused a North Carolina attorney in state court of helping shareholders try to place the company into receivership and take control of a $30 million fund.
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October 04, 2024
Fried Frank Guides ArentFox Schiff HQ Move In DC
ArentFox Schiff LLP is relocating its Washington, D.C., headquarters to Carr Properties' Midtown Center, where it will take up 120,000 square feet and three full floors, per the landlord who was advised by Fried Frank Harris Shriver & Jacobson LLP.
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October 04, 2024
Fried Frank Guides $68M Brooklyn Retail Properties Deal
Fried Frank Harris Shriver & Jacobson LLP guided L3 Capital LLC's $68 million sale of multiple properties in Brooklyn, New York, to real estate investment trust Empire State Realty Trust Inc., according to official property records.
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October 04, 2024
Ex-Skadden Partner Leaves Retirement, Joins AY Strauss
Commercial real estate boutique A.Y. Strauss announced Thursday that it had hired a former Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom LLP litigator who is returning to the legal field after retiring in 2020.
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October 04, 2024
Life Sciences Returning To Pre-Pandemic Norms, CBRE Finds
Life sciences construction costs have skyrocketed since the onset of the pandemic, attributable to inflation pressure, rising costs for specialty equipment and growing lead times for equipment shipped from overseas, per a report from CBRE.
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October 04, 2024
Ore. Court Reverses Transfer Of Pot Facility's Tax Account
A property tax account for the interior improvements in an Oregon warehouse leased to a marijuana grower was improperly reassigned from the grower to the warehouse owner, the state's tax court said, reversing a change made by a local assessor.
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October 04, 2024
Perkins Coie Renovates Portland Office Upon Lease Renewal
More than four decades after first setting up shop in Portland, Oregon, Perkins Coie announced this week that it is renewing its office lease in the city's Pearl District and conducting renovations to include features like uniform offices and hoteling areas.
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October 03, 2024
Brookfield Sued Over LA Subway Terminal Building Damage
The owner of the subterranean floors of Los Angeles' old Subway Terminal Building has filed suit against Brookfield Properties Multifamily LLC and the affiliated owner of aboveground luxury units, arguing the pair must pay for water damage in the basement.
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October 03, 2024
Helene's Devastation Worsened By Inadequate Insurance
Hurricane Helene's devastating path across the southeastern U.S. has brought concerns about inadequate flood insurance and resilience measures to the forefront of a national conversation on the risks of extreme precipitation.
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October 03, 2024
12 Lawyers Who Are The Future Of The Supreme Court Bar
One attorney hasn't lost a single U.S. Supreme Court case she's argued, or even a single justice's vote. One attorney is perhaps "the preeminent SCOTUS advocate." And one may soon become U.S. solicitor general, despite acknowledging there are "judges out there who don't like me." All three are among a dozen lawyers in the vanguard of the Supreme Court bar's next generation, poised to follow in the footsteps of the bar's current icons.
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October 03, 2024
Crowell & Moring Loses Bid For $30M COVID Rent Refund
Crowell & Moring LLP cannot make its landlord in the District of Columbia pay back $30 million in rent it paid during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic when the office building stood empty and most of the firm's attorneys worked from home, a D.C. judge ruled Thursday.
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October 03, 2024
Allred Feud With Ex-Tenant Over 'Large Rodent' Puzzles Judge
Gloria Allred's long-running dispute with a former tenant — who said he fled rats in her Manhattan apartment eight years ago — spilled into New York federal court Monday, leaving the judge to wonder aloud why the celebrity attorney was still suing the man over a $25,000 claim as he sought bankruptcy protection.
Expert Analysis
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Weisselberg's Perjury At Trial Spotlights Atty Ethics Issues
Former Trump Organization executive Allen Weisselberg’s recent guilty plea for perjury in the New York attorney general's civil fraud trial should serve as a reminder to attorneys of their ethical duties when they know a client has lied or plans to lie in court, and the potential penalties for not fulfilling those obligations, say Hilary Gerzhoy and Julienne Pasichow at HWG.
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Climate Disclosure Mandates Demand A Big-Picture Approach
As carbon emissions disclosure requirements from the European Union, California and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission take effect, the best practice for companies is not targeted compliance with a given reporting regime, but rather a comprehensive approach to systems assessment and management, says David Smith at Manatt.
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Playing Hockey Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Nearly a lifetime of playing hockey taught me the importance of avoiding burnout in all aspects of life, and the game ultimately ended up providing me with the balance I needed to maintain success in my legal career, says John Riccione at Taft.
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Trump's NY Civil Fraud Trial Spotlights Long-Criticized Law
A New York court’s recent decision holding former President Donald Trump liable for fraud brought old criticisms of the state law used against him back into the limelight — including its strikingly broad scope and its major departures from the traditional elements of common law fraud, say Mark Kelley and Lois Ahn at MoloLamken.
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$175M Bond Refiled By Trump Is Still Substantively Flawed
The corrected $175 million bond posted by former President Donald Trump on Thursday to stave off enforcement of the New York attorney general's fraud judgment against him remains substantively and procedurally flawed, as well as inadequately secured, says Adam Pollock of Pollock Cohen.
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Calif. Ruling Shows Limits Of Exculpatory Lease Clauses
A California court's recent decision in Epochal Enterprises v. LF Encinitas Properties, finding a landlord liable for failing to disclose the presence of asbestos on the subject property, underscores the limits of exculpatory clauses' ability to safeguard landlords from liability where known hazards are present, say Fawaz Bham and Javier De Luna at Hunton.
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Serving As A Sheriff's Deputy Made Me A Better Lawyer
Skills developed during my work as a reserve deputy — where there was a need to always be prepared, decisive and articulate — transferred to my practice as an intellectual property litigator, and my experience taught me that clients often appreciate and relate to the desire to participate in extracurricular activities, says Michael Friedland at Friedland Cianfrani.
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Payment Provision Lessons From NJ Construction Ruling
A New Jersey appellate court's decision in Bil-Jim v. Wyncrest, holding that an American Institute of Architects contract was not an installment contract, highlights both the complexities of statute of limitations calculations and the significant consequences that can arise from minor differences in contract language, say Mitchell Taraschi and Zac Brower at Connell Foley.
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Spray Painting Makes Me A Better Lawyer
My experiences as an abstract spray paint artist have made me a better litigator, demonstrating — in more ways than one — how fluidity and flexibility are necessary parts of a successful legal practice, says Erick Sandlin at Bracewell.
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A Legal Playbook For Stadium Construction Agreements
As a new wave of construction in the professional sports arena space gets underway, owners must carefully consider the unique considerations and risks associated with these large-scale projects and draft agreements accordingly, say attorneys at Akerman.
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Document Retention Best Practices To Lower Litigation Risks
As new technologies emerge and terabytes of data can be within the purview of a single discovery request, businesses small and large should take four document management steps to effectively minimize risks of litigation and discovery sanctions long before litigation ensues, says Kimbrilee Weber at Norris McLaughlin.
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Riding My Peloton Bike Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Using the Peloton platform for cycling, running, rowing and more taught me that fostering a mind-body connection will not only benefit you physically and emotionally, but also inspire stamina, focus, discipline and empathy in your legal career, says Christopher Ward at Polsinelli.
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The Challenges SEC's Climate Disclosure Rule May Face
Attorneys at Debevoise examine potential legal challenges to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's new climate-related disclosure rule — against which nine suits have already been filed — including arguments under the Administrative Procedure Act, the major questions doctrine, the First Amendment and the nondelegation doctrine.