Residential
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January 31, 2025
Small Biz Attys Jump Into 4th Circ. Shell Co. Law Challenge
A business group has urged the Fourth Circuit to stop the U.S. Department of the Treasury from enforcing a law that requires companies to disclose personal identifying information about their beneficial owners and applicants to the agency, saying the law exceeds the limit of Congress' power to regulate intrastate economic activity.
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January 31, 2025
Ohio Businesses Hit Norfolk Southern With Derailment Suits
Norfolk Southern was hit with a slew of new lawsuits over the February 2023 train derailment and chemical spill in Ohio, including by two landlords who claim they lost tenants because of the environmental contamination.
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January 31, 2025
Top Bribe-Taker In NYC Housing Corruption Bust Gets 4 Years
A New York federal judge hit a former New York City public housing superintendent with a four-year prison term Friday, after he admitted taking $329,000 in bribes — the largest amount reported among 70 city workers caught up in a large-scale anti-corruption takedown.
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January 31, 2025
HUD Seeks Pause On Insurers' Appeal Over Fair Housing Rule
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development attorneys asked a D.C. Circuit court Friday to pause consideration of an insurance industry trade group's appeal over a HUD rule addressing discrimination claims under the Fair Housing Act, saying the agency's new leadership may reconsider the rule altogether.
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January 31, 2025
LA Fire Claims Tracker Reports More Than $4.2B In Payments
More than $4.2 billion in claims has been paid in connection with the devastating Eaton and Pacific Palisades fires in Los Angeles County that erupted in early January, according to data from a California Department of Insurance tracker.
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January 31, 2025
Insurer Says $30M Suit Over Child's Murder Not Covered
An insurer told a Tennessee federal court Friday that due to an assault and battery exclusion, a property management company had no coverage for an underlying $30 million wrongful death suit brought after a boy was fatally shot at one of the company's facilities.
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January 31, 2025
Supreme Court Eyes Its 'Next Frontier' In FCC Delegation Case
A case about broadband subsidies will give the U.S. Supreme Court the chance to revive a long-dormant separation of powers principle that attorneys say could upend regulations in numerous industries and trigger a power shift that would make last term's shake-up of federal agency authority pale in comparison. And a majority of the court already appears to support its resurrection.
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January 31, 2025
Property Plays: Surfside, Citadel, El Tropicano
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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January 31, 2025
Ga. Bill Seeks Homebuilding Sales Tax Break For Nonprofits
Georgia would provide a sales and use tax exemption for property used by nonprofit organizations to build or repair affordable housing as part of a bill introduced in the state House of Representatives.
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January 31, 2025
Judge Grants Fraud Retrial After Witness 'Forgot to Shut Up'
A Florida federal judge ordered a new trial in an insurance fraud case against the former medical director of a West Palm Beach sober living home, saying his 2022 conviction was tainted when the government's star witness "forgot to shut up" during testimony plagued with lies.
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January 31, 2025
Law360 Seeks Members For Its 2025 Editorial Boards
Law360 is looking for avid readers of our publications to serve as members of our 2025 editorial advisory boards.
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January 31, 2025
Trump Funding Freeze Blocked As Court Doubts Reversal
A Rhode Island federal judge on Friday issued a temporary restraining order barring the Trump administration from freezing spending on federal grant and aid programs, calling the move illegal and saying the issue was not mooted by a White House memo claiming the directive had been rescinded.
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January 31, 2025
Jury Instructions Tainted Ex-State's Atty's Trial, 4th Circ. Hears
A Fourth Circuit decision from 1938 took center stage Friday as a seemingly divided appellate panel debated whether a jury that found former Baltimore State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby guilty of mortgage fraud had been improperly instructed on where the crime occurred.
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January 31, 2025
NY Nursing Home Sale Request Delayed By Union Dispute
A bankrupt 588-bed Long Island nursing home Friday postponed its request that a New York bankruptcy judge approve the sale of its facility while its union workers and its proposed buyer try to work out the terms of their future contract.
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January 30, 2025
LA Fires Raise Flood And Mud Risk, But Coverage Possible
Los Angeles' first significant post-fire rainfall last weekend heightened the prospect that the city could suffer more damage from flooding and mudslides in burn areas, but policyholder attorneys say coverage for those normally excluded perils is possible.
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January 30, 2025
Healthy Multifamily Demand Outstrips New Construction
Even as multifamily construction completions continue to grow, renter demand across the country has outstripped new deliveries and driven moderate rent growth, per a fourth quarter report on the sector from CBRE.
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January 30, 2025
Trump Tariffs Could Raise LA Fire Insurance Recovery Costs
Large new tariffs under the second Trump administration could increase the cost of recovery efforts in Los Angeles for a series of major fires that are already expected to come with record-setting expenses for the insurance industry, according to experts.
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January 30, 2025
Allstate Units Say No Coverage For Rental Home Fire Dispute
Two Allstate insurers told a Pennsylvania federal court Thursday that they shouldn't have to cover an underlying suit accusing a group of college students of breaching their lease agreement after the New Jersey-based property they were renting caught fire due to improper disposal of smoking materials.
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January 30, 2025
3-Year Rule Repeal In La. Shifts Risk To Policyholders
A new year brings legislative changes and Louisiana was no exception after Gov. Jeff Landry approved a bill repealing the state's "three-year rule," a move intended to increase insurance competition in the Pelican State that left experts split over whether carriers will be awarded flexibility at homeowners' expense.
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January 30, 2025
MoFo Guides Welltower's $900M Senior Living REIT Deal
Healthcare real estate investment trust Welltower Inc. plans to acquire NorthStar Healthcare Income Inc., a senior living facility REIT, in a $900 million deal led by Morrison Foerster LLP.
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January 30, 2025
NC Biz Court Bulletin: Sanctions Miss, Philip Morris Refund
In the second half of January, the North Carolina Business Court tussled with sanctions against a biogas company, heard claims an insurer tried to deliberately embarrass Cadwalader Wickersham & Taft LLP and ordered an $11 million tax refund for Philip Morris.
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January 30, 2025
Blackstone Bullish On Data Center Demand As AI Evolves
Trillion-dollar asset management firm Blackstone Inc. said it had one of the best quarters in the firm's history in a call with analysts on Thursday, and although real estate was not a bright spot, the firm touted its private credit business and data center demand despite competing Chinese artificial intelligence.
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January 30, 2025
Broker Sues Builder After Condo Plan Ditched For Apartments
A brokerage contracted to market condominiums in Denver says a developer is refusing to pay commission and other costs after deciding to convert the project into an apartment complex, according to a lawsuit filed in Colorado state court.
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January 29, 2025
SEC Says PE Firm Defrauded Investors In $1B Fund
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission sued a private equity firm in Florida federal court Wednesday, alleging that it defrauded investors in a $1 billion fund by, among other things, falsely promising to segregate their assets and by transferring tens of millions of dollars into bank accounts held by the fund's leading executives.
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January 29, 2025
Senate Banking Committee Forms NFIP Working Group
With the National Flood Insurance Program's authorization set to expire in March, the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking has formed a working group to reform the program and work toward long-term reauthorization, a press release from committee chairman and South Carolina Republican Sen. Tim Scott said.
Weyerhaeuser Exec Says Tariffs Could Raise Lumber Prices
Hours before President Donald Trump announced new tariffs on imports from Canada, Mexico and China, Weyerhaeuser Co. CEO Devin Stockfish said such duties could push the cost of lumber imported from Canada higher.
Federal Freeze Sows Uncertainty In Real Estate Sector
Before a federal funding freeze was rescinded, disruptions to public housing payment systems and uncertainty surrounding federal housing programs put the real estate sector on edge, according to attorneys.
Beacon Roofing Nails Poison Pill To $11B Hostile Takeover Bid
Beacon Roofing Supply Inc. adopted a poison pill strategy on Tuesday, designed to thwart the $11 billion hostile takeover bid launched by tech and software company QXO Inc. the previous day.
Expert Analysis
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Illuminating The Trend Of Florida's Unpaid Hurricane Claims
The sheer number of insurance claims closed without payment for damage caused by Hurricanes Milton and Helene reveals a systemic problem within Florida's insurance industry exacerbated by complex issues, including climate change and state regulators' resource limitations, say attorneys at Farah & Farah.
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Insurance Considerations For LA Wildfire Recovery
Businesses and homeowners affected by the destructive Southern California wildfires must act swiftly and strategically to navigate the complexities of the insurance recovery process, including by identifying all applicable policies, documenting damage thoroughly and keeping abreast of relevant state law, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.
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LA Wildfires' Effect On Calif. Insurer Of Last Resort
Attorneys at Willkie discuss the background of California's insurer of last resort — known as the Fair Access to Insurance Requirements Plan — and examine the process of assessing member insurers and relevant recent property insurance market developments in light of the destruction from the ongoing Los Angeles wildfires.
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Algorithm Price-Fixing Ruling May Lower Antitrust Claims Bar
A Washington federal court's refusal to dismiss Duffy v. Yardi Systems, an antitrust case over rent prices allegedly inflated by revenue management software, creates an apparent split in the lower courts over how to assess such claims, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.
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California's New Homeowner Law Could Hamper Foreclosures
While A.B. 2424, which took effect this month in California, gives homeowners in default additional protections, it also provides loopholes that can be used to delay foreclosure auctions, and the cost of these delays will likely be passed on to the borrower, says Stephen Britt at Severson & Werson.
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Small Biz Caught In Corporate Transparency Act Crossfire
Despite compliance being put on hold due to a nationwide preliminary injunction, small businesses have been caught in the middle of the legal battle over the Corporate Transparency Act — and confusion over the law's requirements could result in major penalties, say attorneys at Snell & Wilmer.
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What's Ahead As Transparency Act Comes To A Crossroads
Synthesizing the contrasting federal district and appellate court rulings on the Corporate Transparency Act’s validity reveals several main areas of debate that will likely remain at issue as challenges to the law continue winding through the courts, say attorneys at Farella Braun.
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Ohio Banking Brief: All The Notable Legal Updates In Q4
Ohio's banking and financial services sector saw several significant developments in the fourth quarter of 2024, including a landmark Uniform Commercial Code ruling, adjustments to the state's Homebuyer Plus Program and the launch of the state's first women-led bank, says attorney Alex Durst.
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In The CFPB Playbook: A Sprint To The Finish Line
The fourth quarter of 2024 was an impressive demonstration of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's ability to regulate, enforce and supervise, even on borrowed time following the election results, and we should expect the current bureau to run nonstop until Jan. 20, say attorneys at Covington.
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The 6 Most Significant FCRA Litigation Developments Of 2024
From a key sovereign immunity decision at the U.S. Supreme Court to a ruling on creditworthiness out of the Seventh Circuit, several important Fair Credit Reporting Act cases wound their way through the courts in 2024, each offering takeaways for both plaintiffs and defendants, say attorneys at Shipkevich.
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10 Noteworthy CFPB Developments From 2024
In a banner year for consumer finance regulation, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau made significant strides in its efforts to rein in Big Tech and nonbank financial firms, including via rules regarding open banking, credit card late fees, and buy now, pay later products, say attorneys at Wiley.
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The Story Of 2024's Biggest Bank Regs, And Their Fate In 2025
U.S. federal bank regulators were very active in 2024 with initiatives ranging from antitrust and capital to proposals regarding controlling shareholders and incentive-based compensation, but many regulations face an uncertain future under the new administration, say attorneys at Latham.
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Conducting A 'Reasonably Expected Market Area' Analysis
Regardless of whether the incoming administration scales back on redlining examinations and investigations, lenders should take steps to understand how regulators define "reasonably expected market areas," and how to conduct analyses of such areas, say attorneys at Mitchell Sandler.