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  • January 13, 2025

    On Cross, Madigan Says He Merely Helped Job-Seekers

    Former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan distanced himself Monday from political allies who prosecutors say bribed him for jobs and other benefits, saying his recommendations were just that, and that he thought he was effective in shutting down a former alderman's quid pro quo suggestion.

  • January 13, 2025

    SoCal Edison Hit With Flurry Of Suits Over Eaton Fire

    Southern California Edison was hit with multiple lawsuits by Altadena fire victims in California state court Monday, accusing the investor-owned public utility of negligently managing power-line equipment that on Jan. 7 purportedly sparked the Eaton Fire, which has already damaged over 7,000 structures and killed at least 16 individuals.

  • January 13, 2025

    Manufactured Housing Groups Seek Early Win Against DOE

    Two manufactured-housing trade groups pushed for an early win in Texas federal court in their suit against the U.S. Department of Energy over an energy conservation rule for manufactured housing that the groups claimed failed to hit "a rational balance between energy conservation and affordable housing."

  • January 13, 2025

    Ind. Senate Bill Seeks To Cap Local Property Tax Hikes

    Indiana would not allow a political subdivision to increase its property tax levy if there is not an increase in the subdivision's assessed value under a bill introduced Monday in the state Senate.

  • January 13, 2025

    NYC Real Estate Week In Review

    Greenberg Traurig LLP and DLA Piper are among the law firms that handled the largest real estate deals to hit New York City public records last week, a period that saw a number of transactions that signed and closed near the year-end deadline become public.

  • January 13, 2025

    Ky. House Bill Seeks Referendum Toward Axing Property Tax

    Kentucky would put forward a referendum asking voters to give lawmakers the power to eliminate the state's property tax by exempting all property classes from tax under a bill introduced in the state House of Representatives.

  • January 13, 2025

    4 Firms Guide $445M Deal To Renovate Harlem Public Housing

    The New York City Housing Authority wrapped up $445 million in financing that will go toward renovating the public housing authority's Manhattanville Houses residential complex in transactions worked on by Sidley Austin, Ballard Spahr, Nixon Peabody and Buchalter PC.

  • January 13, 2025

    Kramer Levin Elevates Partner To Land-Use Co-chair

    New York City law firm Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP has promoted James P. Power to co-chair of its land use department. The leadership update comes at a time of dramatic changes to land use in New York City, and Power said he expects there to be a lot of development activity.

  • January 13, 2025

    Justices Want Solicitor General To Weigh Alaska Land Feud

    The U.S. Supreme Court asked the solicitor general Monday to weigh in on a review petition filed by an Alaskan property owner embroiled in a land feud with his neighbor.

  • January 13, 2025

    BMO Unit To Pay SEC $40M Over Bond Desk Supervision

    BMO Capital Markets has agreed to pay $40 million to end a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission investigation into the broker-dealer's supervision of its mortgage-back bonds salespeople, with the SEC saying Monday that the brokerage firm failed to stop employees from providing inaccurate information about the bonds.

  • January 13, 2025

    Justices Won't Hear Bid To Quash Antitrust Probe Of Realtors

    The Supreme Court refused on Monday to review the National Association of Realtors' bid to block a reopened U.S. Department of Justice antitrust investigation of the trade group's rules.

  • January 10, 2025

    DOJ Sues Airbnb After Host Denied Rental To Mom With Kids

    The U.S. Department of Justice on Friday accused Airbnb of violating the Fair Housing Act over allegations that one of the company's hosts refused to rent an apartment in Alabama to a mother because she had three school-aged children.

  • January 10, 2025

    NJ Justices Say Private Lienholders Can Be State Actors

    The Garden State's highest court has ruled that a previous version of the New Jersey Tax Sale Law is unconstitutional, pointing to U.S. Supreme Court precedent in concluding that private lienholders are not entitled to surplus equity in property that exceeds the debt owed.

  • January 10, 2025

    NC Co. Sues State, Duke Energy Over Lake Bed Compensation

    A North Carolina company is suing the state and Duke Energy Carolinas LLC in North Carolina federal court for compensation, after a state high court took away its lake bed parcel following a land dispute with the energy company and other parties.

  • January 10, 2025

    Fair Housing Group Accuses Landlord Of Disability Bias

    An Ohio-based fair housing organization filed a federal suit against a rental owner and operator in a suburb of Dayton, Ohio, on Friday, alleging a fair housing tester posing as a renter had been told they would have to pay an additional fee for a service animal.

  • January 10, 2025

    Ga. Solar Farm Damages Fight Settles Ahead Of April Trial

    A Georgia couple has reached a settlement with the owners and developers of a neighboring solar farm and their contractor just two months after a judge ordered that a second trial was needed to determine damages in the multimillion-dollar case.

  • January 10, 2025

    Property Plays: Palladius, Tishman Speyer, Stockdale

    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.

  • January 10, 2025

    LA Fire Insured Damages Could Top $20B, JP Morgan Says

    Insured losses from wildfires still blazing through Los Angeles could exceed $20 billion, J.P. Morgan analysts said in client notes, a steep increase from the more than $12 billion California insurers incurred from the next costliest spate of wildfires in 2018.

  • January 10, 2025

    Sidley Austin Guides $244.3M Financing For Two Trees Tower

    Two Trees Management secured $244.3 million in financing for its doughnut-shaped luxury tower at 325 Kent Ave. that's part of its Domino Sugars development in the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York, in a transaction advised by Sidley Austin LLP.

  • January 10, 2025

    Feds Say Rocket Mortgage Can't Avoid Race Bias Suit

    The federal government has pushed back against Rocket Mortgage LLC's motion to dismiss a racial discrimination suit accusing the company and other parties of undervaluing a Black woman's Denver duplex after she applied for refinancing.

  • January 09, 2025

    Surprise NC Downzoning Ban Hamstrings Local Gov. Control

    An unassuming provision tacked onto the end of a hodgepodge year-end bill in North Carolina has had a chilling effect on real estate development across the state amid fears for its sweeping consequences.

  • January 09, 2025

    Zillow Brings 'Goldman' Debate Over Class Cert. To 9th Circ.

    Zillow Group Inc. is asking the Ninth Circuit to issue its first ruling on the correct application of a U.S. Supreme Court's Goldman decision to investor class certification bids, saying a lower court was wrong to certify a class of shareholders who alleged that the company misled them about the robustness of its now defunct home-flipping business.

  • January 09, 2025

    Fla. Condos Tied To Sanctioned Russians Transferred To Feds

    The U.S. government has taken ownership of two Florida luxury condominiums allegedly tied to Russians sanctioned for their roles in the annexation of the Ukrainian region of Crimea in 2014 and for their involvement in the properties being used to launder rental proceeds.

  • January 09, 2025

    Top Climate Stories For Insurance Attys To Watch In 2025

    Climate change is fueling a national insurance crisis that is threatening housing markets, municipal tax revenues and the ability to adapt to extreme weather events. Here, Law360 examines the top climate stories attorneys should watch in 2025.

  • January 09, 2025

    DOJ Wants Time At 9th Circ. In Zillow, NAR Antitrust Case

    The U.S. Department of Justice has asked the Ninth Circuit for permission to appear at oral arguments in an appeal looking to revive antitrust claims from a defunct brokerage platform against Zillow and the National Association of Realtors.

Expert Analysis

  • Ohio Banking Brief: All The Notable Legal Updates In Q4

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    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.

  • In The CFPB Playbook: A Sprint To The Finish Line

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    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.

  • The 6 Most Significant FCRA Litigation Developments Of 2024

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    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.

  • 10 Noteworthy CFPB Developments From 2024

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    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.

  • The Story Of 2024's Biggest Bank Regs, And Their Fate In 2025

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    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.

  • Conducting A 'Reasonably Expected Market Area' Analysis

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    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.

  • Adapting Force Majeure To A Predictably Unpredictable World

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    As the climate and political landscapes get more complicated, force majeure provisions will likely be triggered increasingly often, demanding an evolving understanding of when events and their impacts are truly unforeseeable, say attorneys at Nossaman.

  • Impact Of Corporate Transparency Act Ambiguity On Banks

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    Even though banks generally needn't file beneficial ownership information reports, financial institutions must continue to monitor the status of the Corporate Transparency Act and understand its requirements in case the nationwide injunction that was issued against the CTA earlier this month is overturned, say attorneys at Armstrong Teasdale.

  • Strategies For Home Equity Investment Providers In 2025

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    The home equity investment product market is thriving even amid consumer concerns, regulatory scrutiny and conflicting court decisions, setting the stage for a promising but challenging environment for providers in 2025, say attorneys at Sheppard Mullin.

  • What Interest Rate Cuts Mean For Housing Markets

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    The Federal Reserve's recent reduction of interest rates may provide limited immediate relief for real estate sectors, but offers potential opportunities for commercial real estate investors and construction firms, which now face an environment ripe for new projects, say attorneys at Cozen O'Connor.

  • California Supreme Court's Year In Review

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    Attorneys at Horvitz & Levy highlight notable decisions on major questions from the California Supreme Court's last term, including voter initiatives, hostile work environment and the economic loss rule.

  • How CFIUS' Updated Framework Affects Global Investors

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    The recent change to the monitoring and enforcement regulations governing the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States will broaden administrative practices around nonnotified transaction investigations, increase the scope of information demands from the committee and accelerate its ability to impose mitigation on parties, say attorneys at Simpson Thacher.

  • 'Reverse Redlining' Suit Reveals Language Risks For Lenders

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    The Justice Department's case against consumer finance provider Colony Ridge highlights the government's focus on lending to consumers with limited English proficiency and the risks of generating marketing materials in other languages while conducting actual transactions in English, say attorneys at Goodwin.