Commercial
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August 26, 2024
Mo. Lowe's 'Dark Store' Comparables Get Rejected
A Missouri Lowe's property was properly valued at $9 million, the state tax commission ruled, rejecting the property owner's attempt to use vacant storefronts as comparable properties.
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August 26, 2024
Haber Law Continues Growth With Team From Beloff Law
Miami's Haber Law is continuing its growth spurt with the addition of a team from Beloff Law PA, including its founder, with 50 years of experience in real estate law.
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August 26, 2024
NYC Real Estate Week In Review
Neal Gerber, Fried Frank and DLA Piper are among the law firms that handled the largest New York City real estate deals that hit public records last week, a busy period that saw two transactions above the $300 million mark become public.
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August 26, 2024
Mo. Circle K Station's $1.2M Value Upheld
A Circle K gas station in Missouri was correctly assessed, despite the property owner's protest, because the owner failed to provide comparable properties to prove the value should be reduced, the state's tax commission ruled.
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August 26, 2024
Cleary Marks 75 Years In City Of Love With New Paris Office
Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP is celebrating its 75th anniversary in the City of Love by moving its Paris office to a new location in the Opera district, the firm announced Monday.
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August 23, 2024
Property Plays: KKR, NYC, GSA
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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August 23, 2024
Cypriot Cos. Say Serbia Must Face $32M Real Estate Claim
A group of Cypriot companies claiming that the Republic of Serbia owes them about $32 million for allegedly expropriated real estate are urging an international tribunal not to toss their claims, saying the country asserts wrongly that the arbitral body doesn't have jurisdiction in the dispute.
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August 23, 2024
Insurer Must Cover Flooded Basements, Mich. Panel Says
An insurer must pay a property owner over $150,000 in damages stemming from drain backups and water damage, a Michigan state appeals court ruled, finding that the property owner inquired about increased coverage before the discovery of the loss.
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August 23, 2024
JV Secures $73.3M Loan To Build Fla. Student Housing
Four real estate companies formed a joint venture that secured a $73.3 million senior construction loan for the venture's development of a Class A student housing project that will be located on the Florida State University campus, they announced.
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August 23, 2024
Colo. Board Wrong In Nixing Fees From Valuation, Court Rules
The Colorado Board of Assessment Appeals improperly applied a state Supreme Court decision that erroneously revived a dispute over whether fees should be included in a resort's property valuation, a state appeals court ruled.
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August 23, 2024
Wachtell Reps As MLB's Braves Announce Executive Shakeup
The parent company of the Atlanta Braves on Friday announced that Chairman and CEO Terry McGuirk will have increased voting power, representing a major shift in control after Liberty Media Corp. split off from the MLB team and its associated real estate development company in November 2022 to become a separate publicly traded entity.
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August 23, 2024
Williams Mullen Rehires Ellis & Winter Atty In NC
Williams Mullen has brought back a former associate, who is rejoining the firm's Raleigh, North Carolina, team as a partner to work on a range of commercial real estate-related matters.
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August 23, 2024
SBSB Eastham Adds Litigation Ace From Texas Boutique
Schouest Bamdas Soshea BenMaier & Eastham PLLC has bolstered its litigation offerings with a partner in Corpus Christi, Texas, who came aboard from regional boutique Porter Rogers Dahlman & Gordon PC.
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August 22, 2024
Pennsylvania Hospital Gets 1 Week Reprieve In Steward Ch. 11
A Texas bankruptcy judge on Thursday approved an order setting general closing procedures for bankrupt hospital operator Steward Health Care, but gave Pennsylvania authorities a week's reprieve as they try to arrange a hospital sale.
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August 22, 2024
NY Agency Defends Real Estate Plays, Tracking Amid Review
New York's Empire State Development pushed back against an audit from the Office of the New York State Comptroller finding that ESD filed inaccurate reports about its real estate properties and sold off a number of them for too little money.
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August 22, 2024
Texas Court Backs Nate Paul's Co. In Real Estate Receiver Row
A Texas state appeals court on Thursday reversed a decision allowing a receiver to settle a lawsuit on behalf of a company owned by real estate investor Nate Paul, relying largely on a dispute from an El Paso appeals court involving Paul's companies with "nearly identical" facts.
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August 22, 2024
Auburn Wants Out Of 11th Circ. Arguments Over Burial Ground
Auburn University has asked the Eleventh Circuit to be excused from oral arguments next month in a dispute between two Native American groups over a burial ground where centuries-old human remains were exhumed to make way for construction of a multimillion-dollar casino.
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August 22, 2024
Fla. Investment Firm Starts $500M Real Estate Credit Strategy
Florida-based investment shop Morning Calm Management has formed a $500 million platform focused on mezzanine lending and preferred equity deals in commercial real estate, with a plan to capitalize on a void in the market left by a pullback in bank lending, the company said Aug. 22.
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August 22, 2024
King & Spalding Grows New York Real Estate Group
An attorney specializing in transactional work and fund formation moved his practice this week to King & Spalding LLP's New York office after four and a half years with Schulte Roth & Zabel LLP.
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August 22, 2024
NY AG Tells Appeals Court To Uphold $465M Trump Judgment
Donald Trump has barely challenged the extensive proof of financial statement lies undergirding a $465 million civil fraud judgment against him and his co-defendants, New York's attorney general said in an appeals brief looking to preserve the bench verdict.
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August 22, 2024
Builder Wins $524M Contract For Cybersecurity Agency HQ
The U.S. General Services Administration announced that it has awarded a construction company with a $524 million contract to build the new Washington, D.C., headquarters for a U.S. Department of Homeland Security agency.
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August 22, 2024
Chinese Developer Seeks US Recognition For $7.4B Reorg
A Chinese real estate developer is asking a New York bankruptcy judge for U.S. recognition for its efforts to restructure more than $7.4 billion in overseas debt held in Hong Kong and the Cayman Islands.
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August 21, 2024
Top New York Real Estate News This Summer
Catch up on the hottest real estate news out of New York so far this summer, from office sales and foreclosures to casino projects and housing policies.
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August 21, 2024
Finance Guru Can't Send Timeshare Fraud Suit To Arbitration
Celebrity financial planner David L. Ramsey III and his company can't pause and arbitrate a proposed class action alleging they promoted a timeshare exit fraud scheme on his radio show, a Washington federal judge said Wednesday, finding they were not included in arbitration agreements with the timeshare owners.
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August 21, 2024
Insurers Escape Calif. Starbucks Drive-Thru Easement Row
A California appeals court affirmed a lower court decision, finding commercial property insurers didn't have to defend an owner who allegedly tricked one tenant into signing an easement agreement for a parking lot, neglecting to mention it would be used by a Starbucks drive-thru.
Expert Analysis
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Utilizing Liability Exemption When Calif. Cities Lease Property
With rising costs pushing California municipalities to lease real estate assets instead of purchasing them, municipalities should review the ample case law that supports certain exceptions to California Constitution Section 18(a) requirements, providing that certain long-term lease obligations are not considered to be liabilities, says Steven Otto at Crosbie Gliner.
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How NJ Worker Status Ruling Benefits Real Estate Industry
In Kennedy v. Weichert, the New Jersey Supreme Court recently said a real estate agent’s employment contract would supersede the usual ABC test analysis to determine his classification as an independent contractor, preserving operational flexibility for the industry — and potentially others, say Jason Finkelstein and Dalila Haden at Cole Schotz.
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A Checklist For Lenders Preparing For CRE Loan Defaults
Considering the recent interest rate environment, lenders should brush up on the proper steps that they should take when preparing to respond to a borrower's default on a commercial real estate loan, and borrowers should understand what lenders will be reviewing, says attorney Norma Williams.
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7th Circ Joins Trend Of No CGL Coverage For Structural Flaws
The Seventh Circuit, which recently held potential structural instability did not count as property damage under a construction company's commercial general liability policy, joins a growing consensus that faulty work does not implicate coverage without tangible and present damage to the project, say Sarah Abrams at Baleen Specialty, and Elan Kandel and James Talbert at Bailey Cavalieri.
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Criminal Enforcement Considerations For Gov't Contractors
Government contractors increasingly exposed to criminal liability risks should establish programs that enable detection and remediation of employee misconduct, consider voluntary disclosure, and be aware of the potentially disastrous consequences of failing to make a mandatory disclosure where the government concludes it was required, say attorneys at Crowell & Moring.
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Solving Puzzles Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Tackling daily puzzles — like Wordle, KenKen and Connections — has bolstered my intellectual property litigation practice by helping me to exercise different mental skills, acknowledge minor but important details, and build and reinforce good habits, says Roy Wepner at Kaplan Breyer.
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Boxing Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Boxing has influenced my legal work by enabling me to confidently hone the skills I've learned from the sport, like the ability to remain calm under pressure, evaluate an opponent's weaknesses and recognize when to seize an important opportunity, says Kirsten Soto at Clyde & Co.
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The Often Overlooked NY Foreclosure Notice Requirements
As multifamily real estate defaults mount, New York foreclosing parties should be aware of pitfalls and perils that can await the litigant who is not prepared to ensure adherence with tenant notice requirements under the Real Property Actions and Proceedings Law, say Christopher Gorman and John Muldoon at Rosenberg & Estis.
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A Case Study For Calif. Cities In Water Utility Takeovers
With growing water scarcity and drier weather looming, some local governments in California have sought to acquire investor-owned water utilities by eminent domain — but the 2016 case of Claremont v. Golden State Water is a reminder that such municipalization attempts must meet certain statutory requirements, say attorneys at Nossaman.
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Skiing And Surfing Make Me A Better Lawyer
The skills I’ve learned while riding waves in the ocean and slopes in the mountains have translated to my legal career — developing strong mentor relationships, remaining calm in difficult situations, and being prepared and able to move to a backup plan when needed, says Brian Claassen at Knobbe Martens.
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Lower Courts May Finally Be Getting The Memo After Ciminelli
A year after the U.S. Supreme Court again limited prosecutors' overbroad theories of fraud in Ciminelli v. U.S., early returns suggest that the message has at least partially landed with the lower courts, spotlighting lessons for defense counsel moving forward, says Kenneth Notter at MoloLamken.
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A Framework For Investigating Commercial Loan Fraud
As commercial loan transactions are increasingly subject to sophisticated fraud schemes, lenders must adopt dynamic strategies to detect, investigate and mitigate these schemes, say attorneys at Baker Donelson.
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Glassblowing Makes Me A Better Lawyer
I never expected that glassblowing would strongly influence my work as an attorney, but it has taught me the importance of building a solid foundation for your work, learning from others and committing to a lifetime of practice, says Margaret House at Kalijarvi Chuzi.