Commercial

  • October 18, 2024

    5th Circ. Partially Upholds $2M Win In Hurricane Coverage Suit

    The Fifth Circuit has upheld in part a Louisiana church's more than $2 million judgment win against an insurer that was accused of not paying enough for the church's hurricane damage claims.

  • October 18, 2024

    Feds Defend Bribery Charge Against NYC Mayor Adams

    Federal prosecutors pushed back Friday on New York City Mayor Eric Adams' attempt to erase a bribery charge from his indictment, arguing that while Adams claims his acts were "routine" and allowed under a recent U.S. Supreme Court precedent, a jury could still find his alleged favor trading illegal.

  • October 18, 2024

    NFL Stadiums May Lose $11B To Climate Change By 2050

    Three NFL stadiums could suffer up to an estimated $11 billion in losses by 2050 due to climate change, according to a recent report from a climate risk data analytics company.

  • October 18, 2024

    Minn. Tax Court Refuses Big Changes To Parking Lot's Value

    The Minnesota Tax Court lowered the assessed value of a parking lot property by about $200,000 to $11.7 million, rejecting arguments for larger changes by the property owner and a county.

  • October 18, 2024

    NYC Building Sold After Losing Half Of Tenants To Ch. 11

    A historic mixed-use building in New York City's Chelsea neighborhood that was ravaged by the bankruptcies of two major tenants has been acquired and recapitalized by a partnership of RXR Realty and Hudson Bay Capital through a $421 million financing package from Blackstone, the buyers announced Friday.

  • October 18, 2024

    Winston & Strawn Expands New Miami Office Footprint

    Winston & Strawn LLP is planning to rent more room at Miami's largest office building come 2025, cementing its presence at the property it once deemed a temporary home while it waited for construction at the 830 Brickell office tower to wrap up, a managing partner of the law firm told Law360 Friday.

  • October 17, 2024

    Ex-NFL Player Indicted For Real Estate Embezzlement

    Former Detroit Lions player Chris Harrison skimmed loan proceeds intended for real estate developments to fund personal expenses, including Rolex watches, landscaping services and a home mortgage, federal prosecutors alleged when announcing charges against the former NFL player on Thursday.

  • October 17, 2024

    Lender Says Denver Property Owner Defaulted On $27M Loan

    A lender told a Colorado state court that it wants a Denver retail property to be placed in receivership after the owner allegedly defaulted on a $27.1 million commercial mortgage loan this month.

  • October 17, 2024

    Milton Brings High Insured Costs, Familiar Pressures To Fla.

    While Florida avoided a worst case scenario following Hurricane Milton's landfall, insurance experts say that the high cost of the storm will add familiar pressures to a Florida homeowners insurance market that has been battered for years by storms.

  • October 17, 2024

    Mont. Tax Board Upholds Assessment On Storage Facility

    The owner of a Montana commercial property used to house storage units was unable to lower its value because the state Tax Appeal Board gave more weight to the state Department of Revenue's valuation using an income analysis. 

  • October 17, 2024

    Fried Frank Guides Extell's $159M Madison Avenue Tower Buy

    Fried Frank advised on Extell Development's acquisition of a 24-story tower at 655 Madison Avenue for nearly $160 million after seller Williams Equities moved to demolish the building in August.

  • October 17, 2024

    Trepp Eyes CMBS Loans On Southeast Coast After Hurricanes

    Real estate research firm Trepp has its eye on four commercial mortgage-backed securities collateralized by office, hotel and mall properties in the wake of Hurricanes Helene and Milton, the firm reported Oct. 16.

  • October 17, 2024

    Meet Attys In Chancery Fight Over Helene-Damaged Paper Mill

    Paul Weiss Rifkind Wharton & Garrison LLP attorneys are representing the owner of a shuttered paper mill in flood-ravaged western North Carolina in a Delaware Chancery Court action that aims to force a development group, represented by Ross Aronstam & Moritz LLP, to buy and redevelop the site.

  • October 16, 2024

    Hurricanes Stir Questions On 'Acts Of God' In Contracts

    The predictability of extreme weather events is bringing renewed attention to force majeure clauses in real estate contracts and whether incidents like a pair of devastating hurricanes in Florida can really be classified as unforeseeable "act of God" events.

  • October 16, 2024

    Real Estate Lenders Are Borrowers In Debt Funds' Rise

    Private credit may have stepped in to fill the void when banks pulled back significantly from lending to commercial property owners, but that doesn't mean banks have left the picture.

  • October 16, 2024

    Developers Push On After Mich. Township Bike Law Loss

    Two developers urged a Michigan federal court to upend a Jamestown Charter Township ordinance under which some developers must fund the construction of bike paths, arguing that fees they were charged under the law were unconstitutional takings.

  • October 16, 2024

    Developer, Investment Firm Complete 57-Story Miami Tower

    Developer OKO Group and real estate investment firm Cain International received a temporary certificate of occupancy from Miami for their 57-story office tower, the companies announced Wednesday.

  • October 16, 2024

    Blank Rome Guides $250M Loan For Archdiocese Of NY

    The Archdiocese of New York borrowed a $250 million mortgage loan from Goldman Sachs Bank USA for multiple New York City properties including a hotel in a deal guided by Blank Rome LLP, according to official property records filed Wednesday.

  • October 16, 2024

    Barings Offers $134M Refi For NC Apartment Complex

    Barings has provided a five-year, $134 million loan to refinance the debt for a 283-unit, mixed-use North Carolina apartment complex, the real estate investment management company announced.

  • October 15, 2024

    Exec's $77M WeWork Offer Was Stupid, Not Fraud, Jury Told

    Counsel for the former CEO of real estate investment firm Arciterra told a Manhattan federal jury Tuesday his client was a fool for making what prosecutors described as a fake $77 million tender offer for a controlling stake in WeWork before its bankruptcy, but he wasn't trying to falsely pump up the coworking company's stock price.

  • October 15, 2024

    Cohen Drags $187M Monster Loan Guaranty Suit To Appeal

    Billionaire real estate developer Charles Cohen appealed a New York state court's earlier October ruling that paved the way for Fortress Credit Corp. to collect on a $187 million personal guaranty, as part of the company's ongoing efforts to recover a $534 million loan.

  • October 15, 2024

    Three Cos. Combine On $3.4B Texas Data Center Complex

    Blue Owl Capital, infrastructure firm Crusoe Energy Systems and investor Primary Digital Infrastructure said Tuesday they are pooling $3.4 billion to build a 1 million-square-foot data center campus in Abilene, Texas.

  • October 15, 2024

    Law Firm Ducks Sanctions Over Depos In NJ Malpractice Suit

    A New Jersey state judge has declined to sanction Chaitman LLP in a dispute over the order of depositions in a malpractice lawsuit stemming from real estate litigation.

  • October 15, 2024

    NYC Real Estate Week In Review

    Gutman Weiss and Price Law Firm are among the firms that guided the largest New York City real estate deals that hit public records last week, with three of the week's five largest deals being Brooklyn matters.

  • October 15, 2024

    Judge Rejects Firm's 'Support' Framing In Racetrack Flaw Suit

    A Florida state judge on Tuesday denied an attempt by a British racetrack consultant to define its role as merely providing "support" to the construction of a track that failed during the Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix race in 2022.

Expert Analysis

  • Lessons In Chancery Toss Of Claims Against CoreLogic CEO

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    Attorneys at Fried Frank discuss key takeaways for boards, including justifications for accepting a lower takeover offer, following the Delaware Chancery Court's recent dismissal of claims that the ex-CEO of CoreLogic breached fiduciary duty during his $6 billion take-private sale of the company.

  • India's Budget Proposals May Ease Entry For Certain Sectors

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    India’s recently released budget includes proposals to facilitate doing business in Gujarat International Finance Tec-City and moderate thousands of compliance requirements, opening up new opportunities for foreign businesses in the digital infrastructure, manufacturing and renewable energy sectors, say Mukesh Butani and Seema Kejriwal at BMR Legal.

  • NY Law Alters Foreclosure Timeliness Framework Post-Engel

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    New York's recently passed Foreclosure Abuse and Prevention Act aims to prevent lender manipulation of foreclosure statutes of limitations following the Court of Appeals' 2021 decision in Freedom Mortgage v. Engel, and should cause lenders to work with mortgagees to resolve defaults, say attorneys at Abrams Fensterman.

  • Key Considerations For Appointing A Real Estate Receiver

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    With commercial real estate loan distress expected to grow dramatically in the coming months, lenders should make sure to understand best practices for seeking appointment of a receiver over a defaulted property, say Dave Wald at Wald Realty Advisors and Mark Silverman at Locke Lord.

  • Even Recession-Proof Cos. Need Strong Compliance Controls

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    While industries seen as safe from recession may face rapid growth in an economic downturn, companies under pressure to meet rising demand might ignore signs of fraud, which is why they must develop and maintain a robust compliance program, say consultants at Charles River Associates.

  • New AML Law May Be Key Tool To Enforce Russia Sanctions

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    A new anti-money laundering law for the first time authorizes monetary rewards for tips leading to government enforcement against certain sanctions violations, and though many questions remain, it gives the U.S. an additional tool in the ongoing global battle against Russian aggression, say Daren Firestone and Kimberly Wehle at Levy Firestone.

  • How Gov't Enviro Justice Push May Affect Developers

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    Attorneys at Crowell & Moring contextualize the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's recent guidance on environmental justice and permitting decisions, and the U.S. Department of Energy's requests for input on using grants to achieve EJ goals, highlighting practical implications for project developers and other industry participants.

  • The EPA's New Enviro Site Assessment Standard: Key Points

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    While the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's previous standard for Phase I environmental site assessments will remain valid for another year, the agency's recent final approval of the newer ASTM E1527-21 standard means that it now represents the best practice for conducting ESAs, says Sedina Banks at Greenberg Glusker.

  • FinCEN Report Holds Key Russia-Linked Risk Considerations

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    A recent report from the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network reminds financial institutions to review guidance issued on reporting Russia-linked suspicious activity, emphasizing the need to review anti-money laundering and sanctions monitoring processes to remain adaptive to global developments, say Siana Danch and Peter Hardy at Ballard Spahr.

  • Recession Or Not, Elevated Restructuring Activity Is Coming

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    2023 is set up to be a strong year for corporate distress and reorganization, recession withstanding, but it may not be the blowout year that some are expecting — depending on whether the Fed continues its inflation fight and whether sponsors can go all out to defend investments, says Michael Eisenband at FTI Consulting.

  • Ruling Shows New Potential For Retroactive For-Cause Firings

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    A New York federal court's recent decision in Kulick v. Gamma Real Estate shed light on the important question of whether an employer may retroactively terminate an employee for cause and opened the door for such terminations based on what is known as the after-acquired evidence doctrine, say Reid Skibell and Megan Reilly at Glenn Agre.

  • Mapping The Transport Sector's Road To Zero Emissions

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    Transportation companies that hope to lead the multiagency U.S. National Blueprint for Transportation Decarbonization's recently announced transition to zero-emission vehicles and fuels should anticipate a host of commercial and legal issues, say Levi McAllister and Pamela Wu at Morgan Lewis.

  • A Look At Lease Expansion Options In A Challenging Market

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    Expansion options can provide a powerful incentive for businesses to sign long-term leases even amid economic uncertainty, but both landlords and tenants must carefully consider the potential rights and terms, says Kris Ferranti at Shearman.