Commercial
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August 20, 2024
Kirkland-Led Dermody Closes $1B Real Estate-Focused Fund
Real estate-focused private equity shop Dermody Properties, advised by Kirkland & Ellis LLP, on Tuesday announced that it successfully closed its fourth commingled fund after securing just over $1 billion in capital commitments.
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August 19, 2024
Colo. Justices Take Up Firm's Malicious Prosecution Defense
The Colorado Supreme Court said Monday it would hear a Denver law firm's appeal arguing that winning a dispositive motion in an earlier suit protects against a later malicious prosecution claim from the target of the first case.
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August 19, 2024
Fraud Trial Waylaid By Last-Minute Bid For Remote Testimony
A Florida federal judge on Monday delayed a bench trial in a lawsuit over real estate investment fraud claims after the alleged victims brought an emergency motion to testify remotely from Africa, with the judge saying she'd have to consider whether rules allow the case to proceed despite their absence.
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August 19, 2024
Gould & Ratner Rehires Construction Atty For Chicago Office
Gould & Ratner LLP rehired Ellen M. Chapelle, who previously worked there as a partner on the construction team, for another stint as a construction partner and a new role as the chair of the insurance counseling and recovery team, the firm announced.
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August 19, 2024
Citibank Sues NYC Developer Over $180M In Defaulted Loans
Citibank and JPMorgan Chase Bank NA are seeking to foreclose on a midtown Manhattan property owned by developer RFR Holding LLC, after the borrower failed to pay off $180 million in debt that matured in June.
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August 19, 2024
Mont. Tax Board Restores $1M Value To Commercial Property
A commercial property in Montana was correctly valued at about $1 million, the state's tax appeals board said, reversing a county tax board and upholding the income approach to the valuation used by the state revenue department.
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August 19, 2024
Insurer Blames Panda Express Grease For $176K Water Leak
An insurer demanded Chinese fast food chain Panda Express Inc. repay it more than $176,000 for damages allegedly caused when the restaurant's grease-filled pipes backed up, leaking water into a clothing store covered by the insurer, in a case the eatery moved to Washington federal court.
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August 19, 2024
Kasowitz Urges NY Court To Toss Supertall Tower Suit
Kasowitz Benson Torres LLP asked a New York state court to dismiss a lawsuit filed by two limited liability companies tied to AmBase Corp. over Manhattan's troubled supertall Steinway Tower.
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August 19, 2024
Emerge Law RE Atty Brings Cannabis Talent To Tarter Krinsky
Tarter Krinsky & Drogin LLP is adding expertise in cannabis law to its ranks with a real estate lawyer from Emerge Law Group, the firm announced on Monday.
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August 19, 2024
NYC Real Estate Week In Review
Wachtel Missry and Hunton Andrews Kurth were among the law firms that guided the largest New York City real estate deals that hit public records last week, a slow period that saw only five transactions above $15 million become public.
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August 16, 2024
Receiver Went Too Far In Settling Nate Paul Entity Dispute
A Texas appeals court found this week that a receiver acted beyond the scope of his authority when he settled a dispute between a lender and an entity associated with embattled real estate developer Nate Paul.
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August 16, 2024
NYC's Beth Israel Hospital Still Can't Close Amid Legal Fight
A New York state judge on Friday renewed a temporary restraining order that has delayed the shutdown of Mount Sinai Beth Israel Hospital, citing community members' concerns that its closure would create a healthcare desert in lower Manhattan.
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August 16, 2024
NJ Office Building Seeks Ch. 11 Following '22 Default Actions
A New Jersey office property owned by New York developer Moshe Gold filed for federal Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection after facing a foreclosure action and an involuntary bankruptcy petition that paused a sheriff's sale as a result of the building defaulting on $16.8 million worth of loans in 2022.
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August 16, 2024
Atty Gets 32 Months In Prison For Bribing Chicago Alderman
An Illinois federal judge on Friday sentenced an immigration attorney and real estate developer convicted of bribing former Chicago Alderman Ed Burke to two years and eight months in prison, maintaining prison time is warranted because the lawyer initiated the bribe and tried to hide it from federal agents and the grand jury.
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August 16, 2024
Ex-Goodwin Atty Takes RE Practice To Nelson Mullins
A former Goodwin Procter LLP attorney has chosen Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP to be the new home of his practice focused on real estate private equity and joint venture transactions, the firm has announced.
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August 15, 2024
Green Group Backs Feds' Denial Of Water Co.'s Right-Of-Way
Save Our Forest Association urged a D.C. federal judge on Thursday to reject the company behind Arrowhead Mountain Spring Water's attempt to block the federal government from requiring it cease operation of its 23,000-foot-long water pipeline in Berkeley, California's Strawberry Canyon.
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August 15, 2024
Judge Rejects GE's Bid To Pull Plug On Contamination Suit
A Louisiana federal judge on Wednesday refused to let General Electric escape a lawsuit alleging it is liable for widespread environmental contamination caused by a now-closed pressure valve manufacturing facility that GE used to own.
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August 15, 2024
Hospital REIT Closes $86M Sale Of 11 Colo. Facilities
Medical Properties Trust Inc. sold 11 Colorado healthcare facilities to University of Colorado Health for $86 million, the hospital-focused real estate investment trust announced.
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August 15, 2024
Retail, Office May Drive CMBS Distress Metric To Double
Appraisal reduction amounts for struggling commercial mortgage-backed securities loans have climbed in tandem with delinquency rates and may be on track to double rates seen in 2024, per a report from KBRA.
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August 15, 2024
Baha Mar Builder Blames Developer Debt As $1.5B Trial Wraps
Counsel for the Chinese state-owned construction firm that built the Bahamian luxury resort Baha Mar closed out a bench trial in New York state court on Thursday arguing that it was the resort developer's overleveraged debt, not delays in the building process, that led to $1.5 billion in losses.
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August 15, 2024
Tax Pros Navigate Chaos, Rewards In Climate Law's 2nd Year
Energy tax attorneys have been knee-deep in project finance deals for the past year since the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 triggered a flurry of clean energy investments, but the work, they say, has been fulfilling as part of broader efforts to save the environment.
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August 14, 2024
Top Stories From Real Estate's Latest Quarterly Updates
Catch up on the headlines made by the largest public real estate companies during their latest quarterly earnings calls with investors, from data centers and lease deals to market forecasts and casinos.
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August 14, 2024
Biz Says Mich. Cities Ignore Taxpayers In Fee-Or-Tax Fight
A pipe fitting business has urged the Michigan Supreme Court to reject municipal organizations' "histrionic" arguments that cities' financial stability will be in jeopardy if the top court finds Detroit's fire inspection fee is a disguised tax, saying the groups are disregarding citizens' rights to be free from illegal taxes.
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August 14, 2024
BP Unit Can't Escape Truck Stop Suit, Developers Claim
Companies suing a BP subsidiary for terminating their truck stop franchise agreement and leaving them stuck with unrecoverable development costs hit back against its "shotgun approach" to have their suit seeking more than $300 million in damages thrown out, telling an Ohio federal judge that their complaint is grounded in compelling claims.
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August 14, 2024
NY Judge Tosses Noise Suit Against Queens Tennis Club
A New York state judge on Tuesday dismissed a Queens nonprofit's nuisance suit against The West Side Tennis Club, which was accused of being responsible for excessive noise coming from concerts held at its century-old outdoor stadium in the borough's Forest Hills neighborhood.
Expert Analysis
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White Collar Plea Deals Are Rarely 'Knowing' And 'Voluntary'
Because prosecutors are not required to disclose exculpatory evidence during plea negotiations, white collar defendants often enter into plea deals that don’t meet the U.S. Supreme Court’s “knowing” and “voluntary” standard for trials — but individual courts and solutions judges could rectify the issue, says Sara Kropf at Kropf Moseley.
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ESG Around The World: Canada
In Canada, multiple statutes, regulations, common law and industry guidance address environmental, social and governance considerations, with debate over ESG in the business realm potentially growing on the horizon, say attorneys at Blakes.
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How Lease Obligations Can Affect Subchapter V Debt Cap
Two recent bankruptcy rulings in the Eastern District of Virginia and the Southern District of New York take opposite positions on whether unmatured lease obligations are considered noncontingent debt for the purposes of calculating debtors' Subchapter V eligibility, say Joseph Orbach and Henry Thomas at Thompson Coburn.
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Trends That Will Shape The Construction Industry In 2024
Though the outlook for the construction industry is mixed, it is clear that 2024 will bring evolving changes aimed at building projects more safely and efficiently under difficult circumstances, and stakeholders would be wise to prepare for the challenges and opportunities these trends will bring, say Josephine Bahn and Jeffery Mullen at Cozen O'Connor.
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NY CRE Lenders Need Clarity On Foreclosure Standing
Recent contradictory New York case law regarding issues of standing in commercial real estate litigation creates confusion for borrowers and lenders alike, and should be addressed by courts in advance of the anticipated onslaught of commercial mortgage-backed securities foreclosures, say Christopher Gorman and John Muldoon at Rosenberg & Estis.
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Baking Bread Makes Me A Better Lawyer
After many years practicing law, and a few years baking bread, I have learned that there are a few keys to success in both endeavors, including the assembly of a nourishing and resilient culture, and the ability to learn from failure and exercise patience, says Rick Robinson at Reed Smith.
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Adjusting Deals To Reflect Shifts In The CRE Market
As the commercial real estate market strengthens and moves out from a challenging time, industry participants should consider any concessions made due to recent trends and update transaction documents accordingly before entering into new deals, says Alexander Davis at Mayer Brown.
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4 International Arbitration Trends To Monitor In 2024
Global growth slowed substantially in 2023, and may continue into 2024 due to geopolitical instability, which could fuel four key trends in international arbitration in the coming year, including investor-state and commercial arbitration, an increase in arbitration out of China, and more, say Gregory Litt and Sharmistha Chakrabarti at Skadden.
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How DOI Aims To Modernize Resource Damage Assessments
The U.S. Department of the Interior's recent proposal to redesign its Type A rule for conducting natural resource damage assessment and restoration activities could lead to a more streamlined, flexible assessment process that would benefit both natural resource trustees and potentially responsible parties, says Brian Ferrasci-O'Malley at Nossaman.
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Key Issues When Navigating A Tenant's Bankruptcy
In light of recent Chapter 11 filings by Rite Aid and WeWork — companies with thousands of commercial leases — practitioners should review issues that can arise when bankruptcy is used to exit a lease, including the consequences of lease rejection and the statutory cap on landlord damage claims for a rejected lease, say attorneys at Proskauer.
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The Year Ahead In Foreign Investment And National Security
In 2024, expect the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, already at the forefront of addressing national security threats, to increase monitoring and enforcement related to outbound investment, focus on supply chain resilience in nondefense sectors, and heighten oversight of agricultural transactions, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.
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Sale-Leasebacks May Provide A Safe Financing Alternative
Amid rising interest rates and unpredictable market conditions, sale-leasebacks can be a useful investment option for both buyers and sellers, though their potential drawbacks demand careful consideration, says Chanel Di Blasi at Crosbie Gliner.
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5 Recent Developments Family Offices Are Watching In 2024
Although family offices have long been exempt from many of the more onerous regulations and reporting requirements governing U.S. investment advisers and asset managers, recent amendments to federal rules will have an impact on how family offices invest and operate in 2024, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.