Residential
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October 04, 2024
Real Estate Execs Accused Of NYC Deed Theft Scheme
Three real estate executives have been arrested in connection with a purported $500,000 deed theft scheme that preyed upon a vulnerable home owner in the Bronx, according to the Office of the New York State Attorney General.
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October 04, 2024
Property Plays: Verizon, HUD, ArentFox Schiff
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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October 04, 2024
Real Estate Co., EEOC Strike Deal To End Race Bias Suit
A real estate company has agreed to end a U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission lawsuit alleging it gave a Black manager twice as much work as a white colleague and ultimately fired him because he was "lazy," according to a filing in Georgia federal court.
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October 03, 2024
Counties Say Foreclosure Attys Trying To Quash Competition
Michigan counties facing a proposed class action over profits they kept from foreclosures of tax-delinquent properties questioned Wednesday the aim and legality of their opposing counsel's quest to rein in a previous rival's outreach to people who have experienced foreclosures.
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October 03, 2024
Helene's Devastation Worsened By Inadequate Insurance
Hurricane Helene's devastating path across the southeastern U.S. has brought concerns about inadequate flood insurance and resilience measures to the forefront of a national conversation on the risks of extreme precipitation.
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October 03, 2024
12 Lawyers Who Are The Future Of The Supreme Court Bar
One attorney hasn't lost a single U.S. Supreme Court case she's argued, or even a single justice's vote. One attorney is perhaps "the preeminent SCOTUS advocate." And one may soon become U.S. solicitor general, despite acknowledging there are "judges out there who don't like me." All three are among a dozen lawyers in the vanguard of the Supreme Court bar's next generation, poised to follow in the footsteps of the bar's current icons.
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October 03, 2024
Fla. Court Reverses Condos' Win In $1M Contractor Dispute
A Florida appeals court Wednesday reversed a win for three condominium associations in a dispute over $1.4 million worth of mitigation work done on the property after Hurricane Irma, ruling that the contractor did not need to be licensed to do most of the work.
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October 03, 2024
Georgia Resident Adds To Lawsuits Targeting Bio-Lab Fire
A resident of Conyers, Georgia, is adding to the litigation against Bio-Lab Inc. and its corporate parent, KIK Custom Products Inc., with a proposed class action filed after a fire at the company's facility in the city on Sunday led to evacuation and shelter-in-place orders.
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October 03, 2024
HUD Awards $279M To Fund Green Retrofitting
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has awarded 43 properties in 23 states and territories with $279 million in grants and loans through a program that funds green retrofitting for multifamily properties.
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October 03, 2024
Sham Law Firm Employee Gets 5 Years For Foreclosure Fraud
A Virginia man was sentenced to five years in prison and hit with a $159,000 fine for what a D.C. federal judge called Thursday the "horrendous" crime of using a Manassas law firm to defraud homeowners facing foreclosure.
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October 03, 2024
Real Estate Lawyers On The Move
Honigman, DLA Piper and Eversheds Sutherland are among the law firms that have made recent real estate or construction hires.
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October 03, 2024
Loan Servicer Settles With Mass. AG Over 'Zombie' Mortgages
A mortgage servicing company has agreed to walk away from approximately $10 million worth of "zombie" mortgages in Massachusetts and pay $300,000 to resolve allegations that it violated multiple consumer protection laws, the state's attorney general said Thursday.
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October 02, 2024
EXp Investors Accuse Execs Of Ignoring Sex Assault Culture
Shareholders of eXp World Holdings Inc. have hit the real estate brokerage company's top-brass with a derivative lawsuit in Delaware Chancery Court Wednesday, claiming they intentionally ignored repeated reports that its top "influencers" were drugging and sexually assaulting real estate agents at company events, thereby exposing the company to millions in liabilities.
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October 02, 2024
Colony Ridge Seeks Quick Appeal In 'Reverse Redlining' Suit
A Texas real estate developer that recently lost a bid to exit a lending discrimination suit brought by the U.S. government and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has moved to begin a Fifth Circuit appeal, arguing the "novelty" of the case's reverse redlining theory warrants immediate appellate review.
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October 02, 2024
Convicted Judge Owes Feds Retirement Funds, 7th Circ. Says
A former Illinois judge convicted of running a $1.4 million mortgage fraud scheme must cough up assets from her retirement accounts to cover her restitution obligations, the Seventh Circuit ruled Wednesday, agreeing with a Chicago district court that the government can access her retirement savings to satisfy that debt.
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October 02, 2024
Riemer & Braunstein Rehires Corporate Atty For Boston Office
Riemer & Braunstein LLP has brought back corporate attorney Adam W. Jacobs, and this time he'll be working as a partner and group leader in the firm's business law/real estate department in Boston.
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October 02, 2024
Husch Blackwell Atty Says Bill Would Boost Rural Housing
A bill in the U.S. House of Representatives would provide much-needed support for projects to convert vacant commercial spaces to residential ones, and rural areas in particular would stand to benefit from the program, a Husch Blackwell attorney who's closely watching the legislation recently told Law360 in an interview.
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October 02, 2024
2nd Circ. Prods NY Appeals Court To Weigh Foreclosure Law
The Second Circuit has urged a state appeals court to provide input on a ruling retroactively canceling U.S. Bank's attempt to foreclose on a Queens condo in 2016 by applying a six-year statute of limitations in the state's 2022 Foreclosure Abuse Prevention Act.
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October 02, 2024
Chicago Must Face Housing Accessibility Claims
Chicago can't escape a nonprofit's disability discrimination suit accusing the city of failing to make sure that disabled people could access several of the city's affordable housing properties, an Illinois federal judge ruled.
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October 02, 2024
Mass. Tax Board OKs Exemption For Senior Home
A senior home on Martha's Vineyard is exempt from property taxes, a Massachusetts tax panel said in a decision released Wednesday, ruling that the owner, a charitable nonprofit, had a sufficient presence at the property for the exemption.
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October 02, 2024
As Hottest Summer Ever Ends, Cooling Mandates Take Off
The hottest summer on record just ended, fanning a renewed advocacy for addressing extreme heat through housing policies like cooling mandates and stricter tenant rights.
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October 02, 2024
NAR Leadership Shakeup Continues With Legal Chief's Exit
The National Association of Realtors' chief legal officer, Katie Johnson, plans to step down from her post effective Thursday, the latest change in a major shakeup that has roiled the organization's senior leadership in recent months, a NAR spokesperson confirmed Wednesday.
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October 02, 2024
NYC Council, Tenants Want Housing Voucher Suit Revived
The New York City Council and a proposed class of low-income tenants both urged a New York state appeals court to revive their suit seeking to force Mayor Eric Adams to implement a set of laws that would expand access for a housing voucher program.
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October 02, 2024
Conn. Receiver Gains Access To Apt. Co-Op's BofA Accounts
Bank of America agreed to provide a court-appointed receiver with access to a distressed housing cooperative's bank accounts Wednesday amid efforts by the municipalities of Bridgeport and Stratford, Connecticut, to obtain a court order.
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October 02, 2024
Climate Risk Is Turning The Tide In Buyer, Investor Behavior
Climate risk isn't yet the kind of consideration that would make or break the average property deal. But as it becomes less of an abstract concept and more of a concrete part of due diligence, it's on the verge of causing major ripples throughout the real estate industry.
Expert Analysis
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State Licensing Pitfalls Mortgage Servicers Must Beware
A recent enforcement action from the Washington Department of Financial Institutions demonstrates how subtle distinctions in state mortgage servicer licensing laws may come as a surprise to some companies, even if they never directly receive payments or interact with borrowers, says Clayton Swears at Hudson Cook.
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Keys To Strong Parking, Storage Contracts For NYC Buildings
Drafting and enforcing unambiguous parking and storage unit license agreements are essential tasks for co-op and condo boards in New York City, with recent cases highlighting how prudent terms can minimize potential headaches, say Matthew Eiben and Adam Lindenbaum at Rosenberg & Estis.
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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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Realtor Settlement May Create New Antitrust Pitfalls
Following a recent antitrust settlement between the National Association of Realtors and home sellers, practices are set to change and the increased competition may benefit both brokers and homebuyers, but the loss of the customary method of buyer broker compensation could lead to new antitrust concerns, says Colin Ahler at Snell & Wilmer.
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What Fla. Ruling Means For Insurer Managed Repair Programs
A recent Florida state court ruling in Fraga v. Citizens Property Insurance, holding that the insurer could not seek to add additional terms in its managed repair program consent form, should promote clear written contract terms that clarify the relationship between insurers, policyholders and contractors, says Chip Merlin at Merlin Law Group.
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Preparing For CFPB 'Junk Fee' Push Into Mortgage Industry
As the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau considers expanding its "junk fee" initiative into mortgage closing costs, mortgage lenders and third parties must develop plans now that anticipate potential rulemaking or enforcement activity in this space, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.
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After Chevron: Opportunities For Change In FHFA Practices
The U.S. Supreme Court's overturning of the Chevron doctrine should lead to better cooperation between the Federal Housing Finance Agency and Congress, and may give the FHFA a chance to embrace transparency and innovation and promote sustainable housing practices, says Mehdi Sinaki at Michelman & Robinson.
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NC Banking Brief: All The Notable Legal Updates In Q2
After federal banking agencies last quarter released a supplemental final rule updating the Community Reinvestment Act, North Carolina banks involved in community development should consider how the new rule might open up opportunities for investment and services that can benefit underserved areas, says Adam Goldblatt at Michael Best.
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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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What NYC's Green Fast Track Means For Affordable Housing
New York City's Green Fast Track for Housing initiative, which went into effect last month, aims to speed up the environmental review process for modest residential developments and could potentially pave the way for similar initiatives in other cities, say Vivien Krieger and Rachel Scall at Cozen O'Connor.
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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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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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Zoning Reform May Alleviate The Affordable Housing Crisis
As America's affordable housing issues continue to worsen, zoning reform efforts can help to provide more affordable homes and mitigate racial and economic segregation, though opposition from residents and in courts could present challenges, say Evan Pritchard and Madeline Williams at Cozen O'Connor.