Commercial

  • February 11, 2025

    Calif.'s Insurance Safety Net Gets $1B Infusion For Fire Claims

    California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara has signed off on $1 billion in additional funding for California's FAIR Plan, the state's insurer of last resort, to ensure the plan can keep paying consumer claims to survivors of the Southern California wildfires, according to an order issued Tuesday.

  • February 11, 2025

    Split 6th Circ. Backs Ex-Cincinnati Politician's Conviction

    A split Sixth Circuit ruled Tuesday that, although a close case, there was enough evidence to convict a former Cincinnati council member of bribery and attempted extortion in connection with a sports betting development project spearheaded by a former Cincinnati Bengals player.

  • February 11, 2025

    NY Judge Sides With Attorney In Golf Malpractice Row

    A New York federal magistrate judge has recommended summary judgment in favor of an attorney in a legal malpractice lawsuit in which he is accused of causing the plaintiffs to lose an Arizona golf course property because he failed to file the proper bankruptcy paperwork.

  • February 11, 2025

    Fla. Senate Committee Advances Resilient Building Tax Credit

    A Florida Senate committee unanimously voted on Tuesday to advance bills to create a resilient building tax credit program, develop guidelines for green and gray infrastructure to address rising sea levels and require public hearings for state park land management plans.

  • February 11, 2025

    Houston CBRE Broker Says He Was Fired For Complaints

    A Houston real estate broker asked a state court to force his company to arbitrate his claims of employment discrimination and retaliation, claiming that he was fired after complaining of company actions that included a COVID-19 vaccine mandate and poor treatment of female employees.

  • February 11, 2025

    Vornado Sees Landlord's Market For NYC Office

    Vornado Realty Trust, in a year-end call with analysts, said New York City office market conditions could lead to a "spike" in rents, while political conditions may have spurred the company to scrub mentions of diversity and inclusion from its annual filing.

  • February 11, 2025

    Florida Industrial Park Fully Leased With Latest Signing

    Colliers said Tuesday that the 132-acre Interstate Crossroads Logistics Center became fully leased after the project broke ground in 2021.

  • February 11, 2025

    JLL Closes $1.1B Refinance Of Midtown Office Tower

    JLL's Capital Markets team lined up a $1.125 billion refinancing on behalf of the owner and property and asset manager of a 42-story, 1.2 million-square-foot Midtown Manhattan office tower, JLL announced Tuesday.

  • February 11, 2025

    Colo. Bill Would Offer Spread-Out Property Tax Payment Plan

    Colorado would allow residential and commercial property owners to pay taxes in four installments, rather than two, under a bill introduced in the state House of Representatives.

  • February 11, 2025

    NJ Bill Seeks Tax Credits For Housing At Abandoned Sites

    New Jersey would create corporate and gross income tax credits for completed residential housing projects at abandoned commercial building sites under a bill introduced in the state Senate.

  • February 11, 2025

    NY Bill Would Direct New Tax Revenue To Property Tax Cuts

    New York state would require money derived from new or increased taxes to be used to reduce local property taxes under a bill introduced in the Senate.

  • February 11, 2025

    Investor Oaktree Closes $16B Distressed Debt Fund

    Los Angeles-based Oaktree Capital Management on Tuesday said it had closed a $16 billion distressed-debt fund aimed at providing capital to companies in a variety of industries, with Kirkland & Ellis advising. 

  • February 11, 2025

    Liquidating REIT Sells Denver Plaza For $132.5M

    Equity Commonwealth sold off its last office property, a 709,402-square-foot Denver office plaza, for $132.5 million to an unnamed buyer as it wraps up liquidation, the Chicago-based real estate investment trust announced.

  • February 11, 2025

    Colliers Expects Bumpy 2025 Recovery For Office Market

    Commercial broker Colliers said the U.S. office sector ended 2024 with signs of stability stemming from demand for top-quality space, even as falling rents at lower-tier buildings could spell an uneven recovery.

  • February 11, 2025

    NYC Mayor Says Bribery Case Is Over, Despite Silent Docket

    Amid an absence of activity on the court docket, New York City Mayor Eric Adams declared Tuesday that the federal bribery case against him "will no longer continue," following reports of a U.S. Department of Justice memo directing prosecutors to drop the case.

  • February 11, 2025

    Bannon Cops To Fraud Scheme In Border Wall Case

    Donald Trump's former chief strategist, Steve Bannon, pled guilty Tuesday to a single felony fraud scheme charge in New York state court as part of a deal with Manhattan prosecutors to avoid jail time in his "We Build The Wall" charity fraud case.

  • February 10, 2025

    Calif. Ruling Holds Wildfire Debris Not A Coverable Loss

    Two California homeowners didn't have a covered claim for wildfire debris that infiltrated their home, a state appeals panel ruled, saying there was no evidence the debris caused the kind of loss or damage required for coverage.

  • February 10, 2025

    Morgan Stanley Exec Sees US Real Estate Poised For Upturn

    There is a lot of volatility and uncertainty in the world today, but a number of conditions point to the U.S. real estate market still being well-positioned to forge a recovery over the next few years, a leader of Morgan Stanley's real estate investment arm told attendees at a recent conference in Miami.

  • February 10, 2025

    Calif. Tribe Says DOI Gives It No Protection In Casino Row

    The Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria told a California federal judge that the U.S. Department of the Interior filed an incomplete status report about how it will monitor another tribe's project plans for the construction of a casino, saying the report fails to protect FIGR.

  • February 10, 2025

    Ill. House Bill Seeks Study Of Eliminating Property Tax System

    Illinois would direct its Department of Revenue and the governor's Office and Management and Budget to determine the possibility of eliminating the state's property tax system and replacing the revenue with income tax receipts under a bill introduced in the state House of Representatives.

  • February 10, 2025

    Simpson Thacher Brings On Registered Funds Partner In NY

    Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP has hired a New York-based partner in its registered funds practice to focus on real estate and capital markets, the firm said Monday.

  • February 10, 2025

    Greenberg Traurig, Kirkland Guide $195M Hotel, Condo Loan

    Property owner, operator and developer GFI Capital Resources Group Inc. borrowed a $195 million mortgage loan for its downtown Manhattan hotel and condominium building in a deal guided by Greenberg Traurig LLP and Kirkland & Ellis LLP.

  • February 10, 2025

    NYC Real Estate Week In Review

    Greenberg Traurig, McDermott Will & Emery and Pryor Cashman are among the law firms that landed work on the largest New York City real estate deals that hit public records last week, with an SL Green Realty Manhattan transaction leading the way.

  • February 10, 2025

    Latham, Hogan Lovells Advise Hyatt's $2.6B Playa Hotels Buy

    Latham & Watkins LLP guided Hyatt Hotels Corp. on a $2.6 billion acquisition announced Monday of Playa Hotels & Resorts NV — which operates resorts in Mexico, the Dominican Republic and Jamaica — and worked with Hogan Lovells on the deal.

  • February 10, 2025

    Ill. Bill Seeks Income Tax Break For Child Care Property Tax

    Illinois would create an individual and corporate income tax deduction for property taxes paid by privately owned child care centers under a bill introduced in the state House of Representatives.

Expert Analysis

  • 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.

  • Green Projects Face States' Foreign Land Ownership Limits

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    As states impose restrictions and disclosure requirements around foreign investment in agricultural land — in some cases piggybacking on existing federal rules — renewable energy developers and investors must pay close attention to how the rules vary, says Daniel Fanning at Husch Blackwell.

  • How Landlords Can Navigate Cannabis-Related Leases

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    As the cannabis industry continues to rapidly grow, landlords should consider a variety of lease terms and operational details that may help mitigate uncertainty involving federal laws, zoning restrictions and tax implications, says Kyla Baker at Holland & Knight.

  • Lights, Camera, Real Estate: Preparing For Film Facility M&A

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    As the entertainment industry struggles to recover from multiple strikes and a decline in production, certain aspects of selling or acquiring production facilities may become important to consider, as these assets are valued very differently from typical commercial real estate properties, say attorneys at Olshan Frome.

  • Corporate Liability Issues To Watch In High Court TM Case

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    The U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments in a trademark dispute between Dewberry Group and Dewberry Engineers next week, presenting an opportunity for the court to drastically alter the fundamental approach to piercing the corporate veil, or adopt a more limited approach and preserve existing norms, say attorneys at Bracewell.

  • Plugging Gov't Leaks Is Challenging, But Not A Pipe Dream

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    As shown by ongoing legal battles involving New York City Mayor Eric Adams and Sean “Diddy” Combs, it’s challenging for defendants to obtain relief when they believe the government leaked sensitive information to the media, but defense counsel can take certain steps to mitigate the harm, says Kenneth Notter at MoloLamken.

  • A Legal Perspective On NYC's Retail Real Estate Evolution

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    As New York City's retail market begins to show signs of resilience after the challenges of recent years, landlords must be cognizant of legal implications from shifting trends toward shorter-term leases and pop-up stores, says Andrea Gendel at Pryor Cashman.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • Foreclosing Lenders Still Floating In Murky Legal Waters In NY

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    The New York foreclosure landscape remains in disarray after the state's highest court last month declined to weigh in on whether legal changes from 2022 that severely curtailed lenders' ability to bring successive foreclosure cases were retroactive, says Brian Rich at Barclay Damon.

  • NYC Hotel Licensing Law's Costs May Outweigh Its Benefits

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    A hotel licensing bill recently approved by New York's City Council could lead to the loss of many nonunionized hotels that cannot afford to comply, says Stuart Saft at Holland & Knight.

  • Calif. Ruling Offers Hope For Mitigated Negative Declarations

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    In Upland Community First v. City of Upland, a California appeals court upheld a warehouse development's mitigated negative declaration over its greenhouse gas emissions thresholds — a rare victory against this type of challenge providing reassurance that such declarations can be upheld, say attorneys at Sheppard Mullin.

  • There's No Crying In Property Valuation Baseball Arbitration

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    The World Series is the perfect time to consider how the form of arbitration used for settling MLB salary disputes — in which each side offers competing valuations to an arbitrator, who must select one — is often ideal for resolving property valuation disputes, say Sean O’Donnell at Herrick Feinstein and Mark Dunec at FTI Consulting.