Commercial
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August 13, 2025
4th, 11th Circs. Shoot Down Local Gov't Cell Tower Denials
Both the Fourth and the Eleventh Circuits issued decisions Wednesday allowing cell tower companies to move forward with projects over the objections of local governments that denied them permission.
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August 13, 2025
Whole Foods Battles Dismissal Bids In $1M Asbestos Suit
Grocery giant Whole Foods aimed to fend off dismissal bids Wednesday from a shopping plaza owner and landlord, telling the North Carolina Business Court that it sufficiently alleged contract breaches that led to asbestos entering one of its stores.
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August 13, 2025
NYC Pot Shops Can't Revive Suit Over Marijuana Crackdown
A federal judge will not reconsider his decision to end a lawsuit filed by more than two dozen companies that claim their due process rights were violated when New York City closed some of their stores on claims they were unlicensed cannabis operations, saying they brought nothing new for the court to ponder.
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August 13, 2025
NY Blasts Ski Resort Owner's 11th-Hour Antitrust Remedy
New York is urging a state court to reject a belated proposal from the owner of a ski resort that he enact price controls instead of adhering to the state's demands that he sell the property after he was found responsible for violating antitrust laws.
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August 13, 2025
Smith Anderson Adds 5 Business Litigation, Data Privacy Pros
Smith Anderson announced that the firm has brought on five new attorneys who will bolster the Raleigh, North Carolina-based firm's business litigation, data privacy and security, healthcare, real estate and development, and private client practice groups.
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August 13, 2025
Chancery OKs $7.5M Atty Fee In $50M Lutnick Bonus Battle
Class attorneys who secured a $50 million derivative suit settlement fully offsetting a disputed bonus paid in 2021 to former Newmark Group Inc. controller and current Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick saw their proposed 25% attorney fee cut to 15% by a Delaware vice chancellor on Wednesday.
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August 13, 2025
NYC Office Tower Inks $159M Lease For Resi Conversion
Real estate firm TF Cornerstone struck a $159 million lease with an office tower on Billionaire's Row in New York City as part of a residential conversion plan.
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August 13, 2025
Judge Blocks Trump Restrictions For $12B In Federal Grants
A Washington federal judge temporarily blocked restrictions imposed by the Trump administration, such as an anti-gender ideology restriction, on access to more than $12 billion worth of federal grants, ruling in part that the federal government exceeded its authority.
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August 13, 2025
Seyfarth Adds Construction Trio From Akerman And Boutique
Seyfarth Shaw LLP announced Wednesday that a trio of experienced construction attorneys have joined the firm's Los Angeles office, including two hires from Akerman LLP.
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August 13, 2025
Scarinci Hollenbeck Adds 4 Litigators In NYC
Scarinci Hollenbeck LLC has added four litigators previously with Kishner Legal PC who have expertise in areas such as commercial litigation and real estate as attorneys in its New York City office, the firm announced Wednesday.
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August 13, 2025
Pillsbury Adds Weil Duo To Lead East Coast Real Estate Team
Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP has added two partners from Weil Gotshal & Manges LLP to serve as the co-leaders of its East Coast real estate practice, the firm said Wednesday.
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August 13, 2025
Insurer Owes Defense In Hotel Trafficking Suits, Court Told
Red Roof Inn told an Ohio federal court Wednesday that a Liberty Mutual unit must defend it in 11 lawsuits alleging it violated the U.S. Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act by financially benefitting from human trafficking, arguing the claims fall outside separate exclusions for intended and criminal acts.
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August 13, 2025
Rising Star: Kirkland's Katie Roddy
Katie Roddy of Kirkland & Ellis LLP advised Hudson Pacific Properties on its $700 million sale of a shuttered Los Angeles mall to UCLA after the pandemic complicated Hudson's office redevelopment plans, earning her a spot among the real estate law practitioners under age 40 honored by ¼«ËÙÈü³µ as Rising Stars.
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August 13, 2025
Resi REITs Still Waiting Out Oversupply In Q2
As the surplus of new apartment supply continues to burn off across the country, residential real estate investment trust executives said on second-quarter earnings calls that operators are focusing on driving occupancy rates while they wait for supply to constrict further in 2026 and 2027.
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August 13, 2025
Attys Tee Up Projects As Midtown Rezoning Nears Finish Line
New York City is poised to allow dense residential development in Midtown South, including in the Garment District, a historic hub for clothing manufacturing, in what land use attorneys say is a major flex for the city's new zoning regime.
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August 13, 2025
Delaware Bill Seeks Separate Tax Rates For Property Types
Delaware would authorize school districts to set different tax rates for residential and nonresidential property under a bill introduced in the state House for consideration in a special legislative session.
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August 13, 2025
Vornado Reaches $120M Refi For Manhattan Retail Property
Vornado Realty Trust said it has completed a $120 million refinancing of a 204,000-square-foot retail property in Manhattan that hosts one of New York City's first Whole Foods Markets.
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August 13, 2025
Hotels Lean On Luxury Appeal Amid Economic Uncertainty
The hospitality sector has endured a challenging recovery from the pandemic and now faces broad economic uncertainty stemming from President Donald Trump's trade wars, but, at least for companies focused on the higher end of the market, recent results have been encouraging and there is reason for optimism, executives said in their latest earnings calls.
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August 13, 2025
NY Senate Bill Would Bar Tax Breaks For Political Nonprofits
New York property tax exemptions for nonprofits would no longer apply to entities engaged in political activity under a bill introduced Wednesday in the state Senate.
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August 13, 2025
Del. Lawmakers OK Property Tax Payment, Refund Changes
Delaware would make property tax changes including allowing installment payments and changing refund rules under bills approved by lawmakers and sent to the governor.
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August 12, 2025
Title Co. Hits Atty With Malpractice Suit Over $2.5M Refi
Fidelity National Title Insurance Co. on Monday filed suit in state court against a Connecticut attorney, alleging his oversight when issuing a loan policy of title insurance for a $2.5 million refinancing cost Fidelity $920,000.
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August 12, 2025
Pa. Marina Can't Cite 1849 Law To Reopen Railroad Crossing
A Pennsylvania federal judge on Tuesday rejected an attempt by the owner of a bar and marina south of Pittsburgh to claim an 1849 law in seeking to force railroad company CSX Transportation to reopen a rail crossing providing the only public access to the business.
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August 12, 2025
Corp. Unveils $400M Texas Acute Care Hospital Project
Community Hospital Corp. revealed its $400 million plan to build a nonprofit acute care hospital in Sherman, Texas, that's currently scheduled to start construction in early 2026 and to begin accepting patients in early 2028, according to the company's Tuesday announcement.
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August 12, 2025
Fed. Circ. Won't Revive Real Estate Co.'s IRS Contract Dispute
A real estate company failed to show that the Internal Revenue Service improperly blocked its bid to continue leasing office space to the agency after agency employees complained about the building, the Federal Circuit said Tuesday, affirming a Court of Federal Claims ruling.
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August 12, 2025
Ex-Stearns Weaver Land Use Pro Joins Wife At Fla. Boutique
A Tampa land use attorney left his practice at Stearns Weaver Miller after a decade to join his wife, the founding partner of boutique firm Barbas Cremer PLLC, achieving a goal they've had since meeting in law school.

Water Law & Real Estate: A Special Report
What's more summery than a trip to the shore? That's where ¼«ËÙÈü³µ Real Estate Authority has headed — not for a break, but for a special section looking at waterfront real estate, from coastal development challenges to big projects and the lawyers keeping them on course.

Feds Skirting Risky Debt As 1 Bank Stays Highly Leveraged
Federal regulators aren't scrutinizing risky real estate loans even though some banks have a substantial volume of high-risk debt on their books, a banking source told ¼«ËÙÈü³µ Real Estate Authority.

Dentons Tops List Of Firms With Biggest Water Law Teams
Dentons, Troutman Pepper Locke LLP and WilmerHale are among the large U.S. law firms that have sizable teams of lawyers that work on water matters, according to an analysis by ¼«ËÙÈü³µ Real Estate Authority.
Expert Analysis
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Texas High Court Decision Could Reshape Contract Damages
The Texas Supreme Court recently held that an order of specific performance for a real property transaction doesn't preclude a damage award, establishing a damages test for this scenario while placing the onus on lower courts to correctly determine the proper remedies and quantum of damages, say attorneys at Fried Frank.
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Navigating The Complexities Of NYC Waterfront Development
More than a dozen city, state and federal agencies share oversight of New York City's waterfront, presenting developers and their counsel with both challenges and opportunities to shape the regional and national economy, say attorneys at HSF Kramer.
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A Guide To Army Corps Appeals As Wetlands Definition Shifts
Two years after the Supreme Court's Sackett decision, the definition of federal wetlands is about to change again, making it an apt time to review the process by which developers can appeal an Army Corps of Engineers jurisdictional determination, says Bryan Peeples at Pender & Coward.
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New NY Residential Real Estate Rules May Be Overbroad
New legislation imposing a 90-day-waiting period and tax deduction restrictions on certain New York real estate investors may have broad effects and unintended consequences, creating impediments for a wide range of corporate and other transactions, says Libin Zhang at Fried Frank.
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11 Essential Questions When Reviewing Hurricane Insurance
As we approach peak hurricane season, business owners must understand critical coverage elements, policy limitations and claim procedures of their commercial property hurricane insurance policies to protect their operations effectively, says Carlton Wilde at Bracewell LLP.
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6 Questions We Should Ask About The Trump Trade Deals
Whenever the text becomes available, certain questions will help determine whether the Trump administration’s trade deals with U.S. trading partners have been crafted to form durable economic relationships, or ephemeral ties likely to break upon interpretive disagreement or a change in political will, says Ted Posner at Baker Botts.
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Utilizing Rep And Warranties Insurance In CRE Transactions
With insurance and commercial real estate legal trends suggesting that representations and warranties insurance is likely to grow substantially in the next several years, CRE buyers and sellers should learn how such insurance can help resolve conflicting positions during transaction negotiations, say attorneys at Troutman.
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Recent Decisions Caution Against Broad Indemnity Provisions
Two recent decisions in disparate jurisdictions are reminders that businesses and practitioners should be mindful of contractual indemnity rights and draft indemnity provisions that enhance the predictability of enforceability without being overly broad, says Gregory Jaske at Olshan Frome.
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How Real Estate Funds Can Leverage Del. Statutory Trusts
Over the last two years, traditional real estate fund sponsors have begun to more frequently adopt Delaware Statutory Trust programs, which can help diversify capital-raising strategies and access to new sources of capital, among other benefits, say attorneys at Polsinelli.
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What 9th Circ. Ruling Shows About Rebutting SEC Comments
The Ninth Circuit's June opinion in Pino v. Cardone Capital suggests that a company's lack of pushback to a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission comment may be evidence of its state of mind for evaluating potential liability, meaning companies should consider including additional disclosure in SEC response letters, say attorneys at Barnes & Thornburg.
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2 NY Cases May Clarify Foreclosure Law Retroactivity
Two pending cases may soon provide the long-awaited resolution to the question of whether retroactive application of the New York Foreclosure Abuse Prevention Act violates the state Constitution, providing a guide for New York courts inundated with motions in foreclosure and quiet title actions, says Fernando Rivera Maissonet at Hinshaw & Culbertson.
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A Look At Florida's New Protected Series LLC Legislation
A new law in Florida enhances the flexibility of using limited liability companies as the entities of choice for most privately held businesses, moving Florida into a small group of states with reliable uniform protected series legislation for series LLCs, says Louis Conti at Holland & Knight.
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How Trump's Trade Policies Are Shaping Foreign Investment
Five months into the Trump administration, investors are beginning to see the concrete effects of the president’s America First Investment Policy as it presents new opportunities for clearing transactions more quickly, while sustaining risk aversion related to Chinese trade and potentially creating different political risks, say attorneys at Covington.