More Real Estate Coverage
-
December 05, 2023
Roberts Declines To Freeze Virginia Pipeline Construction
U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts declined Tuesday to pause construction of the controversial Mountain Valley Pipeline, allowing work to continue on the natural gas pipeline while Virginia landowners challenge the constitutionality of land seizures related to the project.
-
December 05, 2023
Gas, Oil Pipeline REIT To Appeal Stock Exchange Delisting
CorEnergy Infrastructure Trust Inc. says it plans to appeal the New York Stock Exchange's decision to delist the company's stock, as the real estate investment trust faces looming debt and concerns over its ability to stay afloat.
-
December 05, 2023
NY Gov. Wants Former Prison Turned Into Affordable Housing
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul revealed on Tuesday a proposed mixed-use affordable housing project that will invest more than $90 million in Manhattan's Harlem neighborhood by converting the former Lincoln Correctional Facility into 105 affordable housing units.
-
December 05, 2023
Groups Want To Halt Fla. Development Over Species Concerns
Environmental groups have asked a Washington, D.C., federal judge to block two Clean Water Act permits issued by Florida officials for residential and commercial developments, saying these projects underscore that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency should not have granted the state permitting power.
-
December 05, 2023
Paralegal Patent Owner Pushes Back Against Del. Court Order
A Texas paralegal facing fines for not showing up at a hearing over litigation generated by a patent licensing outfit she ostensibly owns has told the Federal Circuit that disclosure requirements from Delaware's top federal judge have left her "living in a sense of fear and intimidation."
-
December 05, 2023
Atlanta, Residents Spar Over Standing In 'Cop City' Row
The city of Atlanta and a group of non-city residents filed opposing briefs with the Eleventh Circuit this week on the issue of standing in a case that hinges on the ability to collect signatures to force a referendum on construction of a $90 million police training center known as "Cop City."
-
December 05, 2023
Utah Groups File Suit Over Plan For World's Longest Gondola
Two conservation groups in Utah claim the state's transportation department conducted a flawed environmental review for its pitch to build a record-setting gondola that would carry skiers and snowboarders from the outskirts of Salt Lake City up through the scenic Little Cottonwood Canyon to two popular ski resorts some eight miles away in the Wasatch Mountains.
-
December 04, 2023
Feds Say 5th Circ. Must Pause NM Nuke Storage Site Fight
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has reiterated that the Fifth Circuit should pause a dispute over licensing for a temporary nuclear waste storage facility in New Mexico until the appeals court decides whether to reconsider a decision that the agency lacks the authority to license another temporary facility in Texas.
-
December 04, 2023
Feds Must Rethink Army Water Plans In Ariz., 9th Circ. Says
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and U.S. Army can't count on a conservation easement's questionable water savings to conclude that Fort Huachuca's water usage in southeastern Arizona's San Pedro River Basin doesn't jeopardize protected plant and animal species, a Ninth Circuit panel said Monday.
-
December 04, 2023
Tribes Are Trying To Redraw Jurisdictional Map, Alaska Says
Two Native American tribes are attempting to redraw Alaska's jurisdictional map already set by Congress decades ago by taking a small parcel of land into trust in downtown Juneau, the state says, adding that their claims to the contrary defy logic.
-
December 04, 2023
Title Insurer Settles Coverage Dispute Over Lost Land Value
A real estate company and a title insurer notified a Texas federal court that the parties finalized a settlement, ending a coverage row alleging that the company's land diminished in value and was subject to unforeseen development restrictions.
-
December 04, 2023
House Panels Probe Contentious FBI Headquarters Decision
Leaders on the House Judiciary and Oversight committees have launched a probe into the General Services Administration's contentious decision to choose a Maryland site for the FBI's new headquarters, citing allegations that the underlying process had been "politicized."
-
December 01, 2023
Texas Firm Can't Duck Fla. Estate Planning Malpractice Suit
A Florida federal judge has shot down a Texas law firm's bid to toss a malpractice lawsuit alleging it bungled property transfers that ended up increasing its former client's property taxes.
-
December 01, 2023
Property Plays: Venterra, Bank OZK, McCraney
Venterra Realty has picked up a Florida multifamily property, Bank OZK has loaned $173.5 million for a Florida residential condo project and McCraney Property has landed $80 million in financing for a Georgia industrial park.
-
December 01, 2023
Buchalter Adds RE Boutique Trainor Fairbrook In Sacramento
Buchalter PC announced Friday that it has joined with real estate and estate planning boutique Trainor Fairbrook, adding six attorneys to the firm's Sacramento office.
-
December 01, 2023
GSA To Investigate Site Selection Of New FBI Headquarters
The inspector general of the U.S. General Services Administration has announced an evaluation of the process for selecting a Maryland site for the FBI's new headquarters after a cohort of Virginia congressional delegates led by U.S. Sen. Mark Warner claimed the Maryland site had won out because of "political interference."
-
December 01, 2023
Weil Reps Brookfield On Historic $30B Infrastructure Fund
Weil Gotshal & Manges LLP-advised Brookfield Asset Management clinched its fifth flagship global infrastructure equity fund and related co-investment vehicles after securing $30 billion in commitments, marking not only the firm's largest fund ever raised but the largest closed-ended private infrastructure fund ever, according to a Friday statement.
-
November 30, 2023
Norfolk Southern Asks Justices To Undo STB Immunity Ruling
Norfolk Southern Railway Co. has petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court seeking review of a Surface Transportation Board opinion that found the rail giant lacks authority to control a Virginia railway and, therefore, has no immunity against antitrust claims, telling the justices a D.C. Circuit panel concocted its own reasoning for upholding the federal agency's "prior authorization" rule.
-
November 30, 2023
Va. Tax Head Disallows Subtraction Of Distributions, Gains
Certain Virginia residents may not subtract any portion of their retirement distributions or capital gains for state income tax purposes, the tax commissioner said, finding no evidence that the residents qualified for a subtraction.
-
November 30, 2023
EPA Proposes Removing All Lead Pipes In Next Decade
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency released a proposal Thursday aimed at replacing all lead pipes throughout the country within the next 10 years to protect the public from the significant, and irreversible, health effects tied to exposure to lead in drinking water.
-
November 29, 2023
Virginia Pipeline Challengers Seek Freeze From High Court
Virginia landowners challenging the controversial Mountain Valley Pipeline have returned to the U.S. Supreme Court, imploring Chief Justice John Roberts to stop the natural-gas pipeline work from harming their property while litigation over the constitutionality of land seized for the project plays out in the lower courts.
-
November 29, 2023
Berkshire Hathaway Unit Hit With Water Pollution Suit In NC
A Berkshire Hathaway-owned developer polluted creeks with harmful sediment while repeatedly failing inspections that warned about inadequate environmental safety measures at a 216-acre housing development in North Carolina, environmentalists alleged in a federal lawsuit filed Tuesday.
-
November 29, 2023
4th Circ. Remands Railway Eminent Domain Fight To Va.
Norfolk Southern Railway Co. should never have been allowed to pull its eminent domain fight with Zayo Group over a lease to run fiber optic cables from before the Virginia State Corporation Commission and into federal court, the Fourth Circuit has ruled, sending the dispute back there.
-
November 28, 2023
Insurer Seeks Exit From U. of Wash. COVID Coverage Suit
A Liberty Mutual insurer is trying to derail a University of Washington lawsuit seeking coverage of hundreds of millions of dollars in pandemic-driven losses and expenses, saying the university is relying on recent state Supreme Court decisions that don't support its theory that its facilities suffered a covered "loss of functionality."
-
November 28, 2023
Real Estate Agents Nab Final Approval In $3M OT Deal
A real estate brokerage operator will pay $3 million to end a suit in California federal court alleging it misclassified agents as independent contractors and cheated them out of overtime after a federal judge approved the deal Tuesday.
Expert Analysis
-
Legal Profession Gender Parity Requires Equal Parental Leave
To truly foster equity in the legal profession and to promote attorney retention, workplaces need to better support all parents, regardless of gender — starting by offering equal and robust parental leave to both birthing and non-birthing parents, says Ali Spindler at Irwin Fritchie.
-
Unpacking Long-Awaited Clean Energy Tax Credit Guidance
Recently proposed Internal Revenue Service regulations provide welcome confirmatory guidance on the application of investment tax credits as reworked by 2022's Inflation Reduction Act, prevailing wage and apprenticeship rules that are largely consistent with market expectations, and broader eligibility criteria that should please the wind power industry in particular, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.
-
Understanding Discovery Obligations In Era Of Generative AI
Excerpt from Practical Guidance
Attorneys and businesses must adapt to the unique discovery challenges presented by generative artificial intelligence, such as chatbot content and prompts, while upholding the principles of fairness, transparency and compliance with legal obligations in federal civil litigation, say attorneys at King & Spalding.
-
Navigating USCIS' New Minimum EB-5 Investment Period
Recent significant modifications to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services’ EB-5 at-risk requirement are causing uncertainty for several reasons, but investors who consider certain key aspects of prospective projects can mitigate the immigration and investment risks, say Samuel Silverman at EB5AN, Ronald Klasko at Klasko Immigration, and Kate Kalmykov at Greenberg Traurig.
-
ESG Around The World: Mexico
ESG has yet to become part of the DNA of the Mexican business model, but huge strides are being made in that direction, as more stakeholders demand that companies adopt, at the least, a modicum of sustainability commitments and demonstrate how they will meet them, says Carlos Escoto at Galicia Abogados.
-
The Case For Post-Bar Clerk Training Programs At Law Firms
In today's competitive legal hiring market, an intentionally designed training program for law school graduates awaiting bar admission can be an effective way of creating a pipeline of qualified candidates, says Brent Daub at Gilson Daub.
-
DC Ruling Provides Support For Builders Risk Claim Recovery
To deny coverage for builders risk claims, insurers have been increasingly relying on two arguments, both of which have been invalidated in the recent U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia decision, South Capitol Bridgebuilders v. Lexington, say Greg Podolak and Cheryl Kozdrey at Saxe Doernberger.
-
What NJ's Green Remediation Guidance Means For Cleanups
Recent guidance from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection promoting greener approaches to restoring contaminated sites demonstrates the state's commitment to sustainability and environmental justice — but could also entail more complexity, higher costs and longer remediation timelines, say J. Michael Showalter and Bradley Rochlen at ArentFox Schiff.
-
AI Can Help Lawyers Overcome The Programming Barrier
Legal professionals without programming expertise can use generative artificial intelligence to harness the power of automation and other technology solutions to streamline their work, without the steep learning curve traditionally associated with coding, says George Zalepa at Greenberg Traurig.
-
Preparing Law Students For A New, AI-Assisted Legal World
As artificial intelligence rapidly transforms the legal landscape, law schools must integrate technology and curricula that address AI’s innate challenges — from ethics to data security — to help students stay ahead of the curve, say Daniel Garrie at Law & Forensics, Ryan Abbott at JAMS and Karen Silverman at Cantellus Group.
-
ESG Around The World: South Korea
Numerous ESG trends have materialized in South Korea in the past three years, with impacts ranging from greenwashing prevention and carbon neutrality measures to workplace harassment and board diversity initiatives, say Chang Wook Min and Hyun Chan Jung at Jipyong.
-
General Counsel Need Data Literacy To Keep Up With AI
With the rise of accessible and powerful generative artificial intelligence solutions, it is imperative for general counsel to understand the use and application of data for myriad important activities, from evaluating the e-discovery process to monitoring compliance analytics and more, says Colin Levy at Malbek.
-
AI Isn't The Wild West, So Prepare Now For Bias Risks
In addition to President Joe Biden's recent historic executive order on safe, secure and trustworthy artificial intelligence, there are existing federal and state laws prohibiting fraud, defamation and even discrimination, so companies considering using or developing AI should take steps to minimize legal and business risks, says civil rights attorney Farhana Khera.