Residential
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July 08, 2025
Michigan Halts Construction Code Rollout Amid Builders' Suit
Michigan has paused the implementation of a new residential construction code after homebuilders filed lawsuits claiming the adoption of the code violated state law and would drive up the price of homes.
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July 07, 2025
4th Circ. Revives SC Builder's Bid For Condo Repair Coverage
A Charleston builder will get a second chance at recouping the money it spent repairing a condo complex that flooded after the Fourth Circuit on Monday partially vacated a pretrial win favoring its insurer, finding there are still unanswered questions about whether certain costs might be covered under its policy.
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July 07, 2025
Colo. Church, Town Settle Zoning Dispute Over Homeless Aid
Castle Rock, Colorado, and a church located within the town have agreed to dismiss a suit that challenged the use of zoning regulations to prevent the church from allowing homeless families to park RVs and trailers in its parking lot.
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July 07, 2025
PHH Mortgage Loan Officers Urge NJ Court To Halt Calif. Deal
A California state court's decision to preliminarily approve a settlement in a case against PHH Mortgage would prevent California mortgage loan officers from pursuing their claims in their New Jersey federal court proceedings, two California workers told the New Jersey court.
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July 07, 2025
Maine Authorizes Task Force To Explore Property Tax Changes
Maine authorized the creation of a task force to explore the need for legislation and constitutional amendments to provide more effective property tax relief for residents under a bill signed by the governor.
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July 07, 2025
Fla. Condo Says Chubb Insurer Lowballed Hurricane Claim
A nonprofit Florida condominium owner is urging a federal court to reject a Chubb subsidiary's final summary judgment bid against the nonprofit's hurricane coverage suit, arguing that the insurer offered only $23,801 for property damage that eventually resulted in the nonprofit receiving an award of more than $7.2 million.
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July 07, 2025
Ga. Property Owner, Insurer Settle Burst Pipe Coverage Suit
A property owner and its insurer have agreed to settle a lawsuit in which the owner alleged it should have received coverage under a more than $30 million policy despite the insurer receiving late notice of property damage caused during a 2022 winter freeze.
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July 03, 2025
NY Co. Looks To Halt Arbitration Over $280M Loan Deal
A New York real estate company has sued an Australian finance broker in federal court, seeking emergency relief to halt an ongoing $11.2 million arbitration in Singapore stemming from an allegedly fraudulent scheme related to a $280 million loan for a luxury condo project in Tribeca.
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July 03, 2025
Detroit Hits Crypto Real Estate Co. With Major Nuisance Suit
The city of Detroit has sued Real Token LLC, a cryptocurrency real estate company, alleging it allowed hundreds of properties to fall into severe disrepair while incurring hundreds of thousands of dollars in unpaid blight fines and property taxes.
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July 03, 2025
NJ Panel Declines To Expand Residential Sidewalk Liability
A New Jersey appellate panel declined to expand the principles of sidewalk liability for commercial properties to a residential property that was unoccupied and undergoing renovations on Thursday, backing a lower court ruling that held the property was not used for investment nor to generate a profit.
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July 03, 2025
2 Firms Guide $325M NYC Apartments, Condos Loan
Property owner and manager Algin Management Co. LLC borrowed a $325 million loan from New York Life Insurance Co. for multiple New York City residential properties in a deal guided by Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP and Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP.
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July 03, 2025
What Judges Might Ponder In Judicial Safety Law Challenge
A Third Circuit panel set to examine the constitutionality of a judicial safety law born out of the murder of a New Jersey federal judge's son is tasked with what experts are viewing as a lesser-of-two-evils choice: chilling free speech or chilling public service.
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July 03, 2025
Kentucky Accuses RealPage, Landlords Of Price-Fixing Rents
Kentucky has accused property management software company RealPage Inc. and multiple landlords of engaging in rent price-fixing, lodging similar antitrust claims against RealPage as the federal government, the District of Columbia and New Jersey.
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July 03, 2025
The Firms That Won Big At The Supreme Court
The number of law firms juggling three or more arguments before the U.S. Supreme Court this past term nearly doubled from the number of firms that could make that claim last term.
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July 03, 2025
Residents Urge Judge To Redo Ruling Backing Alaska Casino
A group of Anchorage, Alaska, residents opposed to a plan to build a casino urged a federal judge to reconsider a ruling finding the Native Village of Eklutna has sovereign immunity and can't face a lawsuit seeking to block the development plan.
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July 03, 2025
Breaking Down The Vote: The High Court Term In Review
The U.S. Supreme Court once again waited until the term's closing weeks — and even hours — to issue some of its most anticipated and divided decisions.
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July 03, 2025
The Biggest Rulings From Mass. High Court So Far In 2025
Massachusetts' top court has tackled a controversial housing initiative, the thorny issue of qualified immunity for public employees and even a high-profile murder case in the first six months of 2025.
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July 02, 2025
As Senior Housing Evolves, Zoning Plays Catch-Up
Developing senior housing projects includes a number of unique legal complexities, according to land use attorneys. Zoning codes don’t always reflect modern senior housing, and projects must sometimes overcome community opposition. In response to a growing need, some cities and states are encouraging denser senior housing development.
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July 02, 2025
State Farm Investigation In Calif. Spotlights Adjuster Issues
A California regulatory investigation into State Farm's California subsidiary is spotlighting common issues in the insurance recovery process following major disasters, but experts also say that the insurer's high level of exposure opened it up to more consumer scrutiny.
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July 02, 2025
Conn. Landlords Drop Housing Citation Appeals System Suit
A proposed class of New Haven, Connecticut, landlords on Tuesday dropped its state court suit against the city alleging it failed to create a system by which the plaintiffs could appeal housing code and rental license citations.
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July 02, 2025
How CEQA Reforms Address California's Housing Squeeze
California lawmakers on Monday enacted a new set of escape routes to the California Environmental Quality Act, the state law blamed for constricting housing development to a crisis point. Experts told Law360's Real Estate Authority that while the changes could speed permit processing in some cases, previous attempts to spur housing development by easing CEQA restrictions have proven ineffective.
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July 02, 2025
Local Restrictions In New Fla. Hurricane Law Cause Friction
The Florida Senate hailed the signing late last week of a wide-ranging bill aimed at bolstering the state's handling of hurricanes, but a legal battle could lie ahead, as Gov. Ron DeSantis provided his signature over objections that portions will trample on local governments' authority to regulate land use and development in their own communities.
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July 02, 2025
Q&A: Policyholder Atty On Career Win Against Calif. FAIR Plan
A major ruling last week that fire insurance offered by California's insurer of last resort doesn't meet minimum standards under state law should redefine the conversation around what constitutes insurable fire risk, according to one of the plaintiff's lawyers. Here, Law360 talks to policyholder attorney Dylan Schaffer of Kerley Schaffer LLP about the decision and case he regards as the most meaningful in his career.
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July 02, 2025
Dorm Operator To Face Venue Challenge In Ch. 11
A company that runs dormitory facilities at campuses in Georgia's public university system will have to overcome a motion the colleges' board is planning to bring to have the firm's Chapter 11 case transferred from Delaware bankruptcy court to Georgia.
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July 02, 2025
Fla. Broker, Atty Sued Over Taking Impaired Man's Home
A cognitively impaired man has sued an attorney and a Florida real estate broker in Connecticut state court for alleged unscrupulous sales practices, saying they took advantage of his condition to purchase his home for a "predatory discounted price" and left him homeless.
Expert Analysis
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CFPB Industry Impact Uncertain Amid Priority Shift, Staff Cuts
A recent enforcement memo outlines how the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's regulatory agenda diverges from that of the previous administration, but, given the bureau's planned reduction in force, it is uncertain whether the agency will be able to enforce these new priorities, say attorneys at Troutman Pepper.
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Opportunity Zone Revamp Could Improve The Program
If adopted, the budget bill's new iteration of the opportunity zone program could renew, refine and enhance the effectiveness and accountability of the original program by including structural reforms, expanded eligibility rules and incentives for rural investment, say attorneys at Pillsbury.
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What To Know About New Wash. Community Association Law
A series of recent legislative updates that greatly expand application of the Washington Uniform Common Interest Ownership Act pose significant challenges to the volunteer board members who administer and operate condos and homeowners associations, but there are ways to lessen the newly imposed administrative burden, says Tim Feth at VF Law.
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Mass. Suit Points To New Scrutiny For Home Equity Contracts
The Massachusetts attorney general’s recent charge that a lender sold unregulated reverse mortgages shows more regulators are scrutinizing mortgage alternatives like home equity contracts, but a similar case in the Ninth Circuit suggests more courts need to help develop a consensus on these products' legality, say attorneys at Weiner Brodsky.
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Evolving Federal Rules Pose Further Obstacles To NY LLC Act
Following the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network's recent changes to beneficial ownership information reporting under the federal Corporate Transparency Act — dramatically reducing the number of companies required to make disclosures — the utility of New York's LLC Transparency Act becomes less apparent, say attorneys at Pillsbury.
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4th Circ. 'Actionable Inaccuracy' Finding Deepens FCRA Split
The Fourth Circuit's March finding in Roberts v. Carter-Young Inc. that an actionable inaccuracy under the Fair Credit Reporting Act can be both legal and factual widens an existing circuit split and should prompt furnishers to review their processes for investigating readily verifiable information, say attorneys at Blank Rome.
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What Banks Should Note As Regulators Plan To Nix CRA Rule
While federal bank regulators’ recently announced intent to rescind a Biden-era Community Reinvestment Act final rule will loosen the framework for evaluating banks’ lending, service and investing activities, the decision means industry innovations and changes will remain unaddressed, say attorneys at Alston & Bird.
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Calif. Smoke Claim Ruling Gives Insurers Support On Denials
Far from being an outlier among ash, soot and smoke coverage cases, a California appellate court's recent opinion in Gharibian v. Wawanesa General Insurance reinforces the principle that policyholders must establish entitlement to coverage as a threshold matter, while supporting denials of coverage for meritless claims, says Kyle Espinola at Zelle.
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Navigating Florida's Bad Faith Reforms After Appellate Ruling
A Florida appellate court's recent decision is among the first to interpret two significant amendments to the state's insurance bad faith law, and its holding that one of the statutes could not apply retroactively may affect insurers' interpretation of the other statute, say attorneys at Cozen O'Connor.
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The Repercussions Of FEMA's Wildfire Cleanup Policy Cuts
The Federal Emergency Management Agency recently announced a decision to cease conducting additional soil tests to confirm that the land is safe and free of toxins after wildfires, meaning people could be moving back into houses unfit for human habitation, potentially leading to years of lawsuits, says Vineet Dubey at Custodio & Dubey.
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The Path Forward For Construction Cos. After Calif. Wildfires
The increasing frequency of disastrous wildfires, like those that recently occurred in California, presents a set of complex challenges for the construction industry, including regulatory hurdles and supply chain disruptions that can complicate rebuilding efforts, say attorneys at Cozen O'Connor.
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Know The Rules And Costs Of New Fla. Condo Inspection Law
Following the first report deadline for a structural integrity law meant to prevent disasters like the 2021 Surfside collapse, Florida condominium associations and unit owners should understand the process of conducting compliant inspections and anticipate new assessments to fund required maintenance, say attorneys at Ball Janik.
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Measuring And Mitigating Harm From Discriminatory Taxes
In response to new tariffs and other recent "America First Trade Policy" pronouncements, corporations should assess and take steps to minimize their potential exposure to discriminatory and reciprocal tax measures that are likely to come, say economists at Charles River Associates.