Commercial
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August 26, 2025
Feds Look To Dismiss Calif. Tribe's $700M Casino Dispute
The U.S. Department of the Interior, with the backing of two tribes and the California Gaming Association, is looking to dismiss a lawsuit over its decision to temporarily nix eligibility for a proposed $700 million casino and hotel project, arguing it doesn't constitute a final agency action under the Administrative Procedure Act.
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August 26, 2025
Ohio House Bills Seek To End Or Limit Property Taxes
Three bills introduced in the Ohio House of Representatives would eliminate property taxes by 2030, allow voters to introduce ballot initiatives to lower property taxes and increase the approval threshold for passage of certain property taxes.
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August 26, 2025
Tax Credit Dispute Sparks $1.3M Lawsuit Against Jersey City
A prominent Garden State developer filed a lawsuit against New Jersey's second-largest city, claiming the city improperly reversed its position on a longstanding tax agreement — demanding nearly $1.3 million in back payments that the developer says it does not owe.
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August 26, 2025
NYC Real Estate Week In Review
Fried Frank, Davis Polk and Seyfarth guided a Manhattan real estate deal north of $1 billion, the first 10-figure New York City deed that's hit records this year and one of three large trades that became public last week.
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August 26, 2025
Calif. Senate OKs New Tax Default Property Sales Rules
California county boards of supervisors would be required to take new steps before approving the sale of a tax-defaulted property under a bill passed by the state Senate.
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August 26, 2025
Medical Cannabis REIT Seeks Escape From Shareholders' Suit
A cannabis-focused real estate investment trust and its executives told a Maryland federal court to permanently dismiss a proposed securities class action, arguing that most of the "core" accusations about them misleading shareholders "are speculative or factually unsupported."
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August 26, 2025
Dick's Sporting Goods Gets $2.4B Foot Locker Deal Cleared
Dick's Sporting Goods Inc. said Tuesday that the waiting period has expired for its planned $2.4 billion purchase of Foot Locker, after it had previously given the Federal Trade Commission additional time to review the deal.
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August 26, 2025
Fried Frank Guides NYC Office-To-Hotel Conversion Bid
An affiliate of Kensico Properties filed an application with the Department of City Planning to convert a New York City office building into a 30-story hotel, guided by Fried Frank Harris Shriver & Jacobson LLP.
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August 26, 2025
Buchalter Adds Ex-Carlton Fields Attys To LA Office
Buchalter has hired two former Carlton Fields attorneys as shareholders for its corporate team in Los Angeles, and one of the announced hires is returning to the firm after almost 30 years.
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August 25, 2025
Rite Aid, Lease Buyer Hit Back At Landlord's Sale Objection
Bankrupt drugstore chain Rite Aid and the discount clothing retailer Ross Dress For Less are pushing back against a landlord who objected to the debtor's sale of 18 store leases to Ross, saying the planned sale is in Rite Aid's best interest.
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August 25, 2025
Alaska Looks To Reopen Tribal Gaming Lease Dispute
Alaska is asking a D.C. federal court to reopen a dispute that rejected an Indigenous tribe's bid to secure the right to open a bingo hall, alleging that the tribe is now claiming governmental powers over the land and treating it as Indian Country under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act.
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August 25, 2025
Atlanta-Area Hotels Failed To Stop Sex Trafficking, Suit Says
A group of Atlanta-area hotel owners and operators, including Ritz-Carlton Buckhead, were sued in Georgia federal court by a woman who alleged that they did nothing to prevent her from being trafficked for sex as a minor even at their properties though the signs were blatant.
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August 25, 2025
Ex-TSA Attorney Among 3 New Lawyers At Kaplan Kirsch
A former Transportation Security Administration attorney is among three lawyers who recently joined Kaplan Kirsch LLP, a Denver-based law firm that specializes in representing state, local and tribal government agencies on projects such as airport expansions and new rail lines.
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August 25, 2025
Vornado To Buy NYC Office Tower, Scraps Residential Plan
Vornado Realty Trust will pay $218 million to acquire and redevelop a 36-story office condominium into a new office property, canceling the seller's previous plan to convert the property into a residential building, the real estate investment trust announced Monday.
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August 25, 2025
Morrison Cohen Hires Ex-K&L Gates Real Estate Partner
Manhattan-based Morrison Cohen LLP announced Monday the hiring of a former K&L Gates LLP partner for its real estate practice.
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August 25, 2025
Texas Bill Would OK Low-Population Voter-Approval Tax Rates
The Texas voter-approval property tax rate, the maximum rate a local government can adopt without voter approval, would be reduced for smaller taxing authorities under a bill passed in the state Senate and a House committee.
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August 22, 2025
DC Circ. Weighing $47M Award Is Told Due Process At Stake
A Mexican businessman at the center of an allegedly fraudulent loan scheme underpinning an international tribunal's $47 million award to a Canadian investor is urging the D.C. Circuit to cancel the award, calling the underlying arbitration a "blatant denial" of due process.
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August 22, 2025
NYC Mall Lenders, Developer Ax Foreign Investor Suit
A New York federal judge dismissed foreign investors' suit over the loss of their investment in a New York City mall project, finding they failed to prove their investments were lost because parties allowed their funds to be subordinated to later financing provided by a Goldman Sachs affiliate.
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August 22, 2025
AY Strauss Boosts Commercial Real Estate Group With 4 Attys
A.Y. Strauss announced Friday that it has added two partners, one who comes aboard from Dechert LLP and another who formerly led a practice group at a boutique firm, and two other attorneys to bolster its capacity to handle commercial real estate matters.
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August 22, 2025
Rubin And Rudman Adds Environmental Land Use Law Expert
Rubin and Rudman LLP has hired a partner to the firm's environmental, land use and zoning practice group whose transactional and regulatory compliance focus will complement the firm's bench of environmental land use law and real estate law experts and litigators.
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August 22, 2025
Mich. Bills Seek New Tax On Electric Infrastructure Upgrades
Michigan would exempt replacement electric distribution infrastructure from property tax and instead impose an annual tax on the electric utility that owns the infrastructure under bills introduced in the state House of Representatives.
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August 22, 2025
Real Estate AI Co. Can't Dodge $100M Share Deal Breach Suit
A New York federal judge has mostly denied reAlpha Tech Corp.'s bid to toss a Luxembourg-based investment firm's suit seeking to enforce a $100 million share purchase agreement, rejecting reAlpha's arguments seeking to toss the suit's breach of contract and damages claims but dismissing the plaintiff's declaratory judgment claim.
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August 22, 2025
Taxation With Representation: Kirkland, Weil, Fried Frank
In this week's Taxation With Representation, private equity firm Thoma Bravo buys human resources software provider Dayforce Inc. in a take-private deal, Lowe's buys Foundation Building Materials, Nexstar Media Group Inc. acquires fellow media company Tegna Inc., and Soho House & Co. Inc. inks a take-private deal with hotel operator MCR.
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August 22, 2025
IRS Guidance Sparks Mixed Reaction For Solar, Wind Projects
The IRS recently narrowed the way large solar and wind energy development projects can set their construction start dates to qualify for certain tax credits, a change offering relief for some developers but new hurdles for others depending on the stage, type and size of the project.
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August 21, 2025
Tax Court Says Civil Fraud Penalty Cases Don't Require Juries
The U.S. Tax Court rejected Thursday a Mississippi partnership's bid, based on the Supreme Court's landmark 2024 decision requiring a jury to adjudicate common law fraud penalties, to dismiss civil fraud penalties the IRS imposed on a conservation easement transaction.
Expert Analysis
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5 Insurance Types For Mitigating Tariff-Related Trade Losses
The potential for significant trade-related losses as a result of increased tariffs may cause companies to consider which of their insurance policies, including marine, builders risk, trade credit, and directors and officers, could provide coverage to alleviate the financial impact, say attorneys at Pillsbury.
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Avoiding Pitfalls Around New Calif. Commercial Lease Law
A California law that became effective this year requires commercial landlords to extend certain protections previously afforded to residential tenancies, and a few key provisions of the law especially warrant reexamination of leasing and operational processes, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.
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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.
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Addressing Tariff Price Escalation In Construction Contracts
As construction projects across the U.S. face uncertainty surrounding material price increases driven by government-imposed tariffs, owners and developers should draft strong contracts to protect themselves from tariff-related cost overruns and delays, say attorneys at Akerman.
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How The CRE Industry Is Adapting To Tariff Uncertainty
Amid uncertainty about pending tariffs and their potential ripple effects, including higher material costs, supply chain delays and tighter margins, commercial real estate industry players are focusing on strategic planning and risk mitigation, says Daniel Diaz Leyva at Day Pitney.
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Reconciling 2 Smoke Coverage Cases From California
As highlighted by a California Department of Insurance bulletin clarifying the effect of two recent decisions on insurance coverage, the February state appellate ruling denying coverage for property damage from smoke, ash and soot should be viewed as an outlier, say attorneys at Reed Smith.
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Contractor Remedies Amid Overhaul Of Federal Spending
Now that the period for federal agencies to review their spending has ended, companies holding procurement contracts or grants should evaluate whether their agreements align with administration policies and get a plan ready to implement if their contracts or grants are modified or terminated, say attorneys at DLA Piper.
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Contract Disputes Recap: Terminations Galore
Attorneys at Seyfarth examine three recent decisions in which the Civilian Board of Contract Appeals and the Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals provide valuable insights into contract terminations, modifications and the jurisdictional requirements for claims.
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Making The Opportunity Zones Program Great At Last
As the opportunity zone program approaches its expiration, the Republican-led government could take specific steps to extend and improve the program, address its structural flaws, encourage broader participation and enable it to live up to its promised outcomes, say attorneys at Pillsbury.
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Investor Essentials For Buying Federally Owned Property
Investors and developers can take advantage of the Trump administration's plan to sell government-owned real estate by becoming familiar with the process and eligible to bid, and should prepare to move quickly once the U.S. General Services Administration posts the list of properties for sale, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.
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How 2025 Is Shaping The Future Of Bank Mergers So Far
Whether the long-anticipated great wave of consolidation in the U.S. banking industry will finally arrive in 2025 remains to be seen, but the conditions for bank mergers are more favorable now than they have been in years, say attorneys at Skadden.
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Why NY May Want To Reconsider Its LLC Transparency Law
Against the backdrop of the myriad challenges to the federal Corporate Transparency Act, it may be prudent for New York to reconsider its adoption of the LLC Transparency Act, since it's unclear whether the Empire State's "baby-CTA" statute is still necessary or was passed prematurely, say attorneys at Pillsbury.
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Dewberry Ruling Is A Wakeup Call For Trademark Owners
The U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Dewberry v. Dewberry hones in on the question of how a defendant's affiliates' profits should be treated under the Lanham Act, and should remind trademark litigants and practitioners that issues involving monetary relief should be treated seriously, say attorneys at Finnegan.