Real Estate & Property Law

Video surveillance is increasingly used in legal disputes over rent-controlled apartments

Sentencing is scheduled later this month for a New York City police officer and his brother who pleaded guilty to perjury for their statements in a legal battle with their landlord. The landlord had contended that the officer’s brother, Victor Cruz, didn’t actually live in the $151-a-month, rent-controlled apartment and…

Jan 11, 2017 11:30 AM CST

Man can sue for return of engagement ring, Virginia Supreme Court rules

A $26,000 engagement ring was a conditional gift and a man who broke off his engagement is entitled to its return, the Virginia Supreme Court has ruled. The court said in a Dec. 15 decision (PDF) that the lawsuit by Ethan Dockendorf was not barred by the state’s heart balm…

Dec 20, 2016 2:14 PM CST

Use of nonlawyers to help litigants navigate NYC housing court has been a success, ABF study finds

The use of nonlawyers to help pro se litigants navigate New York City Housing Court has been a success. That’s according to a new study (PDF) from the American Bar Foundation. According to a Thursday press release, the ABF study analyzed the New York City Court Navigators Program, which utilizes…

Dec 16, 2016 11:45 AM CST

Some windfall winners need a lawyer to protect them from themselves

You could say Laura Kelly is in the big-money end of the legal profession. But for Kelly, a partner practicing wealth preservation and estate planning at McCarter & English in Newark, New Jersey, much of that money belongs to her often newly wealthy clients.

Dec 1, 2016 4:40 AM CST

Trump plans to place his businesses in a blind trust run by his children; will it resolve conflicts?

President-elect Donald Trump is planning to put his business interests in a blind trust run by his oldest three children, his lawyer says. Lawyer Michael Cohen told CNN on Thursday about Trump’s plans for the blind trust run by his children. But is it really a blind trust? And will…

Nov 14, 2016 7:00 AM CST

Jones Day and ABA develop VetLex legal referral network to provide pro bono help to veterans

Jones Day is hosting programs at 18 of its offices on Friday to introduce lawyers and executives to a referral program being developed with the ABA that will link veterans to pro bono and low-cost lawyers. The program, expected to launch in the spring, is called VetLex, report Bloomberg Big…

Nov 11, 2016 8:38 AM CST

Lawyer seeks variance to tear down ‘Watcher’ house and subdivide lot

A lawyer asked a planning board in New Jersey on Monday to allow the owners of the so called “Watcher” house to subdivide the parcel so they can sell it for development. Lawyer James Foerst said the $ 1.3 million home owned by Derek and Maria Broaddus is “stigmatized” and…

Nov 8, 2016 2:00 PM CST

Lawyer says he grabbed shotgun from client; he had sought to withdraw from her case

Lawyer Keith Couture says he was surprised to see a 75-year-old bankruptcy client sitting in his office lobby last Thursday. The client, 75-year-old Patricia Currie, had apparently entered the lobby without him noticing, Couture tells the New Orleans Times-Picayune. She had a towel draped across her lap and was wearing…

Nov 2, 2016 8:50 AM CDT

SCOTUS will decide whether Miami can sue banks under the Fair Housing Act

The mortgage-lending practices of the nation’s largest banks and their effects on inner-city neighborhoods will be the backdrop in a U.S. Supreme Court case to be argued today.

Nov 1, 2016 2:40 AM CDT

Ammon Bundy’s lawyer is stunned with Taser and arrested after acquittals in refuge standoff

The lawyer representing Ammon Bundy was shocked with a Taser, tackled and arrested after he loudly objected to his client’s continued detention after his acquittal in Portland on Thursday. The surprising end came after the acquittal of brothers Ammon and Ryan Bundy, along with five others, following their six-week trial…

Oct 28, 2016 9:24 AM CDT

Woman fights to keep her treehouse abode after building inspectors cite code violations

A 65-year-old grandmother who once protested the Vietnam War is waging a fight over a new issue: Inspectors who say the treehouse she lives in must be brought up to code or torn down. The inspectors say Shawnee Chasser’s treehouse near downtown Miami is a safety hazard, the Associated Press…

Oct 26, 2016 9:29 AM CDT

How can employers reduce the risk of Pokémon Go?

While players are immersed in augmented reality, property managers need to watch for real-world safety repercussions.

Oct 1, 2016 3:50 AM CDT

Facing a bias suit and criticism, Airbnb takes steps to curb discrimination by its hosts

Airbnb is trying to reduce bias by its hosts after a lawsuit and a study alleged that blacks who try to rent through the website are experiencing discrimination. In a report released on Thursday, Airbnb says it will ask its hosts beginning on Nov. 1 to pledge not to discriminate,…

Sep 9, 2016 10:50 AM CDT

Supreme Court has pushed back arguments in these cases

The U.S. Supreme Court will hear 10 cases in November, but earlier granted cases on the free exercise clause and regulatory takings are not among them. The Supreme Court usually schedules cases in roughly the same order as they were granted, and its decision to delay the cases could be…

Sep 6, 2016 7:00 AM CDT

Enterprising college students are offering their dorm rooms for rent online

Forget a ramen noodle diet or digging for coins in the couch cushions. Some thrifty college students are setting their sights higher—offering their dorm rooms on the lodging rental site Airbnb to make some quick cash.

Sep 1, 2016 4:10 AM CDT