Real Estate & Property Law

Can city sue mortgage lenders over alleged fair-housing violations? Supreme Court to decide

The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday agreed to decide whether the city of Miami can sue banks over alleged predatory lending that targeted blacks and Hispanics. The issue in the two consolidated cases is whether the city qualifies as an “aggrieved person” permitted to sue to enforce the Fair Housing…

Jul 1, 2016 7:40 AM CDT

Small civil-rights law firm wins reversal of $282K sanction

A small civil-rights law firm in Minnesota has won reversal of a $281,900 sanction imposed by a federal judge who found its claims in a Native American land rights case to be “completely frivolous.” The St. Louis-based 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals sided with Minneapolis attorney Erick Kaardal and…

Jun 28, 2016 11:45 AM CDT

Chicago poised to adopt regulation of Airbnb and similar home-rental listing sites

A proposed Chicago ordinance regulating Airbnb and similar online home rental websites will no longer require the site to police those who violate listing rules. Instead, it will be up to city inspectors and those with complaints to make their voices heard, with the help of a $60-per-unit fee paid…

Jun 14, 2016 2:40 PM CDT

FTC sues 2 law firms over claimed mortgage-rescue scheme that cost clients $15M in 2014

The Federal Trade Commission has sued two Southern California law firms, seeking to freeze their assets and appoint a receiver. It says Brookstone Law and Advantis Law raked in $15 million in 2014 by charging clients upfront fees for work such as “legal analysis” and promises of mass joinder in…

Jun 10, 2016 12:30 PM CDT

9th Circuit OKs legal fees in failed suit over school bus converted to look like Spanish galleon

A school bus converted to a replica 16th-century Spanish galleon and used to transport attendees, hold weddings and provide a stage for poetry readings at events like Nevada’s Burning Man festival wasn’t a protected artwork under a federal statute. That’s what a federal district court judge decided on summary judgment…

Jun 9, 2016 3:40 PM CDT

Do veggies get equal protection? Couple cites Constitution, seeks to uproot front-garden ban

A South Florida couple forced to dig up the organic vegetable garden they had in their front yard for 17 years, due to threats of $50-a-day fines by Miami Shores, is now pursuing a constitutional case over a front-garden ban. Tom Carroll and Hermine Ricketts contend that a recent zoning…

Jun 9, 2016 3:15 PM CDT

San Francisco mulls fining, prosecuting home-share sites like Airbnb for listing unregistered units

In 2015, a law took effect in San Francisco that requires those who make short-term rentals available on sharing sites such as Airbnb, HomeAway and VRBO to register with local government. But only around 1,400 of an estimated 7,000 or more owners who rent rooms and entire homes to travelers…

Jun 3, 2016 11:53 AM CDT

Anderson Kill adds 10-attorney firm known for representation of HOA boards

Anderson Kill has added to its ranks a 10-attorney New York corporate firm known for its real estate work, as well as the representation of the boards and management companies of condominiums, cooperatives and homeowner associations. The New York-based Anderson Kill, announced the acquisition in a Wednesday news release, which…

Jun 2, 2016 11:15 AM CDT

Telling tenants to ‘friend’ landlord Facebook page in 5 days or lose lease was mistake, lawyer says

When tenants in a Salt Lake City apartment building discovered an unusual lease addendum taped to their doors last week, a number were irked. It said they had to “friend” the landlord’s Facebook page within 5 days, reports KSL, or be found in breach of the rental agreement with City…

Jun 1, 2016 3:35 PM CDT

Contentious battles between couples over frozen embryos raise legal and ethical dilemmas

When Risa Levine, a real estate attorney in New York City, got married, she wanted nothing more than to have a baby. Her husband at the time also wanted a child, but they weren't able to do so on their own. So they went to a fertility clinic together.

Jun 1, 2016 4:10 AM CDT

Longtime lawyer pleads guilty in $33.6M real-estate fraud involving bogus court filings

In recent years, a number of real estate lawyers have been embroiled in mortgage fraud cases. But Arizona attorney Jeffrey Greenberg went farther than most, federal prosecutors say: He not only used his legal expertise to help co-conspirators get dubious loans on multi-million dollar Southern California homes but also to…

May 27, 2016 11:45 AM CDT

Lawyer is charged with stealing $587K from estate of deceased ‘kung fu’ judge

A Queens lawyer has been charged with grand larceny for allegedly siphoning $587,000 in Brooklyn real estate sale proceeds from the estate of a deceased New York judge. Bail was set Wednesday at $250,000 for attorney Frank Racano, as he entered a not-guilty plea in criminal court in Brooklyn. He…

May 26, 2016 10:30 AM CDT

Suit claims timeshare sales by Marriott Vacation Club are a racketeering scheme

A would-be class action claims the Marriott Vacation Club’s timeshare program is a racketeering scheme that sells “illusory” interests in real property. The suit (PDF), filed last Friday in federal court in Orlando, alleges that timeshare buyers in Marriott’s points program pay closing costs, recording fees, title policy premiums and…

May 25, 2016 10:50 AM CDT

New Mexico sues EPA, seeking cleanup of toxic mine spill and damages

Ordinarily, when there’s a dispute about claimed environmental damage due to corporate operations, it’s the Environmental Protection Agency that sues to get it cleaned up. But a lawsuit filed Monday by the state of New Mexico in federal court in Albuquerque names the EPA as a defendant, along with an…

May 24, 2016 1:00 PM CDT

No liability for movie theater owner in Colorado movie massacre, jury decides

A Colorado jury on Thursday found no liability on the part of a movie theater owner in a lawsuit over a shooting massacre at an Aurora premiere of the Batman film The Dark Knight Rises in 2012. Jurors deliberated only three or four hours before rejecting claims that more security…

May 19, 2016 5:00 PM CDT