Landlords & Tenants

Cuban American judge and SCOTUS contender’s record on voting rights, executive power could be contentious

A Cuban American judge who fought to keep a Cuban boy in the United States is said to be a top contender for the U.S. Supreme Court following the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

Sep 21, 2020 3:26 PM CDT

An eviction crisis is coming, housing lawyers warn

Nearly six months into a pandemic that’s upended American society, a San Diego property owner cut a deal with a tenant: Take $10,000 and get out.

Sep 10, 2020 4:45 PM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: 3 online law schools get state accreditation; cop immobilization maneuver can be fatal

3 fully online law schools get California accreditation On Friday, California accreditation was given to three online law schools—the Concord Law School at Purdue University Global, the Northwestern California University School of Law and the St. Francis Law School. Two other online schools, the California School of Law and the…

Aug 25, 2020 4:13 PM CDT

Top Florida court suspends lawyer over communication with condo association treasurer

A Florida lawyer has been suspended after sending a string of disparaging emails and text messages to the treasurer of a condo association.

Jul 10, 2020 11:57 AM CDT

Emotional support dog didn’t have priority over tenant with allergies, state supreme court says

The Iowa Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that a no-pets building in Iowa City, Iowa, should not have allowed a new tenant to have an emotional support dog after an objection by another tenant with severe allergies.

Jul 2, 2020 11:03 AM CDT

Fighting landlord’s suit, Jenner & Block says COVID-19 pandemic entitles it to rent abatement

Jenner & Block says abatement provisions in its Chicago lease cover situations like the COVID-19 pandemic, and it is entitled to an $840,000-plus credit for overpayment.

Jun 24, 2020 12:49 PM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: Sanctions can be discharged in bankruptcy, 9th Circuit says; BigLaw firms observe Juneteenth

Lawyer’s discovery sanctions can be discharged in bankruptcy, 9th Circuit rules A suspended California lawyer may discharge more than $5,700 in discovery sanctions in bankruptcy, but she can’t discharge more than $18,000 for the costs of state disciplinary proceedings against her, a federal appeals court has ruled. The 9th U.S.…

Jun 15, 2020 4:38 PM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: Judge prevented from fixing jobless system; state will stop sharing COVID-19 data

Separation of powers stops Florida judge from ordering unemployment system fix Leon County Circuit Judge John Cooper said Thursday that Florida law and the Constitution’s separation of powers doctrine is stopping him from getting involved with issues in the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity’s unemployment system. In response to a…

May 29, 2020 4:00 PM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: Jenner & Block in COVID-19 rent dispute; more malpractice claims likely

Jenner & Block is sued in dispute over rent during pandemic The Chicago landlord for Jenner & Block has filed a lawsuit alleging that the law firm owes more than $3.7 million in unpaid rent. Jenner & Block’s co-managing partner, Randy Mehrberg, says the firm doesn’t have to pay under…

May 27, 2020 2:09 PM CDT

Federal judge sues Allstate, claims insurer is wrongly trying to evict him during pandemic

A federal judge in Brooklyn has filed a lawsuit contending that Allstate is trying to force him and his wife to leave the property that they rented after a fire destroyed their home, despite New York’s moratorium on evictions.

Apr 23, 2020 9:37 AM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: Supreme Court to hear juvenile sentencing case; Led Zeppelin wins ‘Stairway’ fight

Supreme Court takes another case over juvenile life-without-parole sentences The Supreme Court agreed on Monday to determine if the Eighth Amendment’s ban on cruel and unusual punishment requires the court to find a juvenile “permanently incorrigible” before giving him or her the sentence of life in prison without parole. Brett…

Mar 9, 2020 5:05 PM CDT

Commercial landlords increasingly found liable for actions of rogue tenants who sell counterfeit goods

Counterfeits are big business, estimated at $509 billion worldwide in 2016. Increasingly since the 1990s, brands are finding a strategy in going after commercial landlords, who often have deeper pockets than the sellers.

Nov 1, 2019 2:30 AM CDT

Judge says landlord should pay $17K for threatening to call ICE on tenant; decision could be a first

An administrative law judge in New York City ruled earlier this month that a landlord should pay a $5,000 fine and $12,000 in damages for threatening to call U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on a tenant who was in the country illegally.

Sep 23, 2019 1:01 PM CDT

Few people seek legal solutions to their justice problems, worldwide survey finds

About half of people surveyed from around the world said they experienced a recent civil legal problem, but most did not turn to lawyers and courts. The study by the World Justice Project found that 49% of people experienced at least one legal problem in the past two years. Among…

Jun 27, 2019 12:01 PM CDT