Courts

Manhattan Property Owners File Lawsuit to Fight Columbia Expansion
   New York City: A state Supreme Court will have the first shot at determining whether city officials properly examined the environmental impact of a proposed Columbia Univ. underground expansion into nearby neighborhoods when its rezoning request was approved.Property owners in the Manhattanville are...
posted 3/28/08 11:33 AM  read complete story

CA Judge Says Prop. 98 Title to Remain Unchanged
   California: A Sacramento County Superior Court judge rejects a legal effort by cities seeking to change the name of a ballot initiative they oppose that would greatly limit eminent domain use. The California League of Cities and development groups back Proposition 99. They filed a legal action to ch...
posted 3/17/08 4:04 PM  read complete story

Atlantic Yards Developers Score State Court Victory
   New York: A main legal challenge to the Atlantic Yards development in Brooklyn suffered a major defeat Jan. 11 when a state Supreme Court justice ruled most of the local citizens' complaints invalid. Officials at Develop Don't Destroy Brooklyn (DDDB), which has been challenging the development's leg...
posted 1/15/08 2:32 PM  read complete story

Federal Court Gives HUD Tenants Rights
   New York: Eastern District Federal Judge Frederic Block decides tenants in HUD-owned apartment buildings have rights to be heard under eviction proceedings.Now, a HUD rule (24CFR247.10), which regulates the department's renovation program, says it doesn't have to give tenants a reason for eviction f...
posted 1/11/08 5:01 PM  read complete story

Baltimore Seeks Millions from Lender in Groundbreaking Case
   In what is being described as a landmark lawsuit, Baltimore officials seek millions of dollars in recovery costs under the Federal Fair Housing Act against a major housing lender they claim targeted African-Americans and other minority neighborhoods to use subprime loans.Filing the case in U.S. Dist...
posted 1/9/08 4:04 PM  read complete story

PA State Court Delays Razing in Philly Convention Center Expansion
   Pennsylvania: A state court rules that two buildings to be razed in favor of a convention center expansion must remain standing until a trial determines whether an agreement signed by the developer to preserve the properties settles the issue.The case involves a turf battle between two state agencie...
posted 1/9/08 4:01 PM  read complete story

MO Lawmakers to Attempt Repeal of Controversial "Village Law"
   Missouri: State lawmakers are beginning a rollback effort of a law passed this spring that allows property owners to essentially incorporate their own land, allowing them the opportunity to circumvent county zoning rules.State Sen. Jack Goodman (R) filed companion legislation that would repeal the c...
posted 12/28/07 11:38 AM  read complete story

HUD, Florida Officials Settle Lawsuit with First American Title
   HUD and Florida state officials reach a financial settlement with the First American Title Insurance Company in a lawsuit over whether the company violated the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA).
posted 11/21/07 9:33 PM  read complete story

HUD to Fight Court Ruling on Downpayment Assistance Ban
      HUD prepares to fight a federal judge's temporary ban on a rule intended to stop nonprofits from providing seller-assisted mortgage downpayments to prospective low-income homeowners.   U.S. District Judge Paul Friedman issues the ban on the same day, Oct. 31, the rule was to t...
posted 11/7/07 09:56 AM  read complete story

Federal Court Says Muslim Group's Land Protected from Taking Under RLUIPA
     New Jersey: A federal court here has ruled that a township's efforts to prevent a mosque's construction and implement the township's open space plan is illegal because it falls under federal law protecting religious properties."The judge said the issues are ready for trial," says Roman Storze...
posted 10/24/07 4:21 PM  read complete story