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U.S. Supreme Court Ruling Empowers Developers and Property Owners to Challenge Excessive or Unjustified Impact Fees
The recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Sheetz v. County of El Dorado will cause many local governments to revisit the defensibility of their impact fee regimes.
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Development
City Took Hard Look At Environmental Factors Without Requiring Environmental Impact Statement On Impact of Climate Change Area Variance Grant Upheld for Construction of Fence Landowner Did Not Establish Pre-Existing Nonconforming Use
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Mediation of Commercial Lease Disputes: A Collaborative Approach to Resolving Disputes
In the view of many experienced practitioners, arbitration has morphed into a time-consuming process, often as expensive as litigation and has other shortcomings such as the non-appealability of the arbitrator's decision. Not so mediation which may be a materially better form of ADR.
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Real Property Law
Practical Location of Boundaries Doctrine Applicable Even When Deeded Boundaries Are Clear Restrictive Covenant Did Not Bar Above Ground Pool and Deck Questions of Fact Preclude Summary Judgment On Enforceability of Two-Year-Old Contract Adverse Possession Claim Fails for Failure to Prove Cultivation and Improvement
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Applying Merger By Deed Doctrine to Real Estate Transactions
Since a deed is a subsequent writing between the parties, there is some logic to the terms of the deed taking precedence over the terms of the prior contract of sale, at least as to the subject matter of the deed.
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Eminent Domain Law
Public Purpose Finding Upheld
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Approving Attorney Opinion Letters In Lieu of Title Insurance Is Trending, But Use With Caution
Despite being more affordable than title insurance, attorney opinion letters should be used with caution when replacing title insurance. The costs savings associated with this practice might not justify the additional risk associated with it.
Columns & Departments
Co-ops and Condominiums
Obligation to Construct Interior of Condominium Did Not Touch and Concern the Land, and Therefore Did Not Bind Successor Managing Agent Did Not Owe Fiduciary Duty to Unit Owner; Condo Board Protected By Business Judgment Rule No Preliminary Injunction In Acton to Abate a Noise Nuisance
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PA Court: Vacant Lot Valueless Without Zoning Variance
The Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court affirmed a decision by the city of Philadelphia's Zoning Board of Adjustment (ZBA) that a real estate developer's evidence established an unnecessary hardship because it proved that the property, a vacant lot that needed costly environmental remediation, was practically valueless without the granting of a variance under the Philadelphia Zoning Code.
Columns & Departments
Landlord & Tenant Law
Liquidated Damages Clause Might Constitute Unenforceable Penalty
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- Protecting Innovation in the Cyber World from Patent TrollsWith trillions of dollars to keep watch over, the last thing we need is the distraction of costly litigation brought on by patent assertion entities (PAEs or "patent trolls"), companies that don't make any products but instead seek royalties by asserting their patents against those who do make products.Read More ›
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