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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
Features

Claim Against Amazon and Starbucks for Illegal Tracking of Biometric Info Fails
Amazon and Starbucks were granted a motion to dismiss most claims against them in a proposed class action alleging that the companies illegally tracked consumers' biometric information.
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New York's Good Cause Eviction Law: An Overview and Impact Analysis
The effectiveness of the Good Cause Eviction Law will largely depend on its implementation and the local adaptations that municipalities outside New York City decide to enact. Both landlords and tenants should stay informed about the specifics of how this law is applied in their respective locales and how it will be interpreted and handled in the judicial system.
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The Future Viability of 105(a) Injunctions Following the Supreme Court's Decision In 'Purdue Pharma'
Until now, a successful reorganization assumed the debtor could confirm a plan with nondebtor releases and injunctions based on less than full creditor consensus. Now that nonconsensual releases in Chapter 11 plans are no longer permitted, will debtors have a more difficult time obtaining a 105(a) injunction?
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Supreme Court Upholds Names Clause in Trademark Law, Emphasizing Historical and Traditional Foundations
In a landmark decision, the U.S. Supreme Court has unanimously upheld the constitutionality of the Lanham Act's provision that prohibits the registration of trademarks consisting of or comprising the name of a particular living individual without the individual's written consent.
Columns & Departments
Co-ops and Condominiums
Condominium Purchaser Was On Inquiry Notice of Unrecorded Easement Condominium Board May Not Depart from Declaration's Funding Provisions Failure to Make Repairs Does Not Excuse Failure to Pay Common Charges
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SCOTUS: Prospective Relief Is Only Remedy Necessary to Resolve Unconstitutional U.S. Trustee Fee Scheme
In a recent decision, the U.S. Supreme Court held that the government was not required to refund millions of dollars paid by a Chapter 11 debtor pursuant to an unconstitutional fee scheme between the judicial districts.
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Fifth Circuit Agrees With 'Cleary': Corporate Debtors Are Subject to Section 523(a) In Subchapter V Case
Armed with two circuit-level decisions, creditors who lose at the bankruptcy court level may feel encouraged to appeal. As of now, no court in the Second Circuit has addressed the issue and it remains to be seen how other courts will react.
Columns & Departments
Landlord & Tenant Law
Notice Sufficient In Action to Eject Occupant Lease's Taking Clause Excuses Tenant from Payment of Rent<br Village's ETPA Resolution Upheld Landlord's Delay In Providing Itemized Statement Precludes Landlord from Retaining Any Portion of Security Deposit Assignee Liable for Breach of Lease Constructive Eviction and Warranty of Habitability Defenses Rejected
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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 ›
- Private Equity Valuation: A Significant DecisionInsiders (and others) in the private equity business are accustomed to seeing a good deal of discussion ' academic and trade ' on the question of the appropriate methods of valuing private equity positions and securities which are otherwise illiquid. An interesting recent decision in the Southern District has been brought to our attention. The case is <i>In Re Allied Capital Corp.</i>, CCH Fed. SEC L. Rep. 92411 (US DC, S.D.N.Y., Apr. 25, 2003). Judge Lynch's decision is well written, the Judge reviewing a motion to dismiss by a business development company, Allied Capital, against a strike suit claiming that Allied's method of valuing its portfolio failed adequately to account for i) conditions at the companies themselves and ii) market conditions. The complaint appears to be, as is often the case, slap dash, content to point out that Allied revalued some of its positions, marking them down for a variety of reasons, and the stock price went down - all this, in the view of plaintiff's counsel, amounting to violations of Rule 10b-5.Read More ›
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- The DOJ Goes Phishing: The Rise of False Claims Act Cybersecurity LitigationWhile the DOJ Civil Cyber-Fraud Initiative is still in its early stages and cybersecurity regulations are evolving, whistleblower plaintiffs have already begun leveraging the FCA to pursue alleged noncompliance with government cybersecurity requirements.Read More ›
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