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About This Blog
Welcome to the Snell & Wilmer real estate litigation blog. Check back here often for useful news and information about current topics involving real estate litigation. We hope that you will find the blog both timely and helpful, and we invite you to join the discussion by posting comments about the articles and contacting the authors with your thoughts about the posts.
Real Estate Litigation Group Members and Blog Contributors
- Bob Henry
- Kevin Parker
- Matt Fischer
- Adam Lang
- Cory Braddock
- Benjamin Reeves
- Erica Stutman
- Patrick Paul
- Rick Erickson
- Ginny Olmstead
- Neal McConomy
- Michael E. Lindsay
- Bob L. Olson
- Nathan G. Kanute
- Sean M. Sherlock
- Lyndsey Torp
- Anthony Carucci
- Luke Mecklenburg
- Jon Frank
- Kevin Walton
- Lauren Munsell
- Lauren Podgorski
- Addy Colton
- John Sarager
- Ian Douglas
- David Rao
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Recent Posts
- When Is A Project Delay Material and Actionable?
- The Colorado Supreme Court affirms Woodbridge II’s “Adverse Use” Distinction
- Can a Receiver Prime and Strip Liens Against Real Property?
- Equine Activity Liability Releases: The Arizona Court of Appeals Finds “Release” of Trail Ride Operator Doesn’t Block Negligence Claim for Participant Riding Injury
- Can a Home Builder Disclaim Implied Warranties of Workmanship and Habitability?
Topics
- Anti-deficiency Statute
- Bankruptcy
- Commercial Real Estate Industry
- Construction and Development
- Environmental
- Evictions
- Foreclosures
- Guaranty Contracts
- Judgment Liens
- Medical Marijuana
- Real Estate and Bankruptcy
- Real Estate Appraiser Litigation
- Real Estate Broker Litigation
- Real Estate Purchase/Sale Transaction Litigation
- Real Estate Receivers
- Statutes Affecting Real Estate
- Title Insurance
- Uncategorized
- Zoning
Tort Claims Against an Alter Ego May Be Considered an Action “On a Contract” for the Purposes of an Attorneys’ Fees Award under California Civil Code section 1717
By: Tony Carucci California Civil Code section 1717 entitles the prevailing party to attorneys’ fees “n any action on a contract,” where the contract provides for an award of attorneys’ fees to the prevailing party, regardless of whether the prevailing … Continue reading
Author:
acarucci
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Tagged attorneys fees, commercial real estate, construction, contractor, real estate litigation
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Arizona Governor Ducey’s Executive Order on Residential Eviction Actions
By: Bob Henry As part of the State of Arizona’s response to the current public health crisis, on March 24, 2020, Arizona Governor Ducey issued Executive Order 2020-14, titled “Postponement of Eviction Actions.” A copy of the Executive Order is … Continue reading
Author:
Bob Henry
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Tagged Arizona residential evictions. Executive Order 2020-14
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Short-Term Rental Legislation & Litigation On the Way!
The advent of the shared economy in the real estate context has provided homeowners and investors alike with expanded opportunities to generate revenue from the use of their real estate. Airbnb and VRBO are two of the most popular companies … Continue reading
Author:
Patrick J. Paul
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Tagged #2672, #partyhouse, #scottsdale, #shorttermrental
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CCP 998 Does Not Confer an Independent Right to Attorneys’ Fees
By: Tony Carucci A so-called “offer to compromise” under California Code of Civil Procedure section 998 can reverse the parties’ entitlement to costs after the date of the offer, depending on the outcome of the litigation. Cal. Code Civ. Proc. … Continue reading
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acarucci
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Tagged commercial real estate, construction, contractor, real estate, real estate litigation, Snell & Wilmer
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What If Your CCP 998 Offer is Silent on Costs?
By: Tony Carucci In California, the “prevailing party” in litigation is generally entitled to recover its costs as a matter of law. See Cal. Code Civ. Proc. § 1032. But under California Code of Civil Procedure section 998, a party … Continue reading
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acarucci
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Tagged commercial real estate, construction, contractor, developer, foreclosure, Guarantor, guaranty, real estate, real estate litigation
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Ten Years After Colorado’s Adverse Possession Amendment: a brief look backwards and forwards
In response to national outrage over an infamous adverse possession case in Boulder, Colorado, in which a lawyer and a judge intentionally took their neighbors’ undeveloped land through adverse possession, the Colorado legislature amended the state’s adverse possession statute (C.R.S. … Continue reading
Author:
Luke Mecklenburg
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Tagged adverse possession, colorado real property, CRS 38-41-101, real estate, real estate litigation, real property, residential, Snell & Wilmer
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California Supreme Court Clarifies Deadline to File Anti-SLAPP Motions in Light of Amended Pleadings
By: Tony Carucci California’s “anti-SLAPP” (“SLAPP” is an acronym for strategic lawsuit against public participation) statute—codified at California Code of Civil Procedure section 425.16 et seq.—is the primary vehicle for defending against any action involving petitioning or free speech. The … Continue reading
Author:
acarucci
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Tagged commercial real estate, construction, developer, eminent domain, real estate litigation, real property
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Withdrawal of an Admission in California May Shift Costs—Including Attorneys’ Fees—Incurred in Connection with the Withdrawal
By: Tony Carucci Under California Code of Civil Procedure section 2033.300, a court may permit a party to withdraw an admission made in response to a request for admission upon noticed motion. The court may only do so, however, “if … Continue reading
California Mediation Confidentiality May Apply to Third Party “Participants” Retained to Provide Analysis
By: Tony Carucci California Evidence Code section 1119 governs the general admissibility of oral and written communications generated during the mediation process. Section 1119(a) provides that “o evidence of anything said or any admission made for the purpose of, in … Continue reading
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acarucci
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Tagged commercial real estate, eminent domain, foreclosure, foreclosures, real estate litigation
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California Supreme Court Hands Victory to Private Property Owners Over Public Use
By: Sean M. Sherlock In 1970 the California Supreme Court held that, under certain circumstances, private property owners impliedly dedicate their property to the public if they permit the public to use it. Gion v. City of Santa Cruz (1970) … Continue reading
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Sean M. Sherlock
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Tagged implied dedication, private property, public use
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Does Your 998 Offer to Compromise Include Attorneys’ Fees and Costs?
By: Anthony J. Carucci In California, the “prevailing party” in litigation is generally entitled to recover its costs as a matter of law. See Cal. Code Civ. Proc. § 1032. But under California Code of Civil Procedure section 998, a … Continue reading
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acarucci
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Tagged commercial real estate, real estate litigation
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Arizona Supreme Court Holds a Credit Bid at a Trustee’s Sale Should Not be Credited to a Title Insurer Under a Standard Lender’s Title Policy To the Extent the Bid Exceeds the Collateral’s Fair Market Value
By: Richard H. Herold The Arizona Supreme Court recently addressed what impact, if any, a lender’s credit bid at an Arizona trustee’s sale has on an insurer’s liability under Sections 2, 7 and 9 of the standard’s lender’s title policy … Continue reading
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Richard Herold
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Tagged credit bid, Lender's title insurance, trustee's sale
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Avoiding Lender Liability for Credit-Related Actions in California
By: Anthony J. Carucci Aside from general statutory prohibitions on lender discrimination, there are certain circumstances under California law in which lenders may be held liable for credit-related actions, such as negotiating or denying credit. See generally 11 Cal. Real … Continue reading
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acarucci
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Tagged commercial real estate, foreclosure, foreclosures, real estate, real estate litigation, real property
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Applying New California Rules to Your Real Estate Litigation Practice
By: Lyndsey Torp Several new California procedural rules went into effect on January 1, 2016. While we are several months into the new year, litigators may need a reminder of these new rules. The list below summarizes several of the … Continue reading
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Lyndsey Torp
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Tagged 2016 California Code of Civil Procedure, 2016 California rule changes
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Property Taxes: A Shopping Center May Not Always be a Shopping Center
By: Rick Herold, Craig McPike & Ben Reeves In the world of real property taxes, Valuation + Classification = Assessed Valuation. Sounds simple, right? The County Assessor determines the first factor, valuation (subject to certain guidelines under applicable Arizona law). … Continue reading
Author:
Richard Herold
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Tagged movie theater, real estate, shopping center, tax appeal, valuation, zoning
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Inverse Condemnation: When is Your Claim Precluded by the Arizona Statute of Limitations?
By: Richard Herold An inverse condemnation of a landowner’s property can occur when a governmental entity: (1) physically takes the property without compensation; or (2) passes a new law that has a serious impact on the value and/or utility of … Continue reading
Easements Made Easier: Building Pipelines with the Power of Eminent Domain Under the Natural Gas Act
By: Richard H. Herold Any person or entity seeking to construct a natural gas pipeline and successful in obtaining a certificate of convenience and necessity from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission may exercise the power of eminent domain to obtain easements across … Continue reading
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Richard Herold
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Tagged condemnation, easements, eminent domain, natural gas act, pipelines
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Sellers Cannot Look to the Appraiser When Lenders Pull the Plug on a Prospective House Flip
By: Eric Spencer An outgrowth of Arizona’s housing downturn in recent years has been the proliferation of would-be real estate investors who purchase, renovate and flip residential properties. On the other hand, in part to prevent the next downturn from … Continue reading
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Eric Spencer
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Tagged appraisal, appraiser liability, Restatement of Torts §552, Southwest Non-Profit Housing Corp. v. Nowak
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Bidding on State Land Trust Leases: Even the Top Revenue-Generating Bids Must be Balanced Against Qualitative “Best Use” Factors Designed to Protect the Land
By: Richard H. Herold The Court of Appeals recently held that that the Commissioner of the State Land Trust Department properly balanced Wildearth Guardians, Inc.’s higher revenue-generating bid against “best use” qualitative factors set forth in the Arizona Administrative Code. … Continue reading
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Richard Herold
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Tagged Grazing Leases, Real Estate Leases
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Suing a Licensed Real Estate Professional May Require You to Complete and Turn In Your Homework.
By: Cory L. Braddock A lawyer must have a good faith belief, after reasonable inquiry, that a lawsuit he files is grounded in fact and warranted by existing law. Ariz. R. Civ. P. 11. In other words, lawyers violate Arizona’s … Continue reading
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Cory Braddock
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Tagged expert opinion, real estate agent, real estate broker
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The U.S. Supreme Court’s Latest Attempt to Differentiate a Fair Quid Pro Quo in the Developer’s Permitting Process From an Unconstitutional Taking
By: Rick Herold Introduction The U.S. Supreme Court has issued an important decision in an attempt to add clarity and help government land use planners understand the difference between reasonable requests and unreasonable demands rising to the level of unconstitutional … Continue reading
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Richard Herold
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Tagged condemnation, eminent domain, essential nexus, just compensation, land use, real estate litigation, rough proportionality, unconstitutional conditions, unconstitutional taking
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Does an Appraiser Owe a Duty of Care to Non-Client Third Parties? It Depends.
By: Andy Stone Under what circumstances do appraisers owe a duty of care to third parties sufficient to give rise to liability for negligent misrepresentation claims was examined (again) by the Arizona Court of Appeals in late 2012. See Belen … Continue reading
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Andy Stone
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Tagged appraiser liability, appraisers, Belen Loan Investors, negligent misrepresentation, Section 552 of the Restatement (Second) of Torts
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