Explore

Rapid Read Rapid Read
Federal Judge Blocks NYC Law Requiring 'Just Cause' for Rideshare Driver Deactivations

Federal Judge Blocks NYC Law Requiring 'Just Cause' for Rideshare Driver Deactivations

A federal judge has issued a temporary injunction blocking a New York City law that would have required Uber and Lyft to demonstrate 'just cause' or 'bona fide economic reasons' before deactivating drivers from their platforms. The law, which was set to apply only to 'high-volume for-hire vehicle services' like Uber and Lyft, also mandated a 14-day notice period before deactivation. Uber sued, arguing the law violated the Contracts Clause of the U.S. Constitution. Judge Gregory Woods of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York found that NYC failed to demonstrate a legitimate and broad public purpose for the law, noting it was primarily designed to assist a small subset of drivers. The ruling also highlighted concerns that the 14-day notice requirement could force rideshare companies to keep potentially dangerous drivers on the road for two weeks, as the 'egregious conduct' exception was narrowly defined as 'imminent danger to other persons.'
Rapid Read Rapid Read
Benton County Judge Rules $7.3 Million in Property Tax Overcharges for Elderly and Disabled

Benton County Judge Rules $7.3 Million in Property Tax Overcharges for Elderly and Disabled

A circuit judge in Benton County, Arkansas, has ruled that the county overcharged elderly and disabled homeowners by $7.3 million in property taxes. The overcharges stemmed from the county's failure to properly apply a state freeze on property tax assessments for these vulnerable groups, as mandated by Amendment 79 of the Arkansas Constitution. This amendment freezes the assessment on homesteads for Arkansans aged 65 or older or those with disabilities. The ruling, issued on Thursday, found that Benton County systematically increased the assessed values of these homesteads after the date of purchase, rather than freezing them at the purchase value. Approximately 6,665 parcels in Benton County were affected, with the excess property taxes collected since 2018 totaling over $7.3 million. The county plans to appeal the decision, according to Benton County Judge Barry Moehring.
Rapid Read Rapid Read
New York City Hotel Conversion to Affordable Housing Faces Challenges Despite State Law

New York City Hotel Conversion to Affordable Housing Faces Challenges Despite State Law

A former JFK Hilton hotel in Queens is being converted into the Baisley Pond Park Residences, a 318-unit affordable housing complex for low-income and formerly homeless New Yorkers. This project, set to open in October 2025, is a result of the 2021 Housing Our Neighbors with Dignity Act (HONDA), a state law designed to facilitate the conversion of hotels into housing. The $167 million conversion is partly funded by $48 million in state money from the $200 million allocated to HONDA. Despite initial high hopes during the pandemic when many hotels were empty, the Hilton project is one of the few successful conversions under HONDA. Challenges have included insufficient funding, shifting market forces in the hospitality industry, bureaucratic hurdles, union opposition, and outdated zoning laws. Mayor Eric Adams and Governor Kathy Hochul have championed the project, with Hochul recently including tax breaks for developers undertaking office conversions if 25% of units are affordable.
Rapid Read Rapid Read
NYC West Indian American Day Parade to Conclude Earlier to Combat Violence

NYC West Indian American Day Parade to Conclude Earlier to Combat Violence

New York City's 59th annual West Indian American Day Parade, held along Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn, will end at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, a deliberate decision by NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch to curb violence. This earlier conclusion time is a direct response to last year's events, where six people were shot in three separate incidents on or near the parade route between 5:35 p.m. and 6:30 p.m., leading to the shutdown of the celebration. Thousands of NYPD officers will be deployed for both the parade and the J’Ouvert Festival, which starts at 6 a.m. and precedes the main parade. The number of officers has increased from the previous year. Additionally, the J’Ouvert Festival will maintain 13 entry points where spectators will be screened with magnetometers, and various items such as weapons, alcohol, and large bags will be prohibited. Eight teams from the NYC Crisis Management System, comprising staff and community volunteers, will also be stationed at hotspot locations to mediate conflicts and provide supp...
Trendline Trendline
Walker Dunlop Secures $390 Million Construction Financing for Jersey City's Park Tower Development

Walker Dunlop Secures $390 Million Construction Financing for Jersey City's Park Tower Development

Walker Dunlop Secures $390 Million Construction Financing for Jersey City's Park Tower Development
Trendline Trendline
Ropes Gray Appoints Adele Maloney as General Counsel and Partner in New York

Ropes Gray Appoints Adele Maloney as General Counsel and Partner in New York

Ropes Gray Appoints Adele Maloney as General Counsel and Partner in New York
Trendline Trendline
Springfield Files Lawsuit Against MGM Resorts International Over Host Community Agreement Compliance

Springfield Files Lawsuit Against MGM Resorts International Over Host Community Agreement Compliance

Springfield Files Lawsuit Against MGM Resorts International Over Host Community Agreement Compliance
Rapid Read Rapid Read
State-Level AI Regulations Mandate Employer Transparency in Data Processing

State-Level AI Regulations Mandate Employer Transparency in Data Processing

New state-level regulations in Connecticut and Colorado are increasingly linking artificial intelligence (AI) tools with existing comprehensive privacy statutes, particularly in employment settings. These laws define AI as technology that processes personal information and uses computation to generate output, thereby requiring employers to provide detailed notices when using AI for decision-making processes. Specifically, the Connecticut law, which begins to take effect later this year, mandates that employers using 'automated employment-related decision technology' (AEDT) must notify applicants and employees. This notice must include the purpose and nature of the employment decision, the trade name of the technology, and the categories and sources of personal data being used. While New York City's regulations have historically focused on bias audits, the recent shift in Connecticut and Colorado emphasizes transparency and notice, moving away from prioritizing bias analyses. Colorado's updated law also inc...
Trendline Trendline
Blackstone Faces Class Action Lawsuit for Alleged Overcharging of Manhattan Rent-Stabilized Tenants

Blackstone Faces Class Action Lawsuit for Alleged Overcharging of Manhattan Rent-Stabilized Tenants

Blackstone Faces Class Action Lawsuit for Alleged Overcharging of Manhattan Rent-Stabilized Tenants
Rapid Read Rapid Read
Human Rights Watch and ACLU Announce Aryeh Neier Fellowship for U.S. Human Rights Advocacy

Human Rights Watch and ACLU Announce Aryeh Neier Fellowship for U.S. Human Rights Advocacy

Human Rights Watch (HRW) and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) have announced the Aryeh Neier Fellowship, a two-year program designed to strengthen human rights advocacy in the United States. This fellowship, established in 2002 with funding from the Open Society Institute, honors Aryeh Neier, who significantly developed both organizations. The fellow will work with both HRW and the ACLU on joint initiatives, focusing on monitoring human rights issues, conducting field research, drafting reports, and engaging in advocacy to address human rights violations within the U.S. The position requires a recent J.D. graduate from a U.S. law school or someone graduating by June 2027, with academic or work experience in human rights and civil liberties. The fellow will receive a salary of $70,000 in the first year, with an increase in the second year, and will primarily be based in New York City, spending a year at each organization.
Trendline Trendline
Second Circuit Reverses NLRB on Starbucks Dress Code Rules, Citing Precedent Misinterpretation

Second Circuit Reverses NLRB on Starbucks Dress Code Rules, Citing Precedent Misinterpretation

Second Circuit Reverses NLRB on Starbucks Dress Code Rules, Citing Precedent Misinterpretation