The Property Line

2020 has been marked by volatility and challenges to the economy. In this Special Edition episode, we discuss the impact of the recent election on commercial real estate and the 2021 outlook for the industry, including key takeaways highlighted by panelists from Jamestown Properties, BentallGreenOak, the Real Estate Roundtable, and the National Retail Federation during a recent Seyfarth webinar.

As the pandemic rages on, retailers that are operating face the threat of negligence claims by customers and vendors alleging a failure by the retailers to protect them from the spread of the virus. Although congress has resisted liability shield legislation at the Federal level, a handful of states have enacted a variety of different liability shield laws aimed at protecting businesses against CO...

COVID-19 restrictions imposed throughout the United States have resulted in business interruption losses in nearly every industry. Many insurance companies have denied coverage for COVID-19 business interruption losses, and policy holders have filed lawsuits seeking coverage. Courts are beginning to weigh in on whether business interruption insurance coverage will cover financial losses due to COV...

In February, Hitz Restaurant Group filed for bankruptcy and stopped paying rent. In March, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker issued a government order to suspend food and beverage service due to the COVID-19 pandemic. How was Hitz able to use the government order to trigger force majeure and to partially suspend its rent payments? This episode discusses the details of this unique case, deconstructin...

Since the onset of COVID-19, many states and municipalities have passed a patchwork of eviction moratoriums aimed at providing rent relief to residential and commercial tenants. This episode discusses common misconceptions and important nuances of the eviction moratorium, including: What exactly does an eviction moratorium do? Hint: it doesn’t forgive rent. Do eviction moratoriums apply to commerc...

Season 1: Retail Leasing in the Pandemic This multipart series explores the impact of COVID-19 on commercial leasing and examines new retail leasing issues that will likely live on well past the pandemic. The series is led by Eric Greenberg and James O’Brien, two Seyfarth real estate attorneys who handle commercial real estate issues for some of the nation’s largest retailers and landlords. Episod...