The VLW Blog

Donald Trump finally owns the former home of John and Pat Kluge. Rebuffed by a federal judge in his effort to force the sale of “Albemarle House” for the $3.6-million foreclosure auction price, Trump has agreed to pay a reported $6.5 million for the property, according to The Daily Progress. Trump had already secured title [...]

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Donald Trump’s effort to get a bargain price on “Albemarle House,” the 23,000-square-foot former home of John and Pat Kluge, has foundered in federal court. A Charlottesville federal judge declared Thursday that the New York developer does not have a right of first refusal to buy the Albemarle County mansion, leaving Bank of America free [...]

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A home buyer who thought he was getting a “mother-in-law apartment” is suing the seller and a realty company for false advertising. Darrell Brown and his wife bought the Sterling, Va., home in 2009 from Michael Labelle, according to a Fairfax Circuit Court opinion in Brown v. Labelle. Labelle was both owner and listing agent [...]

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Two Richmond-area lawyers say their firm is getting stiffed by Donald Trump and they want out of a lawsuit in Charlottesville federal court. A Trump spokesperson blames the dispute on shoddy work by the Virginia lawyers. The lawyers from Cook, Heyward, Lee, Hopper & Feehan PC of Glen Allen are asking a federal judge to [...]

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A bank’s effort to move Donald Trump from the head of line for buyers of the Kluge mansion in Albemarle County remains alive in federal court. U.S. District Judge Norman Moon denied Trump’s motion to dismiss the suit filed by a Bank of America affiliate. The bank disputes Trump’s claim to a right of first [...]

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Troubles abound for those accused of trying to make a quick buck off the foreclosure crisis. Virginia AG Ken Cuccinelli has announced a third settlement with a company that allegedly charged illegal advance fees for “foreclosure rescue” services. A Virginia Beach firm has agreed to refund $7,800 to five customers and to pay $5,000 to [...]

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Bank of America has reached a deal to end a lawsuit by scores of investors who claimed they lost millions purchasing overvalued Carolina waterfront property. The terms of the settlement were not disclosed. The deal essentially ends a federal lawsuit that targeted the bank for its role in financing real estate purchases from the Woodbridge-based [...]

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Whether a private plaintiff may sue a surety under Virginia’s CRESPA statute is a question that was certified today to the Supreme Court of Virginia by the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Several Virginia state and federal courts that have considered the question have found no private right of action under Virginia’s Consumer Real [...]

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It’s not just a refrain from a Talking Heads song. It’s also the latest account of what the law says about how foreclosure works in Virginia.  In March, we reported on a legal challenge to how foreclosures are conducted in Virginia, in the wake of the housing market collapse. Alexandria lawyer Chris Brown argued in [...]

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Legislation is making its way through the General Assembly to make it easier for developers to fight local governments that seek to extract cash proffers before completion of new construction projects. It’s the latest development in a debate over the retroactive effect of a 2010 statute that forbids local governments from collecting early cash proffers [...]

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