South Florida Law Blog

In June 2021, the Supreme Court refused to hear  Johnson & Johnson’s appeal on the $2 Billion verdict awarded in favor of women who claimed that their ovarian cancer was due to use of J&J’s talcum powder. As we have previously reported, the link to asbestos and J&J’s talcum powder dates as far back as the 1970s. Now, J&J is trying to […]

With economic uncertainty in the market, many homeowners are looking to adjustable rate over fixed rate mortgages. Why? Initially adjustable-rate mortgages, or ARMs, typically offer lower rates than fixed mortgage rates and then adjust at specific intervals over the life of the loan. Currently, ARMs look attractive to those home purchasers who are concerned with both higher mortgage rates, rising […]

As the Federal Reserve raises interest rates for the second time in a few short weeks, supply chain issues still abound, and inflation continues to roar, what does this all mean for the real estate market in South Florida and to you? Adjustable Mortgages and Home Prices To begin with, if you have an adjustable-rate mortgage you will likely see […]

Different technologies have developed to offer alternate materials for home construction. Aside from 3-D print technology as we had discussed in an earlier blog, Kota Machida and Yuya Sakai, researchers at Tokyo University, have recently developed a technology that converts food waste into potentially edible “cement” for construction use. These researchers claim that the strength of the cement, made entirely […]

There is new market research that indicates that home price listings throughout the United States have been reduced 24.1% over the past few weeks. Why? With increased demand and short supply of homes, many sellers have been able to place their homes on the market for much higher prices with buyers willing to pay over their asking price. However, with […]

Last week, a Florida federal jury awarded $77.5 million to a U.S. Army veteran over hearing loss caused which he alleged was  as a result of his use of faulty 3M earplugs while in the military. This is the largest individual verdict yet for a single plaintiff in this mass tort litigation. According to the verdict, the jury awarded the […]

The Florida Legislature unanimously approved a condominium safety bill, S.B. 4D,  this past week, which now awaits the Governor’s signing. Pursuant to that bill, buildings three stories or higher and thirty years old will have to undergo strict safety inspections and every ten years thereafter. Buildings within three miles of the coast must be inspected before they are twenty-five years […]

As we indicated in our recent blog, increasing interest rates and home prices led to the consumer behavior of increasing home sales due to buyers’ having a fear of missing out as concern grew that continued increases in mortgage rates would make it even more difficult to purchase a home. Now, we are seeing early indications that more sellers are […]