NewsWire

Commercial Foreclosures On the Rise
If 2009 was the year of the residential foreclosure, 2010 may very well be that year for commercial properties. "As loans mature and lenders and borrowers fail to reach agreements on modifications, extensions or workouts, more large-scale, high-value retail and office developments are being faced with foreclosure, and we expect those numbers to continue to rise for the next 12 to 24 months," says Thad Armstrong of Houston's Thompson & Knight, who represents lenders in commercial foreclosures. "With the sheer number of properties that will be changing hands, there will be attractive business opportunities for investors, tenants, property managers, brokers, and title companies." Armstrong notes that lenders should engage legal counsel with particular expertise in foreclosure laws, which can vary by state. "One misstep could jeopardize the validity of an entire sale." To interview Mr. Armstrong, contact Barry Pound at 800-559-4534 or barry@androvett.com.

Social Media Requires Corporate Scrutiny
With nearly 370 million users of Facebook and Twitter alone, corporate America cannot afford to sit on the social media sidelines, hoping their intellectual poperty is not being compromised. Increasingly, IP owners are monitoring social content for keywords attributable to their companies. If abuse is detected, the owner should take immediate action, says Jason Fulmer of Gardere Wynne Sewell LLP. "There are legal remedies to pursue, but it often is more effective to approach the specific social media site to try to settle the matter under the site's own dispute-resolution procedures," says Fulmer. "These sites all have different policies, but all operate under a common desire not to be sued because of a user's infringing content." If a company fails to act, the site could be charged with being complicit in the infringement. To interview Mr. Fulmer, contact Rhonda Reddick at 800-559-4534 or rhonda@androvett.com.

No Room at the Office for Rivals' Stolen Secrets
Key employees at successful companies will always be highly coveted hires by industry rivals. But as the continuing battle between Starwood Hotels and Hilton Worldwide has shown, while their knowledge may prove invaluable to their new employers, bringing along actual company secrets can spell real trouble. "When you leave a job, especially when you work in an industry in as much turmoil as the hospitality industry, you have to leave all the confidential material behind," says attorney Richard Barrett-Cuetara of Dallas' Cowles & Thompson. "And if you learn your new employee has ‘hot goods' you must contact the former employer immediately and quarantine the data until you can return it. A delay on any of those fronts may only help ensure that you will find yourself embroiled in a lawsuit." To interview Mr. Barrett-Cuetara, contact Rhonda Reddick at 800-559-4534 or rhonda@androvett.com.

Offshore Wind Energy Projects Pick Up Speed
Backed by the Obama administration's pledge to support renewable energy projects, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar appears poised to approve a controversial wind power installation off Cape Cod, Mass. "This dispute has been going on for almost a decade and illustrates the need to mitigate any environmental concerns or perceived intrusion by offshore wind farms," says Scott Deatherage of the Dallas office of Thompson & Knight. Among the proposals for the Cape Wind project is paint color that will blend with the horizon. "Increasingly both the public and the government want to promote renewable energy and address concerns about greenhouse gas emissions and climate change. Projects like Cape Wind and what we're seeing along the Texas Gulf Coast suggest that wind energy production and any impact on aesthetics and the environment can be balanced." To interview Mr. Deatherage, contact Barry Pound at 800-559-4534 or barry@androvett.com.

Texas City Refinery Injury Leads to $1.72M Verdict
The Houston trial law firm Arnold & Itkin LLP recently won a $1.72 million verdict for a New Braunfels, Texas, man severely injured in an industrial accident at BP America Inc.'s oil refinery in Texas City. Last week a Galveston County jury found Bridgeville, Pa.-based Maxim Crane Works liable for injuries suffered by Ernesto Tamez when he was struck by an oil burner being lifted by a crane operator. Mr. Tamez and his wife were represented by industrial injury attorneys Cory Itkin and Michael Pierce from Arnold & Itkin. Trial evidence showed that the crane operator lifted the oil burner without waiting on a signal that the area was clear. For more information on the verdict, contact Alan Bentrup at 800-559-4534 or alan@androvett.com.