Blogs & Resources

Anyone involved in litigation today knows that E-Discovery is a growing tool in the litigator’s tool box used for the purpose of the production of documents by electronic means. Specifically, E-Discovery is discovery that deals with the exchange of information in electronic form referred to as Electronically Stored Information (“ESI”). Should a lawyer choose to take the route of E-Discovery during the course of litigation, the following ten categories may help develop a cost and time efficient plan.

It is inevitable. Every condominium and homeowners’ association must deal with it. It destroys budgets, makes future planning difficult, and burdens all other responsible unit owners with making up the deficit. You guessed it – delinquent unit owner assessments. Because of the devastating impact that unpaid assessments have on associations, the Florida Condominium Act provides some beneficial remedies for associations to utilize in attempting to collect on unit owner delinquencies. For example, Section 718.116, Florida Statues, gives condominium associations a statutory lien on community properties for unpaid assessments, which can be foreclosed similar to a mortgage foreclosure. Section 720.3085, Florida Statutes, provides homeowners’ associations with that same remedy. Yet, associations often overlook what is arguably the most effective remedy available, which is the association’s ability to collect rental payments from the tenants of delinquent homeowners.

The economy, to put it lightly, has not been the best in the recent years. One potentially lucrative by-product of the economic downtown was the opportunity for prospering banks to acquire failed banks from the FDIC at an incredible discount. The purchasing bank, in acquiring the failed bank, will likely enter into a Loss-Share Agreement (LSA) with the FDIC. Essentially, Loss-Share Agreements give the purchaser the benefit of the FDIC absorbing a large percentage of the losses realized on the acquired receivables. The purchasing bank, generally speaking, only incurs around 20% of the losses with the FDIC incurring the remaining 80%. While this seems like a “no-brainer” agreement, entering into a LSA—much like every contract—requires scrutiny to maximize revenue and avoid potential lawsuits. Beyond the general advice of reading every word prior to signing a contract, this Blog post identifies five things an inquiring bank needs to know about LSAs.

Section 718.111(12) of the Florida Condominium Act and Rules 61B-22.002, 61B-22.003(3), 61B-23.002(7) and 61B-23.0021(13) of the Florida Administrative Code provide guidelines for the maintenance and inspection of the association’s official records. This blog post will identify what constitutes association official records, what records are exempt and procedures for requesting and responding to official records requests.

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Since the advent of the computer era and its infectious spread throughout the technological world we know today, the possibility for computer related fraud has always existed. With the rise of the internet, access to all kinds of information had never been easier or faster. Even top secret information from intelligence agencies of the United States were at risk and vulnerable to hackers or people simply looking for some at-home entertainment. To a hacker, the world was at their fingertips, literally. This Blog post seeks to explore some of the laws implicated by illegal hacking and what civil remedies victims are afforded.

Florida’s Condominium Act provides that associations have the power to make and collect assessments from unit owners, so long as such power is designated in the association’s declaration. Fla. Stat. § 718.112(2)(g). The board also has the authority to meet each year to discuss the association’s budget and to increase the assessment amount charged to each unit owner if the budget so requires in order for the association to remain solvent. Fla. Stat. § 718.112(2)(e). These assessments are levied to cover the common expenses incurred by the association, which are ultimately the responsibility of each unit owner pursuant to Florida Statutes and most association declarations. See Fla. Stat. § 715.118(2). The phrase “common expenses,” as used in this context, is a legal term defined by the Condominium Act. This blog post explores that definition of common expenses, including what falls under the definition as it relates to condominium associations and unit owner assessments.

Condominium associations experience turnover within their board of administration every few years, on average. Every now and then, for various reasons, unit owners desire to recall a specific board member after he or she has been elected. Section 718.112(2)(j), Florida Statutes, provides for the rules and procedures that an association must follow to recall one of its board members. That section is contained within the required provisions of Florida’s Condominium Act, meaning that these rules and procedures for recall are deemed included within each association’s bylaws. This blog post discusses what every association should know about recalling board members, according to the Florida Statutes.

Contingent payment provisions, often referred to as “pay if paid” or “pay when paid” provisions, are commonplace in subcontracts and lower tiered contracts. An often overlooked question that should be asked is, “Are they enforceable?” As is true with most questions in the law, the answer is, “It depends.” This Blog will focus on the enforceability of contingent payment provisions.

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