Blogs & Resources

Most bank lending documents (and commercial contracts for that matter) contain a merger clause, which explicitly states that the agreement itself embodies the entire understanding nd agreement between the parties and further supersedes any and all prior agreements, promises, negotiations, representations, understandings, or inducements, whether express or implied, oral or written, regarding the terms of the agreement between the parties. Therefore, by the express contractual terms of the parties, the integrated agreement itself, subject to limited exceptions, will embody the entire agreement between the parties. The effect of this clause is to bar parties from reaching outside the confines of the written agreement to impose additional contractual duties upon the other party. This often becomes an issue when a claim or defense of fraudulent inducement is asserted in attempt to vitiate an integrated document. This blog post will endeavor to analyze the interplay of a fraud in the inducement defense/claim with a merger clause.

By Austin Calhoun, J.D. 2013

It takes on average 600 days for a party to litigate a foreclosure through trial in Florida. Successful summary judgment motion practice may squeeze that time down to as little as 180 days. Even better, under the proper conditions, a diligent plaintiff can shorten foreclosure time down to less than 60 days by properly utilizing Florida Statute 702.10. If you’re interested in bypassing the foreclosure log-jam to obtain a speedy foreclosure – read on.

By Harry M. Wilson, IV, Esq.

Documentary stamp tax is levied on documents as provided under Chapter 201, Florida Statutes. Documents subject to the tax include deeds, bonds, notes and written obligations to pay money and mortgages, liens, and other evidences of indebtedness. The rate of the tax differs depending on the kind of document subject to the tax.