Businessmen and women have been trying to eradicate fraud claims through contractual language since the beginning of Florida jurisprudence. Historically, the attempt to “kill fraud claims with a contract” have been largely unsuccessful. Essentially, an attempt to eliminate fraud via contractual language requires the Court to reward either the non-diligent […]
The controlling shareholder—i.e., the shareholder with a majority of the voting power— in a closely-held corporation has significant influence over the corporation’s management and affairs. As a result, minority shareholders—i.e., those without a controlling number of shares—in a closely-held corporation face unique risks from the controlling shareholder, such as oppression […]
Sometimes it is necessary to remove someone from your property. There are a number of legal theories that involve someone entering upon real property and the claim that a landowner ultimately asserts depends on the relationship it has with the actor. A person with no right to real property who […]
Judges have an ethical obligation to be fair and impartial, but sometimes there are circumstances where attorneys are within their rights to move to disqualify judges to ensure judicial neutrality. Disqualification is governed by rules and statutes, and attorneys in Florida are given a statutory right to disqualify judges if […]
Recently, the Supreme Court held that an entity collecting on debt that was in default and purchased for the debt purchaser’s own account in not subject to the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (the “FDCPA” or the “Act”) because it does not constitute a debt collector as defined in the […]
For various reasons, a corporation’s limited liability shield for its shareholders is one of the corporation’s most valuable assets. Unfortunately, some individuals may abuse the corporate form’s limited liability status by using it to mislead or defraud creditors. As a result, courts will occasionally disregard a corporation’s limited liability protection […]
Sometimes a creditor is bold enough to place a debtor into involuntary bankruptcy in an attempt to recover an outstanding debt. In general, most petitions are accepted as a proper filing. However, on the off chance that the creditor does not prevail in the contested involuntary action, and fees are […]
There are two primary types of fraudulent transfers contemplated under Florida’s Uniform Fraudulent Transfer Act (“FUFTA”)—actual fraudulent transfers and constructive fraudulent transfers. When a debtor makes a transfer with “actual intent to hinder, delay or defraud” a creditor—that is, “actual fraud” under Fla. Stat. 726.105(1)(a)—insolvency of the debtor is largely irrelevant.
Impleading third-party defendants in proceedings supplementary Proceedings supplementary are powerful procedural mechanisms for judgment creditors with unsatisfied judgments. (See previous blog post, Florida Proceedings Supplementary 101.) However, properly impleading a potential third-party defendant under section 56.29, Florida Statutes, is a technical process that requires close attention to detail. This blog […]
Winning a lawsuit and being rewarded a money judgment does not always lead to the plaintiff’s best day. For example, Plaintiff sues Defendant for breach of contract. During the trial, Defendant realizes she may lose the case and, as a result, be forced to liquidate most of her assets to pay the money judgment. Instead, […]