Sometimes during the course of a disputed matter, you find out that one of the witnesses to the action is deceased. This presents a problem for obvious reasons since that witness was not deposed in the case yet. This situation often arose in a business litigation matter concerning the value […]
Part I: Basic Overview of the Merger and Acquisition Process A primary goal for many start-ups and new businesses is to eventually sell the company, even if the founders intend to remain with the company. Selling your company can result in a gigantic payday and provide continued vitality for the […]
Florida’s Fifth District Court of Appeals is shaking up the construction defect statute of repose once again.[1] A recent 5th DCA opinion implies that the 10-year construction defect statute of repose does not start to run at the closing of a purchase of a newly-constructed home if there remains punch-list work to complete after closing.
On March 30, 2017, the Florida House of Representatives unanimously passed House Bill 377. The Bill is still working its way through the Senate, but has received a favorable response and is predicted to pass. If it becomes law, HB 377 will amend the construction defect statute of repose to clarify that the “date of completion of the contract” is the date that final payment becomes due.
You have created your business plan and now you are ready to put your plan into motion and start your own company. The next step is to consider which business structure suits your business. A business can be structured as a sole-proprietorship, partnership, limited partnership, corporation, S-corporation, or a limited liability company. The limited liability company structure boasts many advantages, but also brings with it some disadvantages to consider.
A well thought out and properly drafted LLC operating agreement will deliver deadlock-breaking mechanisms that will aid the members of LLCs in avoiding the need for expensive, prolonged, and disrupting litigation. However, if the operating agreement fails to deliver deadlock-breaking mechanisms or these mechanisms fail, resorting to the judiciary and alternative dispute resolution offers members flexible substitutes to achieve a resolution through adversary proceedings.
General rules, as we are all too familiar, are privy to exceptions. A general rule concerning settlement agreements is that only parties to the settlement agreement are bound by its terms. Necessarily, there are instances wherein a party not in privity to a settlement agreement is nevertheless bound. One such instance is when an insurer disregards its duty to defend its insured.
Once the creditor obtains a decree from the court that the debtor made a fraudulent transfer, the creditor may collect on its claim under Florida’s Uniform Fraudulent Transfer Act (“FUFTA”), which provides creditors with various remedies. See a previous blog post on the various remedies under FUFTA, Remedies for Creditors […]
Starting a new business can be both incredibly exciting and substantially stressful, and many entrepreneurs hastily begin business without considering many important legal considerations in starting up. However, with legal guidance and proper planning, starting a new business can be easy, effortless (sort of), and smooth.
Service of process is likely an issue about which many attorneys and parties don’t give much thought; it’s a standard procedure conducted hundreds if not thousands of times a day across the country, and is usually done through a professional process server. However, when attorneys deviate from the standard procedure of sending a lawsuit to a process server and allowing them to effectuate service, whether due to cost or strategic considerations, it is easy to run afoul of the Florida and Federal Rules of Civil Procedure.