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Clerk’s Default, Court Default, Final Default Judgment – Vacating Defaults in Florida State and Federal Courts.

Default Basics.  A default occurs in litigation when a party fails either to respond to a lawsuit, and less often can be entered against a party who fails to comply with a court order. In Florida, a party in most cases has 20 days to answer a lawsuit. If that party fails to file any … Read more

Four Bases for Attorney’s Fees Entitlement in Florida

In Florida there are generally 4 bases to obtain attorney’s fees as damages in a lawsuit. The general rule also known as the “American Rule” is that each party bears its attorneys fees in litigation, it is the default rule in Florida. However, here are the exceptions to that rule. 1. Statutory Basis for Attorney … Read more

Florida’s Homestead Exemption and its Benefits. Everything a Floridian Needs to Know.

This is a quick guide as to the meaning and benefits of the Florida Homestead Exemption. While many states have some sort of Homestead benefits, Florida’s Homestead laws provide the Country’s most generous set of benefits to its homeowners. The term Homestead exemption in Florida may refer to four different types of homestead exemptions/benefits  under Florida law: … Read more

Florida Power of Attorney

Clients are always asking me questions about power of attorney documents. Therefore, I created this post with valuable information form Florida Statute and the Florida Bar. I am starting off with a copy of my General Power of Attorney Form which covers everything (a kitchen sink Power of Attorney). This General Power of Attorney is … Read more

Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices ACT (FDUTPA), Fla. Stat. Ch. 501, – Punitve or Consequential Damages Not Recoverable

What type of damanges are recoverable under FDUTPA? Answer: Actual Damages, Florida Statute states specifcally which remedies are available under a FDUTPA claim stating, 501.211 Other individual remedies.— … (2) In any action brought by a person who has suffered a loss as a result of a violation of this part, such person may recover actual damages, … Read more

Florida Real Estate: Seller and Real Estate Agent Fraud and Misrepresentations

Are you a victim of a real estate transaction gone wrong? Did an agent, broker, or seller make misrepresentations about the property which are now causing you problems?  Not disclose issues affecting the value of your property? Unauthorized work and work performed without permits to the property Undisclosed liens and other title defects Undisclosed defects in construction … Read more

Florida’s Statute of Frauds- Performance of Non-Written/Oral Contracts

Non-Compete Agreement

One of the first things an attorney thinks about when defending claims based on oral contracts is whether such claims are barred by the Statute of Frauds. The State of Frauds is a common law defense which has been incorporated into statute in Florida. Traditionally, the Statute of Frauds requires a signed writing in the … Read more

Pay-when-Paid Provisions in Construction Contracting

In construction contracting subcontractors need to be aware of “pay-when-paid”(pay-if-paid) clauses in their contracts with general contractors. The purpose of these provisions is to make payment by the general contractor (GC) to the subcontractor (sub) conditioned upon the GC receiving payment from the owner. Simply put, the GC wants to pay its sub for completed … Read more

Cited by OSHA for a workplace safety violation?

  OSHA, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, is an agency of the Department of Labor. Its mission is to prevent work-related injuries, illnesses, and occupational fatality by issuing and enforcing standards for workplace safety and health. For simplicity’s sake, OSHA has officers which perform workplace inspections and issue citations for  non-compliance with  promulgated standards found in … Read more