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Florida Statutes 48.23 - Lis pendens

Florida Statutes > Title VI > Chapter 48 > § 48.23 - Lis pendens


Current as of: 2011

   (1)(a) An action in any of the state or federal courts in this state operates as a lis pendens on any real or personal property involved therein or to be affected thereby only if a notice of lis pendens is recorded in the official records of the county where the property is located and such notice has not expired pursuant to subsection (2) or been withdrawn or discharged.

   (b)1. An action that is filed for specific performance or that is not based on a duly recorded instrument has no effect, except as between the parties to the proceeding, on the title to, or on any lien upon, the real or personal property unless a notice of lis pendens has been recorded and has not expired or been withdrawn or discharged.

   2. Any person acquiring for value an interest in the real or personal property during the pendency of an action described in subparagraph 1., other than a party to the proceeding or the legal successor by operation of law, or personal representative, heir, or devisee of a deceased party to the proceeding, shall take such interest exempt from all claims against the property that were filed in such action by the party who failed to record a notice of lis pendens or whose notice expired or was withdrawn or discharged, and from any judgment entered in the proceeding, notwithstanding the provisions of s. 695.01, as if such person had no actual or constructive notice of the proceeding or of the claims made therein or the documents forming the causes of action against the property in the proceeding.

   (c)1. A notice of lis pendens must contain the following:

   a. The names of the parties.

   b. The date of the institution of the action, the date of the clerk’s electronic receipt, or the case number of the action.

   c. The name of the court in which it is pending.

   d. A description of the property involved or to be affected.

   e. A statement of the relief sought as to the property.

   2. In the case of any notice of lis pendens filed on the same date as the pleading upon which the notice is based, the clerk’s notation of the date of receipt on the notice shall satisfy the requirement that the notice contain the date of the institution of the action.

   (d) Except for the interest of persons in possession or easements of use, the recording of such notice of lis pendens, provided that during the pendency of the proceeding it has not expired pursuant to subsection (2) or been withdrawn or discharged, constitutes a bar to the enforcement against the property described in the notice of all interests and liens, including, but not limited to, federal tax liens and levies, unrecorded at the time of recording the notice unless the holder of any such unrecorded interest or lien intervenes in such proceedings within 30 days after the recording of the notice. If the holder of any such unrecorded interest or lien does not intervene in the proceedings and if such proceedings are prosecuted to a judicial sale of the property described in the notice, the property shall be forever discharged from all such unrecorded interests and liens. If the notice of lis pendens expires or is withdrawn or discharged, the expiration, withdrawal, or discharge of the notice does not affect the validity of any unrecorded interest or lien.

   (2) A notice of lis pendens is not effectual for any purpose beyond 1 year from the commencement of the action and will expire at that time, unless the relief sought is disclosed by the pending pleading to be founded on a duly recorded instrument or on a lien claimed under part I of chapter 713 against the property involved, except when the court extends the time of expiration on reasonable notice and for good cause. The court may impose such terms for the extension of time as justice requires.

   (3) When the pending pleading does not show that the action is founded on a duly recorded instrument or on a lien claimed under part I of chapter 713 or when the action no longer affects the subject property, the court shall control and discharge the recorded notice of lis pendens as the court would grant and dissolve injunctions.

   (4) This section applies to all actions now or hereafter pending in any state or federal courts in this state, but the period of time specified in subsection (2) does not include the period of pendency of any action in an appellate court.

RS 1220; GS 1649; RGS 2853; ss. 1-3, ch. 12081, 1927; CG

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Questions & Answers: Process

My wife and I were just served papers for a Lis Pendens concerning foreclosure of a home we sold in Pinellas County, Florida. We sold the home in September of 2007. I have no ide...
Frank, Normally I'm pretty sure you would need to obtain a California judgment, register the California judgment in a local Florida court, then record that judgment in Florida, but...
Need a Lis Pendens form...
Debra, You can purchase this form here: http://www.formsworkflow.com/d6783.aspx Steve Daily LawServer.com...
Thomas, you may have been named in the foreclosure because there was a defect in the deed that you executed which transferred title to the subsequent owner (i.e., mistake in the le...
I had a cop call me 3 days prior to a grand jury hearing, I knew nothing about, telling me in a voicemail message that I was subpoenaed to appear as a material witness. They never ...

U.S. Code Provisions: Process

U.S. Code Title 28 > Part V > Chapter 113 - Process
Comments (14)add comment
gerald greenwald: ...
Is it okay for a lawyer to file a lis pendens on joint marital property without consent of both the husband and of the wife when the wife has no debt due to that lawyer?
1

January 05, 2012
Steven Daily: ...
I'm having trouble understanding the situation. Just owing someone money does not give them a right to file a lis pendens. A lis pendens is notice of a pending lawsuit that affects title to the property. So has a lawsuit been filed regarding title to the property? If so, what is that about?
2

January 05, 2012
gerald greenwald: ...
Thanks for response. There is an ongoing divorce between the husband and wife. The husband's attorney filed a lis pendens for the marital home in spite of the fact that the husband hasn't lived there for about five years. That lawyer did that to ensure that she would be paid fees from the equity in the marital home. No fees have been awarded at this point. The husband owes approx $128,000 for his own legal fees to this lawyer. His lawyer filed the lis pendens about a year or so ago. The house remains in the names of the husband and the wife. The wife was never consulted or told that a lis pendens would be filed. She found out about it when notified by mail after the lis pendens had alreaady been filed. So the only lawsuit involved is the pending divorce, and, to repeat, no fees have been awarded to either party. Does his lawayer have the right to file a lis pendens on a jointly owned property in Florida? Thank you very much.
3

January 05, 2012
Steven Daily: ...
I don't see any basis for the attorney filing this lien. The judge presiding over the divorce should be asked to dissolve the lis pendens. For a Florida case similar to this situation, you might read:

http://www.law.ua.edu/pubs/jlp/files/issues_files/vol06/vol06art08.pdf

At p. 3 the court writes:

[A] lis pendens in this case should not have been filed because there is no connection between Balsini's litigation to enforce and require payment of child support and the real property against which she filed the lis pendens. She completely failed to show any grounds to assert equitable or legal title to the property, nor any connection to it other than as a potential source from which to recoup child support. A lis pendens is not an appropriate instrument for use in promoting recoveries in actions for money judgments.
4

January 05, 2012
stephanie : ...
if a lis pendens is filed what is the subsequent action to be taken? does this have to be followed by an actual law suit? and how does one follow the action of a particular case?
5

July 16, 2012
Steven Daily: ...
Stephanie,
A notice of lis pendens under the Florida Statutes is a notice of pending litigation involving property, so the lawsuit would precede the filing of the notice.

One can sometimes follow the progress of a lawsuit online, if the local courts publish the information on their Web site. Otherwise, one can travel to the courthouse and ask to review the case docket (history of pleadings and orders).
Steve Daily, LawServer
6

July 16, 2012
Carol526: ...
My son-in-law owes me money I loaned him to build the house they live in. He refuses to pay me back. The house is being sold. I am going to sue him for the debt. Should I file a lis pendens immediately after filing suit? After recording it, who do I have to sent copies to so that I get the money at closing?
7

November 28, 2012
Steven Daily: ...
Carol,
You don't mention having been given a mortgage or a lien on the house. If you simply made a loan, I am not sure what basis you have for a lis pendens.

Steve Daily
LawServer
8

November 28, 2012
Frank: ...
I am a California attorney filing a lawsuit against a Florida defendant. Lawsuit will be filed in Los Angeles County. Defendant and her husbnad embezzled $200,000 from my Los Angeles client, fled to Florida and used the cash for, among other things, purchasing the Florida home. Husband caught, extradited to California and is serving 2 year sentence. Wife still in Florida with house. Want to put a lis pendens on home so wife can't sell it during pendency of California case against her. How do I file Florida lis pendens stemming from California action?
9

November 28, 2012
Thomas Cowsert: ...
My wife and I were just served papers for a Lis Pendens concerning foreclosure of a home we sold in Pinellas County, Florida. We sold the home in September of 2007. I have no idea why we are listed with the owners of the home as defendants since we are not on the mortgage. I received the paperwork from Pinellas County for satisfaction of mortgage.

Any idea why we are included with the current owners???
10

February 11, 2013
Steven Daily: ...
Frank,
Normally I'm pretty sure you would need to obtain a California judgment, register the California judgment in a local Florida court, then record that judgment in Florida, but under the circumstances perhaps an attachment proceeding might be available to you:

http://www.lawserver.com/law/state/florida/statutes/florida_statutes_76-04

Thomas,

I removed the URLs you provided since they did not work. But it sounds like a simple error on the part of the law firm handling the foreclosure. Have you contacted them to try to straighten this out? One concern you should have is that if you are not dismissed, and a judgment is entered in the case against you, the credit reporting agencies might interpret this negatively. That could take time and effort to straighten out, if you ever can. So contact the firm and try to get dismissed. Let us know what happens.

Steve Daily
LawServer.com
11

February 14, 2013
Debra Card: ...
Need a Lis Pendens form
12

February 17, 2013
Steven Daily: ...
Debra,
You can purchase this form here:

http://www.formsworkflow.com/d6783.aspx

Steve Daily
LawServer.com
13

February 18, 2013
Xavier: ...
Thomas, you may have been named in the foreclosure because there was a defect in the deed that you executed which transferred title to the subsequent owner (i.e., mistake in the legal description and or failure to include marital status or non-homestead language). A simple execution of a corrective deed and/or affidavit, depending on the issue, will cure the defect. I would contact the firm and speak with someone in the title department. Once you execute and record the necessary paperwork, the firm will file a Notice of Dropping to remove you from the action.
14

February 20, 2013

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