In the US, it is almost universally established that BBB grades are opinion statements entitled to absolute privilege under the First Amendment of the Constitution. Some inroads on BBB liability have been made by attacking statements other than the rating. Specifically, in Caribbean Cruise Line, Inc. v. Better Business Bureau of Palm Beach County, Inc.
Florida Construction Contracts: Significant Changes in the 2017 AIA Documents – Evidence of Owner’s Financial Arrangements
The 2017 revisions to the A201 improves the Contractor’s ability to request and obtain financial information from the owner throughout the project. On most projects, Owner’s typically create a single purpose legal entity, usually an LLC, that owns the real property where construction takes place. The legal entity typically enters into the construction contract with
Marriage and Asset Protection – Is TBE for you?
My November, December, and February posts, discussed details of homestead protection in Florida including requirements, benefits and pitfalls. If you are married, another asset protection and estate planning tool available to you is Tenants by the Entirety (“TBE”) ownership. In Florida, a married couple may own several types of property TBE, including, but
Dear Mortgage Lenders – This New Law is for You!
In my August post, I discussed two cases. In the Failla case, the Eleventh Circuit affirmed the District Court’s opinion that “once the debtor decides to ‘surrender’ secured property… [w]hile the debtor need not physically deliver the property to the secured party, the debtor is precluded from taking any action which would interfere with
Florida Legislature Proposes Raising County Court Jurisdictional Limits
Florida House Bill 7061 and Florida Senate Bill 1384 propose to raise the jurisdictional amount in controversy limit for county courts from $15,000 to $50,000. Not only does this change expand county court jurisdiction at the trial court level, it also means that circuit courts, rather than district courts of appeal, will have jurisdiction over
Homestead Exemption Requires Ownership by Natural Person
In my November and December posts, I discussed the basics regarding protection of your Florida Homestead from forced sale by creditors and some of the exceptions.
A recent decision from the Second District Court of Appeal of Florida provides a good reminder of another Florida Homestead pitfall.
The Florida Constitution, Article X, Section 4 provides
Florida Construction Contracts: Significant Changes in the 2017 AIA Documents – The Standard Insurance Exhibit
Perhaps the most significant change to the A201-2017 is the inclusion of a comprehensive insurance exhibit. Prior to the inclusion of the insurance exhibit in the 2017 update, parties to an AIA construction contract would often draft a separate insurance exhibit or rider that was reviewed and approved by their insurance agents. The new
Stay Violation? Beware of Escalating Attorneys’ Fees
In the case of Mantiply v. Horne (In re Horne), 876 F.3d 1076 (11th Cir. 2017) the Eleventh Circuit decided an issue of first impression in the Circuit: Whether the Bankruptcy Code authorizes payment of attorneys’ fees and costs incurred by debtors in successfully pursuing an action for damages resulting from the violation of
Court Rules in Favor of Farmer Who Challenged Medical Marijuana Licensing Requirements
Please see my post, over on Fox’s In the Weeds blog, regarding a recent Florida Court decision which found part of Florida’s medical marijuana law to be, likely, unconstitutional.
Dori K. Stibolt is a partner with the law firm of Fox Rothschild LLP. Dori defends and counsels management in labor and employment litigation matters