Coral Springs Contract Litigation Attorney

A signed agreement that one side has stopped honoring leaves a Coral Springs business owner or investor with a practical question: what is this contract worth if the other party simply walks away? The Andrew M. Schwartz Legal Team handles business and real estate litigation for clients in Coral Springs, Broward County, and Palm Beach County, and a good deal of that work is enforcing, defending, and interpreting written agreements. A Coral Springs contract litigation attorney spends most of the day inside the language of documents: purchase agreements, operating agreements, leases, loan papers, and construction contracts.

These disputes tend to be won or lost on two things, the exact words the parties signed and the clock. Florida sets different filing deadlines depending on how the contract was made, and one of those deadlines is a single year. A dispute that feels like it can wait often cannot.

Contract Disputes We Litigate for Coral Springs Businesses and Investors

• Purchase and Sale Agreement Disputes: Buyers or sellers of businesses and commercial property sometimes refuse to close, change terms late, or claim the other side defaulted first. Remedies can include damages or an order compelling the sale to go forward.
• Operating and Shareholder Agreement Breaches: A co-owner who ignores buyout terms, voting provisions, or distribution rules can be sued for breach of the agreement, often alongside a fiduciary duty claim.
• Commercial Lease Conflicts: Disputes over rent escalations, maintenance obligations, early termination, and personal guaranties arise for retail, office, and flex tenants and landlords throughout Broward County.
• Loan and Guaranty Disputes: Private lenders, borrowers, and guarantors fight over default definitions, acceleration, and what a guarantor actually agreed to cover.
• Construction Contract Claims: Owners and contractors dispute change orders, defective work, delays, and unpaid draws, and these cases frequently turn on the paper trail of notices and approvals.
• Missing Funds and Unpaid Distributions: When a partner or manager cannot account for company money, a contract claim is often paired with a request for an accounting and, where warranted, emergency relief to freeze assets.
• Fraud in the Inducement: A party who was lured into signing by false statements may pursue rescission or damages, and the fraud deadline runs differently from an ordinary breach claim.

Why Choose the Andrew M. Schwartz Legal Team for Contract Litigation

The Andrew M. Schwartz Legal Team is a business and real estate litigation firm serving business owners, investors, and families across Coral Springs, Broward County, Palm Beach County, and South Florida, along with clients from New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut who hold business or real estate interests here. Founder Andrew M. Schwartz was admitted to The Florida Bar in 1989 and has spent 37 years in litigation, with his career built around complex contract disputes, business divorces, and conflicts among partners, LLC members, and shareholders. He earned his undergraduate degree at Emory University in 1986 and his law degree at the University of Miami in 1989.

He is joined by Senior Counsel Sundeep Nath, a Northwestern-trained litigator with years of experience in business and real estate cases in state and federal courts. That matters for contract work because agreements sometimes land in federal court depending on who the parties are, and the firm is comfortable in both settings.

The firm practices as a true legal team, so everyone working on a matter knows the file, and it keeps a strict 24 hour return call policy. In a contract case, those details are where the case is decided, and the firm prepares each matter around the precise wording of the agreement and the history of the parties’ dealings. Results reflect that approach: in a recent matter, after a 5-day bench trial, a Broward County Circuit Court judge issued a 32-page final judgment awarding the firm’s client specific performance of a commercial real estate contract. The firm is also experienced in mediation and arbitration, and looks for the resolution that fits a client’s goals and budget rather than prolonging a case for its own sake.

Filing Deadlines and First Moves When a Contract Goes Wrong

Start with the deadline, because it controls everything else. In Florida, a lawsuit on a written contract generally must be filed within five years. A claim on an oral or implied agreement gets four years. An action to rescind a contract also carries four years. Fraud claims run four years from discovery, with an outer cap of twelve years. The short one to remember is specific performance: an action seeking to force someone to perform, such as completing a real estate sale, has only one year. Anyone who wants the contract itself enforced, rather than money, should treat that year as the real clock. If the claim is really a professional malpractice claim dressed up as a contract claim, a two-year period running from discovery applies instead.

Next, gather the paper. That means the signed agreement and every amendment, the emails and texts that show how the parties actually behaved, invoices, bank records, notices of default, and anything showing what you did to perform. Resist the urge to send an angry message; informal writings can become exhibits, and a careless admission can weaken an otherwise clean claim. Also read the contract for a dispute resolution clause. Many agreements require mediation or arbitration first, and some pick a venue or govern attorney’s fees, all of which shape where and how the case proceeds.

Where you file depends on the amount at stake and the nature of the dispute. Claims above $50,000 belong in circuit court, which for Coral Springs means the Seventeenth Judicial Circuit sitting in and for Broward County. County court handles the middle tier of claims, and small claims covers the lowest. The Seventeenth Circuit also operates complex business and tort divisions that take large business and construction litigation, and a case can be filed directly into one under the circuit’s administrative order by submitting the required form at filing. Hearings in Broward may take place at the Central Judicial Complex in Fort Lauderdale or at one of the regional courthouses, such as the North Regional Courthouse in Deerfield Beach or the West Regional Courthouse in Plantation. Disputes tied to property in Palm Beach County go to the Fifteenth Judicial Circuit, and some cases belong in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, which sits in Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach.

If money or property is at risk of disappearing while the case is pending, ask about emergency injunctive relief early. Courts can act quickly to stop assets from being moved or spent, but only if the request is made promptly and supported by documents.

How Contract Cases Are Actually Decided

Contract litigation follows a fairly consistent logic. The plaintiff must show a valid agreement, a breach, and resulting damages. Defendants respond with arguments about what the words mean, whether a condition was satisfied, whether the plaintiff breached first, or whether the agreement is unenforceable. Because so much turns on interpretation, the history of dealings between the parties, such as how they operated for years before the dispute, can matter as much as the text.

Remedies come in several forms. Money damages are the default. Rescission unwinds the deal. Specific performance compels a party to do what it promised, which is common where the subject is unique real estate. Injunctions can hold the status quo in place. When a contract dispute grows out of a falling-out among owners, related claims may follow, including an accounting, breach of fiduciary duty, or judicial dissolution of the company.

Most contract cases never reach a verdict. Mediation and negotiation resolve many of them, and the strength of your documents largely determines the leverage you bring to those talks. A well-prepared claim settles on better terms than a rushed one.

Questions About Contract Litigation in Coral Springs

How long do I have to sue for breach of a written contract in Florida?

Five years is the general period for a claim founded on a written instrument. Oral and implied contract claims have four years. Different rules apply to fraud, rescission, and specific performance, so the label on your claim matters.

What is the deadline for asking a court to force someone to complete a deal?

An action for specific performance carries a one-year period. People holding a signed real estate contract that the other side refuses to close on should not wait to see whether the other party changes its mind.

Do I need a written contract to bring a case?

No. Oral and implied agreements can be enforced, though they are harder to prove and carry a four-year filing period rather than five. Emails, texts, payment history, and witness testimony become the core evidence.

What can I recover if the other side breached?

Depending on the agreement and the facts, that may include money damages, rescission, specific performance, or injunctive relief. Some contracts also address attorney’s fees, so it is worth checking the document before deciding how to proceed.

Which court will hear my case?

Disputes above $50,000 are heard in circuit court, and a Coral Springs case would typically be in the Seventeenth Judicial Circuit for Broward County. Smaller claims go to county court or small claims, and some matters belong in federal court depending on the parties.

What is the Broward complex business division?

It is a specialized part of the Seventeenth Circuit that handles larger business and construction disputes, certain entity dissolutions, and similar matters. A qualifying case can be filed into it directly by completing the circuit’s required form, after which the clerk randomly assigns it to a division.

My contract has an arbitration clause. Can I still go to court?

Usually the clause controls, and a court will often send the dispute to arbitration if the agreement requires it. Whether a particular clause is enforceable, and what it covers, depends on its wording, which is why a lawyer should read it before you file anything.

Can a contract dispute with a former business partner also lead to dissolving the company?

It can. Florida allows a court to dissolve an LLC on grounds such as deadlock with irreparable injury, misappropriated assets, or an impracticable operating agreement. Courts may also appoint a receiver or order a buyout of a member’s interest in appropriate cases.

I live out of state but the other party is in Coral Springs. Must I travel for hearings?

Generally not. The firm regularly represents clients from New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut, handles local court appearances, and keeps clients informed so they can participate without traveling for every proceeding.

Is it worth litigating a mid-sized contract claim?

Often it is, but the answer depends on the strength of the documents, the other side’s ability to pay, and the cost of getting there. The firm looks for the resolution that serves your goals and budget, which sometimes means a negotiated outcome rather than a trial.

What happens if a contract dispute involves missing money?

You may have claims for an accounting, breach of fiduciary duty, and recovery of the funds in addition to breach of contract. Where assets are at risk, a court can be asked for emergency relief to stop them from being moved or spent.

Contract Litigation Representation Across Coral Springs and South Florida

The firm represents businesses and individuals throughout Coral Springs, from the commercial corridors along University Drive and Sample Road to the neighborhoods and office parks that surround them. Clients also come from neighboring Parkland, Margate, Tamarac, Coconut Creek, Pompano Beach, and Deerfield Beach, as well as Plantation, Sunrise, Weston, Davie, and Fort Lauderdale across Broward County. In Palm Beach County, the firm serves Boca Raton, Delray Beach, Boynton Beach, Lake Worth, Wellington, Palm Beach Gardens, Jupiter, and West Palm Beach.

Speak With a Coral Springs Contract Litigation Lawyer Today

If someone has broken a contract with you, or you are being accused of breaking one, the clock is already running. Call the Andrew M. Schwartz Legal Team to talk through the agreement, the deadlines, and your realistic options with a Coral Springs contract litigation lawyer who will read the document with you line by line. Reach out today to schedule a consultation.