Parkland Family Business Dispute Attorney

A family business dispute in Parkland usually lands in the Seventeenth Judicial Circuit, which sits in and for Broward County and runs a dedicated complex business division for the kind of ownership fights that shut down companies. The Andrew M. Schwartz Legal Team handles business and real estate litigation for owners throughout Broward and Palm Beach Counties, and a Parkland family business dispute attorney from our firm can step in when relatives who share a company, a property, or a partnership can no longer agree on who controls what.

These cases rarely start with a lawsuit. They start with a quiet change: a sibling stops sharing the books, a parent sells without telling the children, a son-in-law draws a salary nobody approved. By the time the family calls a lawyer, money may already be moving and trust is already gone. Our work is to find out what the documents actually say, stop any damage while the facts are sorted out, and get the family to a resolution that does not wreck the company or the relationships more than necessary.

Why Choose the Andrew M. Schwartz Legal Team for Family Business Disputes

The Andrew M. Schwartz Legal Team represents business owners, investors, and families in some of South Florida’s hardest business and real estate disputes, from Parkland and Boca Raton to West Palm Beach and Fort Lauderdale. Andrew M. His practice has centered on complex contract disputes, business divorces, and conflicts among partners, LLC members, and shareholders, which is exactly the terrain family companies fight over. He earned his undergraduate degree at Emory University and his law degree at the University of Miami.

Sundeep Nath, Senior Counsel, is a Northwestern-trained litigator with years of experience in business and real estate cases in state and federal courts. That matters when a family dispute involves out-of-state owners or claims that could end up in federal court.

We practice as a true legal team, so everyone working on your matter knows the file. We keep a strict 24 hour return call policy. Our attorneys are experienced in mediation and arbitration as well as courtroom litigation, and we look for the resolution that fits your goals and budget rather than stretching a case out. In a recent matter, after a 5-day bench trial, a Broward County Circuit Court issued a 32-page final judgment awarding our client specific performance of a commercial real estate contract. That is the kind of trial preparation we bring to a contested ownership case.

Types of Family Business Disputes We Handle in Parkland

• Sibling Co-Owners After an Inheritance: Brothers and sisters who inherit a company or a building often have different ideas about salaries, reinvestment, and whether to sell. When one sibling runs operations and the others are passive owners, claims about compensation and control follow.
• Parent and Child Succession Fights: A founder who wants to hold on and a child who wants to modernize can deadlock a company. These disputes frequently involve oral promises of future ownership that were never written down.
• Spouses and In-Laws Who Share Ownership: When a marriage ends or a family relationship sours, ownership of the company can become the main point of conflict, especially if in-laws hold shares or LLC membership interests.
• Missing or Diverted Company Money: Unpaid distributions, personal expenses run through the business, commingled accounts, and a relative who cannot account for company funds support claims for an accounting, breach of fiduciary duty, and recovery of the money.
• Operating Agreement and Shareholder Agreement Breaches: Family companies often run on thin or outdated agreements. Disputes turn on buyout clauses, transfer restrictions, voting rights, and what the document says about removing a manager.
• Minority Owner Freeze-Outs: A relative who controls the company can cut a minority family owner out of decisions, information, and profits. Florida law gives minority owners remedies, including judicial dissolution in some circumstances.
• Co-Owned Real Estate: Family-held rental property, commercial buildings, and land lead to partition actions, quiet title claims, and disputes over rent collection and expenses.

What to Do When a Relative Is Squeezing You Out of the Company

Start by gathering paper, quietly and lawfully. Pull your operating agreement or shareholder agreement, articles of organization or incorporation, tax returns, financial statements, bank statements you already have access to, and any emails or texts that show promises, approvals, or objections. Do not take documents you are not entitled to see, and do not log into accounts you have been locked out of. A lawyer can obtain what you need through proper channels.

Next, read the agreement for exit mechanics before you say anything to the family. Many agreements contain buyout formulas, valuation methods, notice requirements, or deadlock sale provisions. Under Florida’s LLC statute, a deadlock sale provision that is started before a court finds deadlock grounds can displace a judicial dissolution order, so timing and the exact contract language matter. Sending an angry email or voting a certain way can change your position.

Watch the clocks. In Florida, a claim on a written contract has a five-year limitations period, while an oral or implied contract claim has four years. A fraud claim runs four years from discovery, capped at 12 years. A claim for specific performance has only one year. Waiting while the family tries to work it out can quietly use up a claim.

If money or property is at risk, say so early. A court can issue injunctions to freeze transfers, and in dissolution proceedings can appoint a receiver or custodian after notice and a hearing. Broward cases with large business stakes may be directed to the Seventeenth Circuit’s complex business division, while cases involving Palm Beach County property or entities belong to the Fifteenth Circuit. Claims above the county court’s limit go to circuit court, and some disputes with out-of-state parties can end up in the Southern District of Florida federal court, which holds court in Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach.

The most common mistake is waiting for the relationship to repair itself while the other side keeps acting. The second is signing a “family agreement” drafted by the relative who controls the company. Have a lawyer read anything before you sign it.

How Florida Law Lets Family Owners Separate

When an LLC is involved, a member or manager can ask a circuit court to dissolve the company on several grounds, including that the owners are deadlocked and irreparable injury to the company is threatened or occurring, that assets are being misappropriated or wasted, that those in control are acting or expected to act illegally or fraudulently, or that carrying on the business under the operating agreement is not reasonably practicable. The court can also appoint a receiver or custodian, or order a purchase of the petitioning member’s interest in place of dissolution.

For corporations, a shareholder can seek judicial dissolution or another remedy on listed grounds. Once a shareholder petitions, the corporation or other shareholders may elect to buy out the petitioner at fair value. If the parties agree on value and terms within 60 days after the first election is filed, the court enters an order directing the purchase. The election is irrevocable unless the court finds it equitable to set it aside or modify it. The corporation must also notify the other shareholders within 30 days of the filing that they may avoid dissolution by electing to buy. Filing a dissolution action does not cancel a shareholder’s right to use a compliant deadlock sale provision in a shareholder agreement.

Family-owned real estate has its own path. Florida partition actions are heard in chancery, and the court can divide property or, if division would harm the owners, order a sale and divide the proceeds. Property that passed down among relatives may qualify as heirs property under Florida’s Uniform Partition of Heirs Property Act, which adds protections such as appraisal and buyout opportunities before a forced sale. A quiet title action in circuit court can clear competing ownership claims, and the plaintiff generally must trace title back at least seven years.

Common Questions About Family Business Disputes in Parkland

Can I sue a family member over a business agreement that was only verbal?

Yes. Florida allows claims on oral agreements, though they are harder to prove and carry a four-year limitations period rather than the five years for written contracts. Texts, emails, tax filings, and how the family actually operated can all serve as evidence of what was agreed.

What is a business divorce in a family company?

It is the separation of co-owners, whether partners, LLC members, or shareholders. It can end in a negotiated buyout, a sale, a structured wind-down, or court-ordered dissolution.

Can a court force my relatives to buy me out?

Sometimes. In an LLC dissolution case a court can order a purchase of the petitioner’s interest. In a corporation, the company or other shareholders can elect to buy the petitioner’s shares at fair value once a dissolution petition is filed. Whether it happens in your case depends on the entity type, the agreement, and the facts.

What if my parent or sibling is taking money out of the company?

You may have claims for breach of fiduciary duty, an accounting, conversion, and recovery of funds. If assets are being moved, a court can grant emergency injunctive relief to stop transfers while the case is pending.

Do we have to go to court?

No. Many family disputes resolve through negotiation, mediation, or arbitration, particularly when both sides want the company to survive. We prepare for trial regardless, because a credible litigation position improves settlement terms.

How do I know which court will hear my case?

Disputes over Broward County businesses and property are generally filed in the Seventeenth Judicial Circuit, and Palm Beach County matters in the Fifteenth. The amount in controversy decides whether county or circuit court has jurisdiction, and dissolution and partition actions belong in circuit court. We confirm the correct forum before filing.

Can I be forced to sell a house or building I co-own with relatives?

Any co-owner can ask a court for partition. The court may divide the property or order it sold if division is not practical. If the property qualifies as heirs property, additional statutory protections apply before a sale can be ordered.

What happens to the business while a lawsuit is pending?

Usually it keeps operating. In dissolution proceedings, the court can preserve assets, issue injunctions, and appoint a receiver or custodian after a hearing if the business is at risk. The goal is to protect value while the dispute is decided.

Is it worth hiring a lawyer for a smaller family company?

Often yes, because the cost of letting a dispute run is usually higher than the cost of resolving it early. We weigh the numbers with you and look for an outcome that makes sense against what the company and your interest are worth.

I live out of state but own part of a Broward family business. Can you help?

Yes. We regularly represent clients from New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut with business or real estate interests in South Florida. We handle the local court appearances and keep you informed, so you do not need to travel for each hearing.

Do you work with other attorneys on these cases?

Yes. A significant part of our practice comes from referrals by other lawyers, including out-of-state attorneys whose clients have disputes in Florida. We keep referring counsel informed and respect their relationship with the client.

Serving Family Business Owners Across Parkland and South Florida

We represent family business owners in Parkland and throughout Broward County, including Coral Springs, Margate, Coconut Creek, Tamarac, Sunrise, Plantation, Weston, Davie, Pompano Beach, Deerfield Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood, and Pembroke Pines. Our reach continues north into Palm Beach County, where we serve clients in Boca Raton, Delray Beach, Boynton Beach, Wellington, and West Palm Beach.

Many of these companies are retail shops, medical and professional practices, contractors, restaurants, and real estate holding entities owned by relatives who live across several of these communities, and often across state lines. Whether the dispute involves a Parkland-based company, a rental property in Broward, or an out-of-state owner with an interest here, we handle the filings, hearings, and negotiations on the ground in South Florida.

Talk to a Parkland Family Business Dispute Lawyer

If a relative is shutting you out, draining the company, or refusing to deal with a buyout, a Parkland family business dispute lawyer at the Andrew M. Schwartz Legal Team can review your agreements, explain the options that fit your entity, and move quickly if assets are at risk. Call to schedule a consultation and tell us what is happening. We answer the phone, and if we are in court we return calls within 24 hours.