Riviera Beach Business Attorney

The hardest business fights in Riviera Beach rarely start with a lawsuit. They start with a locked-out partner, a bank account that does not add up, or two co-owners who stopped speaking and left a company with no one able to make decisions. The Andrew M. Schwartz Legal Team handles business litigation, partnership and member disputes, and real estate litigation for owners and investors in Riviera Beach and throughout Palm Beach County and Broward County.

If you are looking for a Riviera Beach business attorney, the first question is usually not “should I sue?” but “what leverage do I have, and how fast does it expire?” Florida sets firm deadlines for contract claims, fraud claims, and specific performance claims, and the remedies available to a frustrated LLC member or minority shareholder depend heavily on what the operating agreement says and what the other side has already done with company money or property.

Riviera Beach sits in Palm Beach County, so disputes here are filed in the Fifteenth Judicial Circuit, with federal cases going to the Southern District of Florida. Businesses on the working waterfront, marine and logistics operators near the port, and commercial landlords and investors across the city all generate the same recurring problems: partners who disagree about control, leases that go wrong, and real estate deals that fall apart before closing.

Why Choose the Andrew M. Schwartz Legal Team for a Business Dispute

The Andrew M. Schwartz Legal Team represents business owners, investors, and families in South Florida’s most difficult business and real estate disputes, serving Riviera Beach, West Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale, and communities across Palm Beach and Broward Counties. Founder Andrew M. Schwartz has spent 37 years in litigation and was admitted to The Florida Bar in 1989. He earned his undergraduate degree from Emory University in 1986 and his law degree from the University of Miami in 1989. His career has been built around complex contract disputes, business divorces, and conflicts between partners, LLC members, and shareholders.

Senior Counsel Sundeep Nath, a Northwestern-trained litigator, brings years of experience in business and real estate cases in both state and federal courts. The firm works as a true legal team: everyone on a matter knows the file, so a client who calls gets an informed answer rather than a message passed along. The firm keeps a strict 24 hour return call policy when attorneys are in court.

Recent results show what that looks like in practice. After a five-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. That outcome reflects the firm’s focus on cases that turn on contract wording and the history between the parties.

The firm is also experienced in mediation and arbitration, and Andrew Schwartz is candid that most clients want a cost-effective result, not legal fees that outweigh common sense. Many of the firm’s matters come as referrals from other attorneys, and it regularly represents clients from New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut who own businesses or property in South Florida, handling the local court appearances so those clients do not have to travel for every hearing.

Business Disputes We Handle for Riviera Beach Owners and Investors

• Business Divorce: Deadlocked management, buyouts, valuation fights, and court-ordered dissolution when partners, LLC members, or shareholders can no longer run a company together.
• Breach of Operating and Shareholder Agreements: Disputes over capital calls, voting rights, transfer restrictions, and buyout provisions, where the exact wording of the agreement usually decides the outcome.
• Breach of Fiduciary Duty: Claims against managers, majority owners, or partners who put their own interests ahead of the company’s.
• Missing Funds and Accounting Claims: Unpaid distributions, diverted company money, commingled accounts, and disputed capital contributions, with emergency relief available to freeze assets while the case proceeds.
• Complex Contract Litigation: Purchase agreements, commercial leases, loan documents, and construction contracts, including claims for specific performance.
• Partition Actions and Title Disputes: Co-owners of real estate who cannot agree, including former business partners, heirs, and investors, along with quiet title claims to clear competing ownership claims.
• Family Business Conflicts: Siblings, parents and children, or in-laws who share ownership and disagree about control, pay, and succession.
• Injunctions: Temporary and permanent injunctions to stop a partner or former employee from moving assets, misusing property, or damaging the business while the case is pending.

What to Do Now if a Business Relationship Is Breaking Down

Start by gathering the documents that define the relationship: the operating agreement or shareholder agreement, any amendments, the articles of organization or incorporation, bank statements, tax returns, and the emails or texts that show how the dispute developed. If money is involved, pull account records now while you still have access. Owners are sometimes cut off from company systems with little warning.

Read your agreement for a deadlock or buyout provision before taking any step. In an LLC, a deadlock sale clause that is started before a court finds deadlock grounds can displace judicial dissolution, so the order of events matters. Do not sign anything the other side puts in front of you, and avoid accusing a partner in writing before you know what you can prove.

Watch the clock. A claim on a written contract carries a five-year limitations period, while an oral or implied contract claim has four years. Fraud claims run four years from discovery, capped at twelve years overall. A claim for specific performance has just one year, which surprises many people. If you want a court to force a failed real estate closing to go forward, waiting is a real risk.

Where the problem is ongoing, such as money leaving the company or property being transferred, ask about emergency relief right away. A circuit court can issue injunctions and, after notice and a hearing, appoint a receiver or custodian in a dissolution case. Cases in Palm Beach County are filed with the Clerk and heard in the Fifteenth Judicial Circuit, with the main courthouse in West Palm Beach. Disputes over $50,000 generally belong in circuit court, while smaller claims go to county court. If your dispute reaches Broward County, it is heard in the Seventeenth Judicial Circuit, which has a complex business division for matters like dissolutions and large business litigation.

How Florida Law Handles Dissolution and Owner Buyouts

For an LLC, a member or manager can ask a circuit court to dissolve the company on specific grounds: activities are being conducted unlawfully, it is no longer reasonably practicable to operate under the operating agreement, controlling members are acting illegally or fraudulently, assets are being misappropriated or wasted, or managers or members are deadlocked and irreparable injury is threatened or occurring. The court can also appoint a receiver or custodian or order a buyout of the petitioning member’s interest instead of dissolving.

Corporations work differently. A shareholder who petitions for dissolution can trigger a buyout election: the corporation, or other shareholders if it declines, may elect to purchase the petitioner’s shares at fair value. If the parties agree on value and terms within 60 days after the first election is filed, the court orders the purchase on those terms. The election is generally irrevocable, and the corporation must notify other shareholders within 30 days of the filing that they can avoid dissolution by buying out the petitioner.

These statutes create real leverage on both sides. A minority owner who is being squeezed can use them to force a fair-value exit, and a majority owner can use them to keep the company alive. Knowing which role you are in, and what the agreement already says about valuation, shapes the entire strategy.

Partition and Quiet Title: When Co-Owners of Property Cannot Agree

All partition actions in Florida are brought in equity. The complaint must describe the land, identify the owners and their residences, and state what each holds. If the court orders partition, it appoints three commissioners, chosen by the court unless the parties agree. When the land cannot be divided fairly, the court may order it sold at public auction and split the proceeds in proportion to each owner’s share. Where a sale is made on credit for good cause, at least one-third of the purchase price must be paid down unless everyone consents otherwise.

If the property was inherited among relatives, the rules shift. Florida’s Uniform Partition of Heirs Property Act applies to qualifying cotenancies, and where it applies, a court cannot order partition in kind unless commissioners have weighed the statutory factors and found that dividing the land would prejudice the cotenants as a group.

Quiet title is the related tool when ownership itself is clouded. A plaintiff must trace title back at least seven years before filing unless the court orders otherwise, and the action can be filed in any county where part of the land lies. Adverse possession claims, which require seven years of qualifying possession, often sit underneath these disputes.

Riviera Beach Business Attorney FAQs

What does a business litigation attorney actually do?

A business litigation attorney reviews the governing documents, identifies the claims and defenses, and handles the dispute from demand letter through negotiation, mediation, arbitration, or trial. In practice that includes seeking emergency relief when assets are at risk, taking depositions, tracing money, and negotiating buyouts or settlements.

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

Five years under the general rule for actions founded on a written instrument. Oral or implied contracts have four years. These periods are measured from when the claim accrues, so the specific facts matter.

Can I force a partner out of my LLC?

It depends on your operating agreement and what the partner has done. Many agreements contain buyout or expulsion provisions, and Florida law provides remedies for serious misconduct or when the company cannot function. An attorney needs to read the agreement before you take any step.

What if my business partner is taking money from the company?

You may have claims for breach of fiduciary duty, an accounting, conversion, and recovery of funds. If money is actively leaving, a court can issue injunctive relief to stop assets from being moved or spent while the case is pending.

Does every business dispute end up in court?

No. Many are resolved through negotiation, mediation, or arbitration, and the firm’s attorneys are experienced in each. Litigation is used when it is the path most likely to achieve your goals.

What happens if my operating agreement has a deadlock provision?

If a deadlock sale provision is initiated before the court finds grounds for deadlock dissolution, it can apply instead of a judicial dissolution order or a court-ordered buyout, provided it is carried through. Timing and compliance with the clause become critical.

Why is the specific performance deadline only one year?

The legislature set a shorter period for actions seeking to compel a party to perform a contract, which is why a buyer or seller in a failed real estate deal cannot wait the way they could on a damages claim. If you want the deal enforced rather than just compensation, move quickly.

Should I hire a lawyer for a dispute that may be under the county court limit?

Often yes, particularly if the dispute involves an ongoing business relationship, property, or a contract with fee provisions. County court handles claims up to a set ceiling that is adjusted periodically, and small claims has its own lower cap. Even in smaller cases, how you frame the claim and what you preserve early can affect the result.

Can a partner dissolve a company out from under me?

A member or shareholder can petition, but the court decides whether statutory grounds exist, and the remaining owners often have the option to buy out the petitioner at fair value instead. Defending against a dissolution petition and using the buyout election are common strategies.

I live out of state but own a business or property in Palm Beach County. Can you handle the case?

Yes. The firm represents clients from New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut with South Florida interests, handles the local court appearances, and keeps you informed throughout the case.

Can another attorney refer a Florida business dispute to your firm?

Yes. A significant part of the firm’s practice comes from referrals by other lawyers, including out of state attorneys and Florida attorneys who do not handle business litigation. Referring counsel stays informed throughout the matter.

Serving Business Litigation Clients Across Riviera Beach and South Florida

The firm represents owners and investors in Riviera Beach and the neighboring Palm Beach County communities of Palm Beach Shores, Singer Island, Lake Park, North Palm Beach, Palm Beach Gardens, Juno Beach, and Jupiter. Heading south and west, it serves West Palm Beach, Mangonia Park, Royal Palm Beach, Wellington, Lake Worth Beach, Boynton Beach, Delray Beach, and Boca Raton.

Across the county line, the team serves clients in Broward County, including Deerfield Beach, Pompano Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Plantation, and Hollywood. Whether the dispute involves a local operating business, an investment property held with relatives, or a company owned partly by someone who lives in New York, New Jersey, or Connecticut, the firm handles the court work in both Palm Beach and Broward Counties.

Talk With a Riviera Beach Business Law Attorney

If a partner, co-owner, or counterparty has put your company, your investment, or your property at risk, a conversation with a Riviera Beach business law attorney can clarify what claims you have and which deadlines are running. The Andrew M. Schwartz Legal Team will review your agreements, explain your options, and tell you plainly whether the right path is negotiation, mediation, or court. Call the firm to schedule a consultation.