Sunrise Contract Litigation Attorney

A contract dispute that arises in Sunrise will almost always be filed in Broward County, where the Seventeenth Judicial Circuit sits, and the first decision is which division of that system fits the dispute. Smaller claims go to county court; larger or more intricate business disputes can be routed to the circuit’s complex business division. The Andrew M. Schwartz Legal Team handles business and real estate litigation for owners, investors, and families across Broward County, Palm Beach County, and the rest of South Florida, and as a Sunrise contract litigation attorney team, we represent clients on both sides of purchase agreements, operating agreements, commercial leases, loan documents, and construction contracts.

Contract cases are won and lost on specifics: the exact words of the agreement, what the parties did before and after signing, and whether the claim is filed on time. A breach that looks obvious in a conversation can become uncertain once a court reads an integration clause, a notice-and-cure provision, or a fee-shifting term. The choices made in the first weeks, such as whether to send a demand, whether to keep performing, and whether to seek emergency relief, tend to shape everything that follows.

Contract Disputes We Take On for Sunrise and Broward County Clients

• Purchase and Sale Agreements: Disputes over failed closings, deposits, financing contingencies, and a seller or buyer who walks away. When a party refuses to close, the remedy may be damages or an order compelling the sale to proceed.
• Operating and Shareholder Agreements: Claims between LLC members and shareholders over buyout formulas, transfer restrictions, management rights, and deadlock provisions that the agreement addresses and a co-owner ignores.
• Commercial Leases: Landlord and tenant conflicts involving rent obligations, personal guaranties, build-out responsibilities, common-area charges, and early termination clauses in retail and office space.
• Loan and Guaranty Documents: Disputes over default, acceleration, personal guaranties, and whether a lender or borrower complied with the notice requirements written into the loan terms.
• Construction Contracts: Payment disputes, change orders, defective or incomplete work, and delay claims between owners, general contractors, and subcontractors.
• Unpaid Distributions and Diverted Funds: Cases where a partner or manager cannot account for company money, often paired with claims for an accounting and breach of fiduciary duty.
• Fraud and Rescission Claims: Situations where a party was induced to sign by misrepresentation and wants the deal unwound or damages for what was lost.
• Family and Friend Business Agreements: Handshake deals and loosely drafted arrangements among relatives or longtime friends, where the dispute turns on what was actually agreed.

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

The Andrew M. Schwartz Legal Team is a South Florida business and real estate litigation firm serving clients in Boca Raton, West Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale, and throughout Palm Beach and Broward Counties, along with clients from New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut who hold business or property interests here. Andrew M. Schwartz, the firm’s founder, was admitted to The Florida Bar in 1989 and has spent 37 years in litigation, with his career built around complex contract disputes and conflicts between 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.

Sundeep Nath, Senior Counsel, is a Northwestern-trained litigator with years of experience in business and real estate cases in both state and federal courts. That depth matters in contract work, where a dispute may start in state court and end up in federal court depending on the parties. The firm practices as a true legal team, so everyone working on your matter knows the file, and a strict 24 hour return call policy applies when we are in court and cannot answer right away.

The results reflect that focus. After a 5-day bench trial, the Broward County Circuit Court issued a 32-page final judgment awarding one of our clients specific performance of a commercial real estate contract. We are also experienced in mediation and arbitration, and we look for the resolution that serves a client’s goals and budget rather than prolonging a case for its own sake. Many clients arrive through referrals from other attorneys, including out of state lawyers whose clients have Florida disputes, and we handle the local court appearances so those clients need not travel for every hearing.

Deadlines and Decisions in the First Weeks of a Contract Dispute

The first decision is timing. Florida allows five years to sue on a contract founded on a written instrument, and four years for oral or implied contracts. A claim to rescind a contract carries four years, and fraud carries four years from discovery, capped at 12 years. Specific performance is the outlier: an action seeking it has only one year. That short window is why a buyer whose seller refuses to close cannot wait to see whether the seller relents. If the remedy you want is the deal itself rather than money, the clock is far shorter than most people assume.

The second decision is whether to keep performing. A party who stops paying or delivering in response to a perceived breach can turn a strong claim into a defense problem, particularly if the agreement requires written notice and an opportunity to cure. Reading those provisions before acting is usually worth more than any argument made afterward. Gather the signed agreement, every amendment, the emails and texts that show how the parties actually dealt with each other, payment records, and any notices sent or received. Do not delete anything, and avoid new written exchanges with the other side that characterize the dispute until you have had the agreement reviewed.

The third decision is forum and amount. Broward County civil claims above the county court ceiling are filed in circuit court, and the Seventeenth Circuit has a complex business division that handles large business and construction litigation and certain entity dissolutions. A case can be filed directly into that division only by following the circuit’s administrative procedure, which includes a designated form submitted with the Clerk at filing, and the Clerk then assigns the case randomly to a division. Cases arising from Palm Beach County property or parties belong in the Fifteenth Circuit instead. Where the parties are from different states or federal claims are involved, the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida, which sits in Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach, may be an option. Venue and forum can affect speed, cost, and even outcome, and they should be chosen deliberately, not by default.

When the Contract Is an Operating Agreement or a Shareholder Agreement

Contract disputes among co-owners carry rules that ordinary commercial disputes do not. Under Florida’s LLC statute, a member or manager can seek judicial dissolution on grounds that include deadlock with threatened irreparable injury, misappropriated or wasted assets, and the impracticability of carrying on the business under the operating agreement. The court may appoint a receiver or custodian after a hearing, or order a buyout of the petitioning member’s interest. Importantly, if the operating agreement contains a deadlock sale mechanism and one party starts it before the court finds deadlock grounds, that contractual mechanism can take the place of a dissolution order. The wording of your agreement can therefore decide the whole path.

For corporations, a shareholder petitioning for dissolution can face a buyout election by the company or the other shareholders at fair value, and if the parties agree on value and terms within 60 days of the first election, the court enters an order on those terms. Filing a dissolution action does not by itself extinguish a shareholder’s right to use a compliant deadlock sale provision. We read these agreements closely and advise whether enforcing the contract, seeking a buyout, or pursuing dissolution best serves the client.

Remedies: Damages, Specific Performance, and Emergency Relief

Most contract cases seek money damages, but the remedy should fit the harm. Specific performance compels a party to do what the contract requires, which is the natural remedy when the subject is unique property such as a commercial parcel. When funds or assets are at risk of being moved or spent during the case, a temporary injunction can freeze the situation while the dispute is resolved. We pursue emergency injunctive relief where the facts support it, and we weigh it against its cost and the evidence the court will require. Claims for an accounting and breach of fiduciary duty often accompany contract counts when a partner controls the books.

Contract Litigation FAQ for Sunrise Businesses and Owners

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

Five years for an action founded on a written instrument. Oral or implied contracts have four years. Separate, shorter or different periods apply to certain claims, so the label on your claim matters.

What is the deadline to ask a court to force someone to complete a sale?

An action for specific performance has a one-year limitations period. If a seller or buyer refuses to close, that is the clock to watch, and waiting for negotiations to run their course can cost you the remedy.

Does a negligence-style deadline ever apply to a contract problem?

Sometimes. Negligence claims now carry a two-year period, and professional malpractice claims, even if founded on contract, carry two years running from when the claim was or should have been discovered. If your dispute involves a professional’s work, the shorter period may govern.

Should my case be in county court or circuit court?

The dividing line is the amount in controversy, exclusive of interest, costs, and attorney fees. Smaller disputes belong in county court, and anything above its ceiling goes to circuit court, which in Sunrise means Broward County’s Seventeenth Judicial Circuit. The ceiling is adjusted periodically, so confirm the current figure before filing.

Is a verbal agreement enforceable?

Often, yes, though proof is harder and certain contracts must be in writing to be enforced. Texts, emails, payment history, and witnesses can establish what was agreed.

Can I recover my attorney’s fees?

Only if the contract or a statute provides for it. Many commercial agreements include a prevailing-party fee clause, and that provision can change settlement calculations for both sides, so we check for it early.

What if the other party is in another state?

You can often still sue in Florida, depending on the contract’s forum clause and the other party’s connections to the state. We represent New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut clients with South Florida interests and handle the local appearances for them.

Can a contract dispute be handled through mediation or arbitration instead of court?

Yes. Many agreements require arbitration or mediation first, and even when they do not, parties often settle at mediation. Our attorneys have experience in both alternative dispute resolution and trial.

What happens if my partner is siphoning money while the case is pending?

You may pursue an accounting, breach of fiduciary duty, and recovery claims, and a court can enter injunctive relief to stop assets from being moved or spent in the interim. Speed matters, because documentation of the diversion is strongest early.

Can I enforce a deadlock sale provision instead of suing for dissolution?

If your operating or shareholder agreement has a compliant provision, you may be able to initiate it, and for an LLC, doing so before the court finds deadlock grounds can displace a dissolution order. Whether it helps you depends on its terms.

How long does a contract case take in Broward County?

It depends on the court track, the complexity, and whether the case settles. Straightforward matters can resolve in months, while disputes with extensive discovery or a trial can take much longer. We discuss realistic timing against your goals and budget at the outset.

Is it worth hiring a lawyer for a smaller contract dispute?

Often the answer turns on whether a fee clause exists, how clear the breach is, and whether the other side can pay. A short review of the agreement can tell you whether pursuing or defending the claim makes economic sense.

Serving Sunrise Contract Litigation Clients Across Broward and Palm Beach Counties

For clients in Sunrise, our work reaches across western and central Broward County, including Plantation, Davie, Weston, Tamarac, Lauderhill, Lauderdale Lakes, Coral Springs, Margate, and Pembroke Pines. We also represent business owners and property investors in Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood, Deerfield Beach, Coconut Creek, Parkland, and Pompano Beach. Moving north, we serve Palm Beach County communities including Boca Raton, Delray Beach, Boynton Beach, Wellington, Palm Beach Gardens, and West Palm Beach. Clients from New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut who own businesses or real estate in these areas work with us for the same reason: we handle the Florida proceedings and keep them informed at each stage.

Talk With a Sunrise Contract Litigation Lawyer About Your Dispute

If you are weighing a demand letter, a lawsuit, or a defense against one, a Sunrise contract litigation lawyer at the Andrew M. Schwartz Legal Team can review the agreement, the deadlines, and the remedies available before you commit to a course. Call us to schedule a consultation and tell us what the contract says and what happened.