Florida Business Litigation Lawyer Blog

A party may seek to reform (change the terms of a contract) a contract when there is erroneous term in the wording of the contract, which was the product of a mutual mistake (made by both parties), a unilateral mistake (made by one party), or inequitable conduct by one party in making the contract. Florida…

In defense against an employment lawsuit asserting discrimination, religious organizations can assert they are exempt from Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 based upon the “ministerial exemption.” The exemptions permitted religious organizations were explored in a recent employment law article on the case Bostock v. Clayton County, Georgia, 17-1618, 2020 WL 3146686…

Effective protection of a Florida business’ trademark rights can be critical to the success of the business. Trademark protection can help a Florida business establish a reputation and prevent imitators from taking advantage of that reputation. A recent United States Supreme Court business litigation case held which types of generic marks can be registered with…

Arbitration is an alternate method of dispute resolution that can help parties avoid some of the expense and consequences of litigation. Commercial contracts will often contain provisions requiring that any claims that arise between the parties be arbitrated. When a dispute arises, the plaintiff will often reconsider its election to arbitrate and pursue matters in…

To enforce a non-compete agreement, it is not sufficient to merely show that the scope of the restrictions in the non-compete agreement are reasonable. There must between a connection between the restrictions of the non-compete agreement and the business information. For example, if a business has a legitimate business interest in its product pricing information,…

Florida businesses that enter into contracts will often place “choice of law” provisions within their contracts. There provisions typically govern which state or country’s laws apply to a given transaction. These clauses are usually enforced by the courts, with some exceptions. While states generally share the same fundamental rules of contract law, the choice of…

Handling business litigation in one’s home forum, as opposed to a remote location, can have significant strategic advantages and reduce the stress and hassle of litigation. When a Florida business becomes involved in a lawsuit with an out-of-state opponent, that business may be forced to challenge the opponent’s invocation of an out-of-state forum or need…

When a former employer seeks an injunction to enforce a non-compete or non-solicitation agreement, it must prove that it will suffer irreparable harm without entry of an injunction. A party seeking to enforce a non-solicitation provision by injunction does not need to prove that defendant’s specific activities will cause irreparable injury, rather the statute provides…

The federal statute 26 U.S.C. § 7434 permits a person to claim that another has filed a false tax return on his or her behalf, potentially subjecting an employer to a statutory penalty of $5,000 and attorneys’ fees. Sometimes, disgruntled former employees and independent contractors (collectively referred to as “workers”) will use this statute to…

Spoliation of evidence is a circumstance that may arise in business litigation when one party fails to preserve or intentionally destroys evidence after becoming aware of an imminent lawsuit. Spoliation is defined as “[t]he intentional destruction, mutilation, alteration, or concealment of evidence [.]” SPOLIATION, Black’s Law Dictionary (11th ed. 2019). Spoliation issues in business litigation…