FURTHER CONFUSION TO RECOVERING ATTORNEYS’ FEES IN A LIEN ACTION

feesRecovering attorneys’ fees in a lien action is becoming more and more convoluted. Recent caselaw has made it more challenging for a party prevailing in a lien action to recover their attorneys’ fees. Now, the test to recover attorneys’ fees is the “significant issues test,” i.e., which party prevailed on the significant issues in the case. In other words, a party could win the lien action yet still not be entitled to recover their attorneys’ fees. Plus, the determination of the significant issues is in the discretion of the judge, meaning it is very difficult to predict whether a party will recover any attorney fees even if they prevail on the lien action.

 
The case of GMPF Framing, LLC v. Villages at Lake Lily Associates, LLC, 100 So.3d 243 (Fla. 5th DCA 2012), illustrates the challenges in recovering attorneys’ fees. In this case, a lienor recorded a claim of lien and filed a lien foreclosure action. However, instead of just suing to foreclose the lien, the lienor also sued for unjust enrichment and for an equitable lien (both counts which are difficult counts for a lienor / contractor to prevail on against an owner). The owner prevailed on the lien claim and the trial court awarded the owner attorneys’ fees. However, on appeal, the Fifth District Court of appeal reversed because it was undetermined which party won on the significant issues because the equitable lien and unjust enrichment claims remained pending even though the trial court discharged the lien. In particular, the Fifth District found that it is possible that the lienor could prevail on these remaining counts and be deemed the prevailing party by prevailing on the significant issues in the case.

 
This decision complicates how attorneys’ fees are awarded in a lien action and, to that end, which party will be deemed the prevailing party. A lien action is a statutory action that statutorily entitles a party to prevailing party attorneys‘ fees. See Fla.Stat. s. 713.29. The other counts in this lawsuit (unjust enrichment and equitable lien) have no statutory or contractual basis for attorneys‘ fees. Thus, they really should not factor in as to which party won on the significant issues of the lien action–the action that entitles a party to attorneys‘ fees. Unfortunately, this is not how the GMPF Framing Court ruled (nor does it appear to be how other Florida appellate courts will rule), which may have the undesirable effect of motivating lienors to sue on otherwise improper liens by simply coupling their lien claim with another claim and hope they are still able to prevail on the significant issues even if the lien claim is discharged.

 

 

Please contact David Adelstein at dadelstein@gmail.com or (954) 361-4720 if you have questions or would like more information regarding this article. You can follow David Adelstein on Twitter @DavidAdelstein1.

VENUE PROVISIONS – READ WHAT YOU SIGN!

UnknownVenue provisions, also known as forum selection provisions, are commonly included in contracts. These provisions state that if there is a dispute arising out of or relating to the contract, the dispute must be brought in the exclusive venue of a certain locale. (For example, the provision might say disputes must be brought in the exclusive venue of Miami-Dade County.) Parties should be aware of this provision when executing a contract.

 

In Espresso Disposition Corp. 1 and Rowland Coffee Roasters, Inc., 37 Fla. L. Weekly D2643a (Fla. 3d DCA 2012), the parties entered into a contract. However, the party that prepared the contract cut-and-pasted the venue provision / forum selection provision from another contract. In doing so, there was no realization that the venue provision required disputes to be brought in Illinois. When a dispute arose, the drafter filed suit in Miami and argued that the Illinois venue provision was in error because it was simply cut-and-pasted. The problem was that venue provisions are enforceable and presumptively valid. The Third District Court of Appeal ruled that the drafter’s lawsuit must be dismissed because according to the parties’ contract, disputes could only be brought in Illinois. In entering this ruling and enforcing the cut-and-pasted venue provision, the Third District maintained “be careful what you ask for!” In other words, review the contract you are preparing and executing.

 

This case stands for the important proposition that parties need to review the contracts they are executing. Failure to do so could result in you being required to resolve your dispute in a different state and inconvenient forum as was the circumstance in the above case.

 

 

Please contact David Adelstein at dadelstein@gmail.com or (954) 361-4720 if you have questions or would like more information regarding this article. You can follow David Adelstein on Twitter @DavidAdelstein1.

THE ENFORCEABILITY OF TERMINATION FOR CONVENIENCE PROVISIONS

Unknown-2Termination for convenience provisions are common in construction contracts, whether it’s a contract between an owner and a general contractor or a general contractor and a subcontractor. These provisions allow either a general contractor, by way of example, to terminate its subcontractor for its convenience without cause. While the subcontractor would be entitled to its costs incurred through the date of the termination (typically the recoverable costs are itemized in the termination for convenience provision), it would lose out on all of the profit it anticipated on receiving for that project. Termination for convenience provisions are enforceable.

 

The case of Vila & Son Landscaping Corp. v. Posen Construction, Inc., 2012 WL 4093545 (Fla. 2d DCA 2012), illustrates the enforceability of termination for convenience provisions. In this case, the general contractor terminated the subcontractor for convenience because it found another subcontractor that would do the same work cheaper. The terminated subcontractor asserted that the termination was wrongful and sued the general contractor. The subcontractor’s main argument was that the general contractor needed to utilize good faith in terminating the subcontractor for convenience and it did not by terminating it for a better price. The Second District Court of Appeal essentially found that the termination for convenience provision was enforceable, i.e., there was no wrongful termination simply because the general contractor terminated the subcontractor to obtain better pricing.

 

Contractors need to be aware of termination for convenience provisions. Subcontractors should be especially aware because these provisions can allow a general contractor to terminate it in order to obtain a different subcontractor to do the same scope of work at a reduced price. If this is a concern, one approach is to try to negotiate the recoverability of some profit (or termination damages) in the event the termination for convenience provision is exercised.

 

 

 

Please contact David Adelstein at dadelstein@gmail.com or (954) 361-4720 if you have questions or would like more information regarding this article. You can follow David Adelstein on Twitter @DavidAdelstein1.