Business
What Should a Lawyer Check Before You Sign a Business Contract?
Before you sign, a lawyer should check what you owe and when, how either side can end the contract, whether you are personally liable, what the other side...
AARON R. RESNICK •
Ask Aaron: Florida Business Law Answers
Ask Aaron: Florida Business Dispute Questions, Answered
Ask Aaron is the Law Offices of Aaron Resnick answer library for Florida business owners, partners, shareholders, investors, and companies facing disputes involving ownership, contracts, lawsuits, money, and commercial property.
Each page starts with a direct short answer, explains when the issue becomes urgent, identifies the documents that matter, and describes the legal and practical options that may be available. The information is general and does not create an attorney-client relationship.
Choose the question closest to your situation. For a deadline, active lawsuit, lockout, threatened transfer, or missing money or records, call 305-672-7495 or request a consultation.
Browse All Ask Aaron Answers
Business ownership, partnership, and shareholder disputes
- What Can I Do If My Business Partner Is Taking Money?
- What Can I Do If My Partner Locks Me Out?
- What Happens When 50/50 Business Partners Cannot Agree?
- Can a Minority Shareholder Be Frozen Out in Florida?
- Can I Inspect the Company's Books and Records in Florida?
- Can I Force My Business Partner to Buy Me Out?
- What Happens If a Partner Breaches the Operating Agreement?
- Can My Partner Withhold Company Distributions?
- Can My Business Partner Remove Me From the Company?
- Can One 50% Owner Dissolve a Florida LLC?
- Can I Get an Injunction Against My Business Partner?
- What Documents Should I Gather Before a Partnership Dispute Consultation?
Contracts, business money, and commercial claims
- Can You Sue for Breach of Contract in Florida?
- What Damages Can You Recover for Breach of Contract in Florida?
- What Can You Do If You Were Defrauded in a Business Deal?
- Is a Verbal Agreement Legally Binding in Florida?
- How Do You Get Out of a Contract in Florida?
- Can They Come After You Personally on a Business Debt?
- Can You Sue Someone for Interfering With Your Business?
- How Much Does Business Litigation Cost in Florida?
Lawsuits, demand letters, and dispute resolution
- What Should You Do If Your Business Is Served With a Lawsuit?
- What Happens If Your Business Ignores a Lawsuit in Florida?
- Does Your Business Need a Lawyer to Respond to a Lawsuit?
- What Should You Do When Someone Threatens to Sue Your Business?
- What Should You Do If You Receive a Demand Letter?
- Should You Send a Demand Letter Before Suing in Florida?
- Can You Settle a Florida Lawsuit Instead of Fighting It?
Commercial real estate and co-owner disputes
- What Are Your Options in a Florida Commercial Lease Dispute?
- What If Your Co Owner Wants to Sell the Property and You Do Not?
- Can You Fight a Condo Special Assessment in Florida?
Ask Aaron answers
Aaron answers the questions Florida business owners actually ask, grouped by subject. 42 answers.
Partner and shareholder disputes (15)
- Can I Freeze a Partner's Access to Company Assets During a Lawsuit?
- What If I Want Out of My Business but My Partner Won't Agree?
- What If I Think My Partner Is Stealing From the Company?
- What Do I Do If I'm Locked Out of My Company's Bank Account?
- What If I Think My Partner Is Hiding Money or Cooking the Books?
- What If I Think My Business Partner Is Committing Fraud?
- What Evidence Do I Need to Sue a Partner for Fraud?
- Can I Countersue a Partner Who Sued Me First?
- What If My Business Partner Is Suing Me?
- What Can I Do If My Business Partner Is Taking Money?
- What If Your Co Owner Wants to Sell the Property and You Do Not?
- How Do I End a Business Partnership in Florida?
- What Documents Should I Gather Before a Partnership Dispute Consultation?
- Can My Partner Withhold Company Distributions?
- How Is a Miami Retail Real Estate Partnership Structured?
Fraud, theft and fiduciary duty (2)
- What Can I Do If I Suspect Breach of Fiduciary Duty?
- What If I'm Being Accused of Fraud I Didn't Commit?
Contracts (5)
- How Do I Sue Someone Who Breached a Contract With My Business?
- What If I'm Being Sued for Breach of Contract?
- How Do You Get Out of a Contract in Florida?
- Is a Verbal Agreement Legally Binding in Florida?
- What Damages Can You Recover for Breach of Contract in Florida?
Being sued and suing (10)
- How Much Does Business Litigation Cost in Florida?
- Can You Sue Someone for Interfering With Your Business?
- Can They Come After You Personally on a Business Debt?
- Can You Settle a Florida Lawsuit Instead of Fighting It?
- Should You Send a Demand Letter Before Suing in Florida?
- What Should You Do If You Receive a Demand Letter?
- What Should You Do When Someone Threatens to Sue Your Business?
- Does Your Business Need a Lawyer to Respond to a Lawsuit?
- What Happens If Your Business Ignores a Lawsuit in Florida?
- What Should You Do If Your Business Is Served With a Lawsuit?
Commercial real estate and leases (5)
- What If a Commercial Tenant Stops Paying Rent?
- What If My Commercial Real Estate Closing Is Falling Apart?
- What If Someone Filed a Lis Pendens Against My Property?
- What Are Your Options in a Florida Commercial Lease Dispute?
- Why Do I Need a Commercial Real Estate Attorney?
Condo and HOA (2)
- What If My HOA or Condo Board Is Acting Against the Rules?
- What If My Condo Association Is Charging Illegal Fees?
Employment and non-competes (1)
Firm news (1)
Other questions (1)
Earlier commentary and firm news
The full archive of the firm's earlier writing on South Florida business, real estate and litigation, 185 entries from 2014 to 2016. Kept complete and unedited.
2016 (3)
- Florida Trend Names Aaron Resnick to Legal Elite
- What Is the AV Preeminent Rating?
- What Happens When a Performer Misses a Booked Show?
2014 (175)
- What Drove the Jump in South Florida's Median Price?
- South Florida Home Prices Jump 14 Percent
- The SEC Charges a Pair Over an NFL Themed Investment
- Could Rising Prices End Negative Equity for 3.5 Million Owners?
- Have You Filed Your Florida Annual Report?
- Could the Versace Mansion Host Art Basel?
- A $1 Billion Professional Liability Claim Is Filed in Miami
- Paulina Rubio Faces Foreclosure on a Miami Home
- A North Miami Beach Restaurant Property Trades for $4.4 Million
- Will the NCAA Settle Its Concussion Claims?
- What Duty of Care Do Schools Owe Their Athletes?
- Why Were the Foreclosure Settlement Rules Revised?
- A Miami Regional Headquarters Enters Foreclosure
- An NBA Player Weighs a Claim Tied to a Property Scheme
- How Were NBA Players Drawn Into a Real Estate Scheme?
- Why Did Miami Lead the Nation in Foreclosures?
- A Miami Judge Lets the Biogenesis Claim Proceed
- What Drove Miami Home Sales and Prices Higher?
- A Miami Property Once Owned by Tim Hardaway Sells at a Profit
- Marriott Moves to Sell Three EDITION Properties
- Why Did a Public Art Project Draw Years of Litigation?
- Law Offices of Aaron Resnick Supporting the Little Lighthouse Foundation's Nightmare on the Beach 2013: “Fantasmi Della Villa Vecchia”
- Sponsoring Nightmare on the Beach 2013
- What Are a Florida Landlord's Rights and Duties?
- The Justice Department Sues Florida Over Children's Housing
- Miami's First Post Recession New Construction Foreclosure
- Was the Miami Property Boom Funded by Dirty Money?
- Is the Foreclosure Crisis Coming to an End?
- Where Did Foreclosure Pressure Move?
- What Is Driving Miami's Housing Market?
- How Did a First Amendment Defense Defeat a Privacy Motion?
- How Did a Retailer Respond to a Social Media Campaign?
- How Do You Avoid Fraud When Buying Florida Property?
- What Can I Do About a Worthless Check in Florida?
- How Do You Protect Yourself From Identity Theft?
- Why Do Miami Values Still Trail Their Peaks?
- How Do Home Equity Scams Work?
- Did Higher Prices Push Foreign Buyers Away?
- What Premises Exposure Do Restaurants Carry?
- A Bank Withdraws Its Claim Against Jason Taylor
- What Does a Gallery Lawsuit Reveal About Art Dealing?
- The New York Post on a Federal Action Involving Carmine's
- Why Did the Versace Mansion Sell So Far Below Asking?
- Former Athletes Prevail in a Likeness Claim
- Why Did Florida Foreclosures Rise Against a National Low?
- How Did One Practice Disrupt Florida's Foreclosure Courts?
- Was the Foreclosure Crisis Actually Over?
- Foreclosure Activity Falls to a 2006 Low
- How Are Ticket Purchase Agreements Enforced?
- What Does Florida's Servicemembers Protection Act Cover?
- Why Did Florida's Fast Track Foreclosure Bill Draw Objections?
- Florida Homeowners Receive $3.6 Billion in Relief
- Can a Florida Broker File a Lien for an Unpaid Commission?
- Florida's Attorney General Asks Courts to Weigh the Bank Settlement
- What Would a Floating City on Biscayne Bay Require?
- How Do Investors Recover Losses in FINRA Arbitration?
- What Did the FHA Anti-Flipping Waiver Allow?
- Can I Get an FHA Loan After a Foreclosure?
- Two Weeks Remain to Request a Foreclosure Review
- Fannie and Freddie Pause Foreclosure Evictions
- Daunte Culpepper Loses a South Florida Home to Foreclosure
- EverBank Agrees to Pay Borrowers $37 Million
- Electronic Arts Settles Student Athlete Likeness Claims
- A $1 Million Claim Involving Dwyane Wade Is Dropped
- Does My Business Need a LinkedIn Account Policy?
- How Do You Defend Against a Florida Foreclosure?
- David Beckham Moves Closer to a Miami MLS Team
- Why Did a Compensation Claim End an Internship Program?
- Which Commercial Lease Terms Decide the Outcome?
- A Villa Vecchia Reception for Michael Gongora
- Why Do Brazilian Buyers Lead Interest in Miami Property?
- Why Blackstone Moved Fast on a $2.5 Billion Housing Buy
- Lenders Reach an $8.5 Billion Foreclosure Settlement
- The Wall Street Journal Quotes Aaron Resnick on Arena Nightclubs
- Attorney Aaron Resnick Quoted in 20th Anniversary Issue of Ocean Drive Magazine
- Host Committee for Overtown Music Project EPIC II
- What Did Developers Say About the Miami Market?
- Two Arizona Players Join the NCAA and EA Sports Claim
- What Risk Comes With Foreign Buyers Driving the Recovery?
- Are Latin American Buyers Still Buying in Miami?
- A Guilty Plea Closes a $2.4 Million Property Scheme
- The Entity Behind W South Beach Enters Foreclosure
- What Does an Avvo Superb Rating Mean?
- What Changed When Cuba Let Athletes Sign Abroad?
- Launching TC: Temporary Contemporary at the Bass Museum
- Host Committee for NWS Big Band Swing 2013
- Host Committee for Beats After Sunset
- Host Committee for Art Stars 2013
- Aaron Resnick Joins the New World Symphony National Council
- Courthouse News Service Covers a Resnick Filing
- Speaking to Pre-Law Students at the University of Miami
- How Do Online Scams Target Consumers and Businesses?
- Sports and Entertainment Law News
- Why Does South Florida Rank High for Mortgage Fraud?
- Beats After Sunset Opens the Sandra Gamarra Exhibit
- Why Were Short Sales Expected to Surge?
- How Did Short Sales Lift Foreclosure Activity?
- How Did a Major Lender Approach Miami Short Sales?
- Why Did Fashion Businesses Start Retaining Counsel?
- What Do Hotel Lawsuits Usually Involve?
- Is a Short Sale Deficiency Taxable Income?
- Can Players Be Disciplined Over an Investment?
- What Risks Did NFL Players Take on Lockout Loans?
- What Should Miami Homeowners Know About Foreclosure?
- What Is a Deed in Lieu of Foreclosure?
- Sports and Entertainment Law Across Miami
- Why Did Miami Short Sales Keep Running?
- Are Miami Short Sales Worth Buying?
- How Does a Short Sale Affect Your Credit Score?
- Short Sale Activity Across Miami
- How Did Miami's Short Sale and Mediation Programs Work?
- How Do I Spot a Loan Modification Scam?
- Why Did Miami Become an Entertainment Hub?
- How Did Foreclosure Rates Move the Miami Housing Market?
- Foreclosure News Across Miami-Dade
- Commercial Law Developments in Miami
- Brittany Rawlings Named to Miami's Power 30 Under 30
- The South Florida Business Journal Names Aaron Resnick to 40 Under 40
- Florida Trend's Legal Elite Recognition
- Super Lawyers Names Aaron Resnick a Rising Star
- Are Short Sales Worth It in Miami?
- Law Offices of Aaron Resnick Sponsors the Little Lighthouse Foundation's Annual “Nightmare on the Beach”
- Sponsoring Nightmare Above Lincoln Road
- Sponsoring the 2012 Hearts and Stars Gala
- Joining the US Mexico Chamber of Commerce
- Joining the Panamanian American Chamber of Commerce
- Joining the Florida China Chamber of Commerce
- Joining the India US Chamber of Commerce
- Joining the Colombian American Chamber of Commerce
- Joining the America-Israel Chamber of Commerce Florida
- How Are Florida Broker Commission Disputes Resolved?
- What Fraud Should Florida Real Estate Agents Watch For?
- One in Ninety Five Miami Units Faces a Foreclosure Filing
- What HUD Help Exists for Homeowners in Foreclosure?
- How Do You Avoid Foreclosure in Miami?
- Were Home Prices Near the Bottom?
- A Historic Miami Motel Goes to Foreclosure Auction
- How Do Brands Pursue Counterfeit Sellers?
- What Makes Advertising Deceptive Under FTC Rules?
- New World Symphony Opening Night
- Former NFL players William Joseph, Michael Bennett and Louis Gachelin have been arrested by the FBI
- Why Did One in Fourteen Miami Homes Face Foreclosure?
- Foreclosure Filings and Court Activity in Miami
- A Florida Firm Opens an Art Law Practice Group
- Florida's First Fashion Law Practice Group
- Why Did Florida Foreclosures Take So Long?
- Brittany Rawlings Featured at Style Saves
- The Entertainment Council Honors Aaron Resnick
- Regulators Bring Claims Over Statements to Investors
- Attorney Brittany Rawlings on Miami Fashion Law
- What Happens When a Brand Fails to Register Its Logos Abroad?
- Would a New Bill Protect Fashion Designs?
- Commercial Law News for Miami
- Can New Construction Buyers Recover Their Full Deposit?
- What's Trending in Fashion Law
- Bank of America Offers Homeowners Up to $30,000
- Three Programs Aimed at the Housing Market
- Named to the New World Symphony National Council
- Would a New Bill Help Artists Donate Their Work?
- Did Short Sales Change How Americans See Home Ownership?
- Can a Business Be Sued Over Website Accessibility?
- Ability to Ease Short Sale Process Falls Short
- What Should You Check Before Buying a Florida Condo?
- Aaron Resnick at the 2012 AAHOA Convention
- Host Committee for the Overtown Gospel Brunch
- What Are the Timeline Rules for a Short Sale?
- Host Committee for the Overtown Music Project EPIC Event
- Aaron Resnick Hosts Event for Miami Beach Mayorial Candidate Steve Berke
- Beats After Sunset at the Bass Museum
- Beats After Sunset in Collaboration With PetNet
- What Would Extending the Mortgage Debt Relief Act Have Meant?
- Why Did Sellers' Asking Prices Rise in March?
- Aaron Resnick at the Leuva Patidar Samaj Convention
- The New York Times Covers a W Hotel Matter
- Speaking on How Families Defend a Foreclosure
How Ask Aaron Connects to the Firm
The answers support the firm's primary practice areas: partnership and shareholder disputes, commercial litigation, breach of contract, and commercial real-estate disputes.
Do not see your question? Tell Aaron what happened.
Business
What Should a Florida Shareholder Agreement Include?
A Florida shareholder agreement should say who may sell shares and to whom, how an owner is bought out, how the shares are valued, how deadlocks are broken,...
AARON R. RESNICK •
Thank You, Ken Griffin
Citadel founder Ken Griffin gave a record $3 billion to Carnegie Mellon, including $2 billion to build CMU Miami in Wynwood. Here is why it matters for Miami.
AARON R. RESNICK •
Business
Does Your Firm Need Florida Local Counsel?
Florida local counsel can assist another firm's lawyers with admission, filings, hearings, scheduling, discovery and local rules. Florida state and federal...
AARON R. RESNICK •
Business
What If My HOA or Condo Board Breaks Rules?
A Florida owner starts by naming the exact board action and the rule it is said to violate. Condominium and homeowners association law are not identical, and...
AARON R. RESNICK •
Business
Is My Condo Association Charging Illegal Fees?
A Florida unit owner asks the association in writing for a ledger and the legal or document authority for each charge. The disputed amount may be an...
AARON R. RESNICK •
Business
What If a Commercial Tenant Stops Paying Rent?
Start with the lease, payment ledger, notices, security deposit, and guaranty. Do not assume commercial property can be handled like a residential rental,...
AARON R. RESNICK •
Business
What If My Commercial Closing Falls Apart?
Read the contract and closing timeline before sending another email. Identify the missed condition, required notice, cure right, deposit rule, financing or...
AARON R. RESNICK •
Business
Someone Filed a Lis Pendens. Now What?
A lis pendens is a recorded notice that pending litigation may affect a property. It can make a sale, refinance or title policy difficult, and it is not a...
AARON R. RESNICK •
Business
Can I Freeze a Partner's Access to Assets?
Possibly, but the court will not usually remove a partner's access simply because the owners distrust each other. You need a valid claim, evidence of a...
AARON R. RESNICK •
Business
What If My Business Partner Blocks My Exit?
You may be free to stop working for the business, but leaving employment is not the same as selling or ending your ownership. The governing agreement may...
AARON R. RESNICK •
Business
What If I Suspect Theft From My Company?
Move quickly, but do not retaliate. Preserve bank statements, wire details, canceled checks, accounting exports, payroll, expense records, inventory records,...
AARON R. RESNICK •
Business
Locked Out of the Company Bank Account?
Document the lockout and confirm what authority you actually had. Save bank notices, screenshots, signer cards, resolutions, account agreements, and messages...
AARON R. RESNICK •
Business
What If I Suspect a Breach of Fiduciary Duty?
Start with the person's role and authority. Not every owner, employee, officer, manager, or advisor owes the same duties in every setting. Identify the...
AARON R. RESNICK •
Business
What If My Partner Hides Company Money?
Preserve the native accounting records before relying on printed reports. Export the general ledger, audit trail, vendor list, chart of accounts, bank feeds,...
AARON R. RESNICK •
Business
What If I Suspect My Partner of Fraud?
Do not begin with a public accusation. Begin with the specific statement, hidden fact, transaction, or record that concerns you. Preserve original messages,...
AARON R. RESNICK •
Business
How Do I Sue Over a Broken Contract?
Begin with four questions: What agreement existed? What did your business do? What did the other side fail to do? What loss did that failure cause? Gather...
AARON R. RESNICK •
Business
What Evidence Proves Partner Fraud?
Start with the exact false statement or hidden fact. Record who said it, when, where, and why it mattered. Then gather proof that it was false when made,...
AARON R. RESNICK •
Business
Can I Countersue a Partner Who Sued Me First?
You may be able to bring counterclaims against a partner who sued first, but do not treat a counterclaim as automatic retaliation. Some claims may belong to...
AARON R. RESNICK •
Business
What If I'm Falsely Accused of Fraud?
A failed deal is not automatically fraud. The accuser generally must prove more than a broken promise or disappointing result. Preserve the exact statements,...
AARON R. RESNICK •
Business
What If I'm Being Sued for Breach of Contract?
Start with the actual agreement, not the accusation. A breach claim usually turns on what the contract required, what each side did, whether a condition...
AARON R. RESNICK •
Business
What If My Business Partner Is Suing Me?
Treat a partner lawsuit as both a court case and a business emergency. Protect the response deadline, but also check who controls the bank accounts, payroll,...
AARON R. RESNICK •
Business
What If My Business Partner Is Taking Money?
If you believe a business partner is taking company money, do not begin with an accusation you cannot yet prove. Begin with the records. Preserve bank...
AARON R. RESNICK •
Business
Can a Co Owner Force a Property Sale?
When individuals own Florida property together as joint tenants or tenants in common, a co owner may seek partition, which can result in division or sale....
AARON R. RESNICK •
Business
What Can I Do in a Commercial Lease Dispute?
Options in a Florida commercial lease dispute depend first on the lease and the type of default. A landlord may seek rent, possession, enforcement of...
AARON R. RESNICK •
Contact Our Firm
Areas We Serve in Florida
Miami Gardens | Aventura | Golden Beach | Sunny Isles Beach | North Miami Beach | North Miami | Bal Harbour | Bay Harbor Islands | Indian Creek | Surfside | Biscayne Park | Miami Shores | El Portal | North Bay Village | Opa-locka | Miami Lakes | Hialeah | Hialeah Gardens | Medley | Doral | Miami Springs | Virginia Gardens | Sweetwater | Miami | Miami Beach | Key Biscayne | West Miami | Coral Gables | South Miami | Pinecrest | Palmetto Bay | Cutler Bay | Homestead | Florida City
