Business owners often question whether the business will be able to deduct its legal expenses. The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in Cavanaugh v. Commissioner, 18-60299, 2019 WL 1430193 (5th Cir. Mar. 29, 2019) recently shed some light on this matter. The Court found that settlement payments and litigation expenses paid by a business regarding … Read more
Establishing the priority of a lender’s mortgage lien during foreclosure or bankruptcy can be challenging when the collateral is also encumbered by governmental or quasi-governmental liens with unsettled lien priority. One such problematic example is the lien priority of PACE loans. Florida’s “PACE” Program (which stands for Property Assessed Clean Energy) was created in 2010 … Read more
For decades LIBOR (short for London Inter-bank Offered Rate) was one of the most commonly used benchmark interest rates for financial transactions. Derived from a daily survey of about 20 large banks, it was intended to reflect the interest rate at which banks lent to one another. However, confidence in LIBOR as an accurate reflection … Read more
A creditor has several tools to pursue collection from a judgment debtor. One of the most commonly used tools is garnishment of a judgment debtor’s bank account because it can be done relatively quickly and cheaply. In fact, most courts will routinely grant a motion to issue a writ of garnishment on an ex-parte basis, … Read more
With the emergence of the limited liability company (“LLC” or “company”) entity type, an owner, known as a “member,” can minimize or prevent setbacks that interrupt business operations that in very extreme instances, cause it to dissolve. Similar to a prenuptial agreement in the marriage context, a properly drafted operating agreement can protect members and … Read more
There is no bigger industry in the state of Florida than healthcare. Hospitals, physician groups, and surgical centers provide valuable care to the citizens of the Sunshine State. For many of these businesses, the workers are independent contractors, rather than employees. However, a recent decision by the California Supreme Court is causing those in the … Read more
Employers seeking to prevent their employees, contractors, consultants or former partners from competing or soliciting will typically utilize a traditional non-compete agreement, either standing alone or embedded within a broader agreement. The non-compete limits a person from competing and soliciting for a specific period of time, and within a designated geographic area. However, it can … Read more