Real estate lawsuits, claims, defenses, and contested property matters
Real Estate Litigation Attorneys
Strategic Representation for High-Stakes Real Estate Disputes
Real estate disputes are rarely just about property. They can threaten ownership rights, development projects, business operations, financing, investments, brokerage commissions, and millions of dollars in asset value.
Lieb at Law represents property owners, investors, developers, commercial landlords, brokers, fiduciaries, businesses, lenders, and individuals in complex real estate litigation throughout New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Colorado.
Our practice is devoted to litigation. We represent clients in contested real estate matters before courts, arbitration panels, and administrative agencies, handling disputes involving contracts, ownership, foreclosure, title, construction, brokerage, fair housing, zoning, commercial leasing, and related business conflicts. Where appropriate, we also represent clients in multi-party and class action litigation arising from systemic real estate practices and alleged anticompetitive conduct.
Whether protecting valuable property rights, recovering financial losses, defending against significant claims, or resolving complex ownership conflicts, our focus remains the same: developing a litigation strategy that advances our clients' legal and business objectives.
Real Estate Litigation Is More Than Property Law
Real estate disputes often involve multiple areas of law at the same time. A foreclosure may involve estate issues. A construction dispute may involve breach of contract claims. A brokerage dispute may involve fiduciary duties and regulatory proceedings. An ownership dispute may involve business divorce issues.
Because real estate litigation frequently overlaps with commercial litigation, business disputes, discrimination claims, administrative proceedings, and fiduciary litigation, successful representation requires a broader litigation perspective than simply understanding the property itself.
Real Estate Litigation Matters We Handle
Ownership, Investment and Property Control Disputes
Disputes involving who owns property, who controls it, who contributes capital, and who receives economic benefits often become some of the most contentious real estate lawsuits.
- Partition actions
- Co-owner disputes
- Real estate LLC disputes
- Investor and joint venture disputes
- Buyout and control disputes
- Accounting and fiduciary duty claims
- Napkin Litigation™ real estate disputes
Contract, Closing and Transaction Litigation
When a transaction fails, litigation often follows. Lieb at Law handles contested contract, closing, escrow, financing, and inspection disputes after the deal has broken down.
- Breach of real estate contracts
- Failed closings
- Down payment and escrow disputes
- Specific performance actions
- Buyer and seller disputes
- Commercial purchase disputes
- Inspection-related litigation
Foreclosure, Title and Mortgage Litigation
Property rights frequently depend upon the validity, priority, and enforceability of mortgages, liens, deeds, and ownership records.
- Foreclosure litigation
- Ancient mortgages & discharges
- Mortgage disputes
- Lien priority disputes
- Quiet title actions
- Defective and forged deed litigation
- Estate-related property disputes
Commercial Property, Leasing and Development Litigation
Commercial real estate disputes often involve substantial economic exposure and operational risk.
- Commercial landlord-tenant litigation
- Commercial lease disputes and evictions
- Development disputes
- Construction litigation
- Mechanic's liens
- Project and land use disputes
- Zoning and Article 78 proceedings
Brokerage, Commission and Regulatory Litigation
Real estate professionals operate in a highly regulated environment where litigation and licensing issues frequently intersect.
- Commission disputes
- Procuring cause litigation
- Brokerage agreement disputes
- DOS proceedings
- Fiduciary duty claims
- Advertising and MLS disputes
- Regulatory investigations
Fair Housing and Real Estate Discrimination Litigation
Real estate disputes may also involve civil rights and fair housing issues.
- Fair housing claims
- Disability discrimination
- Failure-to-accommodate claims
- Housing provider defense
- Protected class discrimination
- Board discrimination claims
- Accessibility disputes
Complex and Multi-Party Real Estate Litigation
Some real estate disputes extend far beyond a disagreement between two parties. They involve multiple property owners, investors, developers, brokers, associations, businesses, or consumers affected by the same conduct, contract, policy, or business practice.
When appropriate, Lieb at Law represents clients in complex, coordinated, representative, and class action litigation involving widespread real estate disputes. We also litigate claims involving alleged anticompetitive conduct and business practices that affect market participants across the real estate industry.
Representative matters may include:
- Class action litigation
- Multi-party commercial real estate disputes
- Condominium, cooperative, and homeowners' association litigation affecting multiple owners
- Construction defect litigation involving multiple properties or units
- Developer misrepresentation and disclosure claims
- Uniform contract and disclosure disputes
- Systemic fair housing and discrimination claims
- Alleged anticompetitive practices affecting real estate markets
- Brokerage commission and industry-wide business practice litigation
- Large-scale real estate investment and development disputes
Not every dispute is appropriate for representative or class treatment. Our attorneys evaluate the facts, applicable law, procedural requirements, and strategic objectives to determine the most effective litigation approach for each matter.
Why Clients Retain Lieb at Law
Clients retain Lieb at Law because real estate disputes are rarely just about property.
They often involve business interests, investments, financing relationships, ownership rights, regulatory concerns, fiduciary obligations, and long-term strategic consequences.
Our attorneys evaluate not only the legal claims and defenses, but also the practical realities that affect leverage, timing, risk, and outcomes.
Related Real Estate Litigation Practices
Real Estate Brokerage Law
Commission, license, agency, DOS, advertising, and brokerage disputes.
Read moreForeclosure Litigation
Foreclosure claims, defenses, mortgage disputes, and title issues.
Read moreBusiness Disputes
Ownership, control, fiduciary, investor, and business divorce litigation.
Read moreCommercial Litigation
Contract, fraud, business tort, and court-centered dispute strategy.
Read moreNapkin Litigation™
Informal deals, disputed ownership rights, texts, emails, and defective records.
Read moreDiscrimination and Civil Rights
Fair housing, accommodation, disability, protected class, and civil rights claims.
Read moreEstate Foreclosure and Executor Misconduct
Estate-related foreclosure, fiduciary, executor, and inherited property disputes.
Read moreReal Estate Litigation Questions We Frequently Answer
These questions address complex, high-value litigation involving commercial and investment real estate, property ownership, development projects, financing relationships, fiduciary obligations, and business disputes tied to real property.
Can a handshake agreement or text message create enforceable ownership rights in a real estate investment?
Yes. Many high-value real estate disputes arise from informal investment arrangements, emails, text messages, or incomplete bylaws and operating agreements. Even an oral promise that results in unjust enrichment can create deeded ownership through an equitable claim for a constrcutive trust on the property, which claim avoids the statute of frauds' requriement of a written agreement for deeded real estate ownership. Moreover, if an LLC or Corporation is the deeded owner, shares or membership are often proven through the parties' conduct, communications, financial contributions, and surrounding circumstances.
What happens when co-owners of investment property can no longer work together?
Disputes between co-owners frequently involve control of the property, management authority, capital contributions, distributions, buyout rights, accounting, fiduciary duties, and whether the property should be partitioned or sold. These disputes often require strategic partition and partnership litigation rather than simply resolving a disagreement over title.
Can a real estate dispute involve both business litigation and property law?
Absolutely. Many significant real estate disputes involve overlapping claims for breach of fiduciary duty, fraud, business divorce, partnership disputes, shareholder conflicts, restrictive covenants, or commercial contracts. Our attorneys regularly evaluate both the property issues and the underlying business relationships driving the dispute.
We invested millions into a project that never closed. What legal remedies may be available?
Depending on the facts, available remedies may include breach of contract claims, specific performance, recovery of deposits or capital contributions, declaratory judgments, fraud claims, constructive trusts, equitable remedies, or other litigation designed to protect the investment.
Can multiple investors pursue claims together?
Yes, but subject to concurrent representation conflict of interest waivers. When several investors, property owners, purchasers, association members, or businesses have been affected by the same conduct, coordinated litigation through joint prosecution / defense agreements or, where legally appropriate, representative or class action litigation may provide an effective path to resolving the dispute.
What types of foreclosure litigation does Lieb at Law handle?
Our practice includes foreclosure litigation involving commercial properties, investment real estate, lien priority disputes, mortgage enforcement, foreclosure defense, quiet title claims, estate-related foreclosure issues, defective deeds, and complex ownership disputes arising from distressed property.
Can a real estate dispute lead to claims against individual owners, managers, or fiduciaries?
Yes. Depending on the facts, litigation may extend beyond the entity that owns the property to include claims involving fiduciary duties, fraud, diversion of assets, corporate / company formalities, guarantees, or other conduct that contributed to the dispute.
What if the dispute involves a real estate broker, developer, lender, contractor, or multiple businesses?
Many of the matters we handle involve numerous parties with competing contractual rights and financial interests. Our attorneys regularly litigate disputes involving developers, brokers, lenders, contractors, investors, property managers, commercial landlords, business entities, and fiduciaries arising from the same real estate project.
At what point should litigation counsel become involved?
In high-value disputes, litigation strategy often begins before a lawsuit is filed. Early evaluation of contracts, ownership records, communications, financial documents, regulatory issues, and available remedies can preserve leverage, shape negotiations, and avoid strategic mistakes that become difficult to correct later.
How does Lieb at Law approach high-value real estate litigation?
Our approach begins by understanding the client's business objectives, not simply the legal claims. We evaluate the facts, governing documents, financial exposure, available remedies, procedural posture, and long-term business implications before recommending a litigation strategy designed to protect valuable real estate interests.
Facing a Real Estate Dispute?
If your matter involves a contested property interest, ownership dispute, failed transaction, foreclosure, title issue, commercial lease, construction project, brokerage commission, zoning challenge, discrimination claim, or other real estate litigation matter, contact Lieb at Law to discuss your options.