(2) A notice of lis pendens is not effectual for any purpose beyond 1 year from the commencement of the action and will expire at that time, unless the relief sought is disclosed by the pending pleading to be founded on a duly recorded instrument or on a lien claimed under part I of chapter 713 against the property ...
However, once any litigation has been resolved, a lis pendens can be removed through a Florida Release of Lis Pendens. This legal document will formally remove the lis pendens so that the property title is clear.
A lis pendens can be challenged if it is not “founded on a duly recorded instrument.” When a pending pleading does not show that an action is “founded on a duly recorded instrument,” a court may control and discharge the recorded notice of lis pendens.
What Does Lis Pendens Mean? Lis pendens is a Latin term that literally means “lawsuit pending.” In a modern context, it is a notice filed against real estate that is under the control of the courts because of a pending lawsuit. It is often referred to as a “cloud on title”.
A wrongfully filed lis pendens can be removed by the judge in the case in which it was filed. The party seeking to remove it must file a motion and address why the lis pendens is improper under Florida law.
Section 48.23 provides that the notice must contain the names of all of the parties, the name of the court in which the action is instituted, a description of the property involved or affected, a description of the relief sought as to the property, and one of the following: the date of the institution of the action, ...