“Congratulations! Now Pay Up!”: Did you think your lis pendens discharged post-judgment liens?

That look you get when you realize you just bought property at a foreclosure sale that is still subject to liens …

Foreclosure plaintiffs should take note of the Fourth District Court of Appeal’s recent decision in James Ober v. Town of Lauderdale-By-The-Sea, 4^th DCA Case No. 4D14-4597 (Fla. 4^th DCA Aug. 24, 2016).  In that case, the Court held that the recording of a lis pendens can “discharge liens that exist or arise prior to the judgment of foreclosure,” but that liens that accrue between entry of the foreclosure judgment and the date of the foreclosure sale are not affected.

In Ober, after a final judgment of foreclosure had been entered in a prior mortgage foreclosure action, but before the foreclosure sale had been conducted, a municipality recorded a series of liens on the subject real property.  After the property was sold at foreclosure sale, the purchaser sought to quiet title and the municipality sought to foreclose its liens.

In analyzing the claims, the Fourth District Court of Appeal noted that the relevant statute, Fla. Stat. §48.23, does not provide an end date for a lis pendens.  After considering related statutory provisions and cases that discussed the continuing validity of a lis pendens in other contexts, the Court concluded that a lis pendens terminates “along with the action” or 30 days after the final judgment is entered (assuming an appeal is not timely filed).  Accordingly, the Court rejected the quiet title claim and allowed enforcement of the municipal liens that were recorded and based upon conduct that occurred after the date of the foreclosure judgment.  Foreclosure plaintiffs and those purchasing at foreclosure sales must remember to consider any liens that are recorded after foreclosure judgment has been entered.

David Greene is a commercial litigation partner in Fox Rothschild’s West Palm Beach office.  His practice focuses primarily on banking litigation, real estate litigation, title insurance litigation, and construction litigation. You can reach David at 561-804-4441 or dgreene@foxrothschild.com.