Breach of Contract
Breach of Contract Lawyer Fort Lauderdale
When another party fails to honor a contract, the financial and business consequences can be immediate and severe. Lost revenue, disrupted operations, damaged relationships, and unrecovered investments are the real-world costs of a breach — and in Florida, you have legal remedies available to recover what you are owed. At The Law Offices of Richard Corey, PLLC, we represent businesses, entrepreneurs, and individuals in breach of contract disputes throughout Fort Lauderdale, Broward County, Miami-Dade County, Palm Beach County, and all of South Florida.
Managing Attorney Richard P. Corey is a three-time Super Lawyers Rising Stars recipient in civil litigation and business law, a trial attorney with experience litigating contract disputes from simple commercial claims to multi-million dollar complex litigation involving publicly traded companies, and a serial entrepreneur who understands what is at stake when a business deal goes wrong. When you hire The Law Offices of Richard Corey, PLLC for a breach of contract matter, you are not hiring a firm that will pressure you into a quick settlement. You are hiring a firm that prepares every case for trial from day one — which is precisely what gives our clients the leverage to achieve favorable outcomes.
Contact us at (954) 789-0461 or legal@rcenterpriselaw.com to schedule a consultation with a Fort Lauderdale breach of contract attorney today.
What Is a Breach of Contract Under Florida Law?
A breach of contract occurs when one party to a legally enforceable agreement fails to perform their obligations under that agreement without a legally recognized excuse. Under Florida law, a breach of contract claim requires the plaintiff to establish four elements: (1) the existence of a valid contract, (2) a material breach of that contract by the defendant, (3) the plaintiff's own performance or a legally recognized excuse for non-performance, and (4) damages resulting from the breach.
A valid contract under Florida law requires an offer, acceptance, and consideration — something of value exchanged between the parties. Florida courts will enforce written contracts, oral contracts, and in some circumstances implied contracts based on the conduct of the parties. However, certain types of contracts — including agreements for the sale of real estate, contracts that cannot be performed within one year, and agreements for the sale of goods over $500 — must be in writing under Florida's Statute of Frauds, Section 725.01, Florida Statutes, to be enforceable.
Not every failure to perform constitutes a material breach. Florida law distinguishes between a material breach — which goes to the essence of the contract and discharges the non-breaching party's obligations — and a minor breach, which does not excuse performance but still entitles the non-breaching party to damages. Understanding which type of breach occurred and how to characterize it strategically is one of the first and most important analytical steps in any contract dispute.
Types of Breach of Contract Cases We Handle
The Law Offices of Richard Corey, PLLC represents clients in a wide range of contract disputes across industries and transaction types throughout South Florida. Our breach of contract practice includes:
Business Contract Disputes
When a vendor, supplier, service provider, or business partner fails to deliver on their contractual obligations, the consequences ripple through your entire operation. We represent business owners and companies in breach of commercial contract claims involving service agreements, vendor contracts, distribution agreements, and supply contracts. Whether the dispute involves a failure to pay, a failure to perform, a unilateral modification of terms, or an outright repudiation of the contract, we pursue your legal remedies aggressively.
Partnership and Joint Venture Agreement Disputes
Partnership agreements and joint venture agreements define the obligations each party owes to the other in a shared business enterprise. When a partner stops contributing capital, diverts business opportunities, fails to perform their agreed responsibilities, or otherwise breaches the partnership agreement, the non-breaching partner suffers direct financial harm. We represent clients in partnership dispute litigation involving breaches of partnership agreements, operating agreements, shareholder agreements, and joint venture agreements throughout Florida.
Managing Attorney Richard P. Corey has direct, active litigation experience in complex joint venture disputes — including matters involving fraudulently induced joint venture agreements and post-formation fraud by a venture partner. That experience translates directly into strategic advantage for clients facing similar disputes.
Commercial Lease and Real Estate Contract Disputes
Commercial leases are contracts, and breaches by landlords or tenants carry significant legal consequences. We represent landlords and tenants in commercial lease disputes involving failure to pay rent, failure to maintain premises, wrongful eviction, lease termination disputes, and breach of purchase and sale agreements. Florida real estate contract disputes — including breaches by buyers and sellers — are a core component of our real estate litigation practice.
Employment and Non-Compete Agreement Disputes
Employment agreements, non-disclosure agreements, and non-compete agreements are contracts enforceable under Florida law. When an employee breaches a non-compete agreement under Florida Statute Section 542.335 or a former employer wrongfully enforces one, the legal and business stakes are high. We represent both employers seeking to enforce restrictive covenant agreements and employees defending against overreaching non-compete claims throughout Broward County, Miami-Dade County, and Palm Beach County.
Construction Contract Disputes
Construction projects in South Florida generate some of the most complex and high-stakes contract disputes in the state. Delays, defective workmanship, failure to complete a project, disputes over change orders, and payment disputes between owners, contractors, and subcontractors all give rise to breach of contract claims. We represent property owners, general contractors, and subcontractors in construction contract litigation throughout Florida.
Healthcare and Professional Services Contract Disputes
Contracts governing professional services — including physician employment agreements, practice acquisition agreements, management services agreements, and healthcare vendor contracts — carry unique legal complexity. We represent healthcare professionals and healthcare entities in contract disputes arising from employment agreements, partnership agreements, and service contracts in the healthcare industry.
Loan and Financing Agreement Disputes
When a borrower defaults on a loan agreement or a lender fails to fund a committed loan, the resulting breach can have immediate and devastating financial consequences. We represent lenders and borrowers in disputes arising from commercial loan agreements, promissory notes, personal guarantee disputes, and financing arrangements throughout South Florida.
What Damages Can You Recover for Breach of Contract in Florida?
Florida law provides several categories of damages available to a non-breaching party in a contract dispute:
Compensatory Damages
The primary remedy for breach of contract in Florida is compensatory damages — designed to put the non-breaching party in the position they would have been in had the contract been performed. This includes:
Expectation damages — the benefit of the bargain the non-breaching party expected to receive under the contract, including lost profits and direct economic losses resulting from the breach.
Consequential damages — losses beyond the direct value of the contract that were foreseeable at the time the contract was formed. In Florida, consequential damages are recoverable if they were within the reasonable contemplation of both parties at the time of contracting.
Incidental damages — costs incurred in response to the breach, such as costs of finding a replacement vendor or mitigating the effects of the breach.
Specific Performance
In certain cases — particularly involving real estate contracts and unique goods — Florida courts may order specific performance, requiring the breaching party to actually perform their contractual obligations rather than simply paying damages. Specific performance is an equitable remedy available when monetary damages are inadequate to compensate the non-breaching party.
Attorney's Fees
Florida follows the American Rule — each party generally pays their own attorney's fees — unless a contract or statute provides otherwise. Many well-drafted commercial contracts include attorney's fee provisions that entitle the prevailing party to recover fees from the other side. When such a provision exists, it significantly changes the strategic calculus of the litigation. We analyze attorney's fee provisions and applicable statutes as a primary step in every contract dispute evaluation.
Liquidated Damages
Some contracts specify the amount of damages payable in the event of a breach. Florida courts will enforce liquidated damages provisions if the amount bears a reasonable relationship to actual damages and was not a penalty. We evaluate and litigate liquidated damages provisions in commercial contracts throughout Florida.
Defenses to a Breach of Contract Claim in Florida
If you have been accused of breaching a contract, Florida law recognizes several defenses that may excuse or limit your liability:
Lack of a valid contract — If the contract lacked offer, acceptance, consideration, or mutual assent, no enforceable agreement exists.
Fraudulent inducement — If you were induced to enter the contract through fraud or misrepresentation by the other party, the contract may be voidable. We have active litigation experience representing clients in fraudulent inducement claims in South Florida.
Impossibility or impracticability — Florida recognizes impossibility of performance as a defense where an unforeseen event makes performance objectively impossible.
Failure of a condition precedent — If your obligation to perform was conditioned on an event that never occurred, you may not be in breach.
Statute of limitations — Under Florida Statute Section 95.11, written contract claims must generally be filed within five years and oral contract claims within four years of the breach. A claim filed outside the limitations period is time-barred.
The non-breaching party's own breach — If the party claiming breach itself materially breached the contract first, it cannot recover for the other party's subsequent non-performance.
We analyze every available defense and build the most complete and strategic defense possible for clients facing breach of contract claims.
What to Do When a Contract Has Been Breached in Florida
The steps you take in the days immediately following a breach can significantly affect the strength of your legal position. If you believe a contract has been breached, you should:
Document everything immediately. Preserve the original signed contract, all amendments and addenda, all communications with the other party — emails, text messages, letters, and voicemails — invoices, payment records, and any evidence of performance or non-performance.
Do not make hasty communications. Statements made in the heat of a dispute can be used against you. Before sending any demand letters, emails, or other communications to the breaching party, consult with a contract attorney.
Mitigate your damages. Florida law requires a non-breaching party to take reasonable steps to mitigate — reduce — their damages. Failure to mitigate can reduce your recovery.
Act within the statute of limitations. Florida's limitations periods for contract claims are strict. Waiting too long to pursue a claim can result in losing your right to recovery entirely.
Contact a Fort Lauderdale breach of contract attorney promptly. Early legal counsel is the single most important step you can take to protect your position, preserve your evidence, and maximize your recovery.
Why Choose The Law Offices of Richard Corey, PLLC for Your Breach of Contract Case?
The Law Offices of Richard Corey, PLLC is not a general practice firm that handles contract disputes among dozens of other unrelated matters. Civil litigation — including complex contract disputes — is the core of what we do. Richard P. Corey is a trial attorney, not a settlement mill. He has litigated contract cases from initial filing through jury verdict, and that trial readiness is the foundation of every negotiation and every strategic decision made on behalf of our clients.
Richard brings something most contract attorneys cannot offer: direct entrepreneurial experience. He has built and operated businesses, negotiated contracts, and navigated the commercial disputes that arise in the real world of business. That perspective means he understands not just the legal dimensions of your contract dispute but the business consequences — and he approaches every case with both in mind.
Richard P. Corey has been recognized by Super Lawyers as a Rising Star in civil litigation and business law for three consecutive years — a distinction awarded to fewer than 2.5% of attorneys in Florida. He has been featured in USA Today, Yahoo News, and Influencive, is a TEDx Ocala 2025 speaker, a Member of the Bar of the Supreme Court of the United States, and is admitted to practice in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida.
Serving Breach of Contract Clients Throughout South Florida
The Law Offices of Richard Corey, PLLC represents clients in breach of contract disputes throughout:
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Fort Lauderdale
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Broward County
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Miami
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Miami-Dade County
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Boca Raton
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West Palm Beach
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Palm Beach County
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Pompano Beach
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Hollywood
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Coral Springs
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Plantation
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Davie
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Deerfield Beach
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Weston
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All of South Florida
We handle breach of contract matters in Florida state courts statewide and in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida.
Schedule a Consultation With a Fort Lauderdale Breach of Contract Lawyer
If you are facing a breach of contract dispute in South Florida — whether you are the party whose rights were violated or the party defending against a claim — contact The Law Offices of Richard Corey, PLLC today. The sooner you have experienced legal counsel in your corner, the stronger your position will be.
The Law Offices of Richard Corey, PLLC
915 Middle River Drive, Suite 408
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304
Phone: (954) 789-0461
Email: legal@rcenterpriselaw.com
Website: rcenterpriselaw.com
Related Practice Areas
Breach of contract disputes frequently arise within broader commercial conflicts that require a full litigation response. Our civil litigation attorneys represent clients across the complete spectrum of commercial disputes throughout South Florida. When a contract breach involves a business partner or co-owner, our business litigation practice provides the aggressive courtroom advocacy your dispute demands. For businesses seeking to prevent future contract disputes through well-drafted agreements, our business law attorneys provide the transactional counsel to protect your interests from the outset.