Business Litigation
Business Litigation Attorney Fort Lauderdale
When a business dispute arises — whether it is a breach of contract, a partner who violated their fiduciary duty, a competitor who stole trade secrets, or a deal that collapsed and took your investment with it — the difference between recovering what you are owed and walking away with nothing often comes down to the quality of your legal representation. Business litigation is complex, high-stakes, and unforgiving of strategic mistakes. If your company or your interests as a business owner are threatened by a commercial dispute in Fort Lauderdale or South Florida, you need an experienced business litigation attorney who prepares every case for trial from day one.
The Law Offices of Richard Corey, PLLC represents businesses, entrepreneurs, and executives in commercial disputes throughout Fort Lauderdale, Broward County, Miami-Dade County, and Palm Beach County. Managing Attorney Richard P. Corey is a three-time Super Lawyers Rising Stars recipient in civil litigation and business law — a distinction awarded to fewer than 2.5% of attorneys in Florida — with deep experience handling complex, multi-party commercial disputes in both Florida state courts and the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida. Our firm is built around trial-ready litigation. We do not approach business disputes as matters to be settled quickly and cheaply. We build cases to win.
Contact The Law Offices of Richard Corey, PLLC at (954) 789-0461 or legal@rcenterpriselaw.com to schedule a consultation with a Fort Lauderdale business litigation lawyer today.
What Is Business Litigation?
Business litigation — also called commercial litigation — is the process of resolving disputes that arise in the course of business operations through the court system. Unlike transactional business law, which focuses on structuring and documenting business relationships, business litigation is the adversarial enforcement of those relationships when they break down. It encompasses a broad range of disputes including breach of contract claims, partnership and shareholder disputes, fraud and misrepresentation, trade secret misappropriation, unfair business practices, and complex multi-party commercial conflicts that require aggressive, experienced courtroom advocacy.
Florida's commercial litigation landscape is governed by a combination of the Florida Statutes, Florida Rules of Civil Procedure, and — where federal jurisdiction exists — the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure and applicable federal statutes. Business disputes in South Florida frequently implicate Chapter 605 of the Florida Statutes (Florida Revised Limited Liability Company Act), Chapter 607 (Florida Business Corporation Act), Chapter 688 (Florida Uniform Trade Secrets Act), and Chapter 542 governing non-compete and restrictive covenant agreements. Navigating this framework effectively — and identifying every available legal theory and remedy from the outset of a dispute — is the foundation of successful business litigation strategy. The Law Offices of Richard Corey, PLLC brings that statutory and procedural command to every commercial dispute we handle.
Business Litigation Services in Fort Lauderdale and South Florida
The Law Offices of Richard Corey, PLLC handles the full spectrum of commercial disputes for business clients throughout South Florida, including:
Contract disputes are the most common form of business litigation in Florida. When a party to a commercial agreement fails to perform their obligations — whether a vendor who fails to deliver, a client who refuses to pay, a partner who diverts business, or a service provider who abandons a project mid-stream — the injured party has the right to pursue damages for the full economic harm caused by the breach. Under Florida law, a successful breach of contract claim requires establishing the existence of a valid contract, a material breach by the defendant, and damages caused by that breach. The Law Offices of Richard Corey, PLLC has extensive experience pursuing and defending breach of contract claims across a wide range of commercial relationships — from straightforward vendor disputes to complex multi-party contractual failures involving millions of dollars.
Breach of contract litigation in Florida also implicates the availability of attorney's fees under Florida Statute § 57.105, which authorizes sanctions against parties and their counsel who assert claims or defenses that are not supported by the material facts or applicable law. We evaluate § 57.105 fee exposure at the outset of every contract dispute — both as a sword against bad-faith opponents and as a shield against frivolous claims — to ensure our clients' litigation strategy is calibrated to the full cost-benefit picture of every commercial dispute.
Partnership and Shareholder Disputes
Business relationships between partners, members, and shareholders are among the most volatile sources of commercial litigation. When the trust between co-owners breaks down — whether through disagreements over strategic direction, allegations of self-dealing, disputes over profit distributions, or one partner's outright breach of fiduciary duty — the legal, financial, and operational consequences can threaten the survival of the business itself. Florida law imposes fiduciary duties on partners under the Florida Revised Uniform Partnership Act, on LLC members and managers under Chapter 605, and on corporate officers and directors under Chapter 607. Breach of those duties — including the duty of loyalty, the duty of care, and the duty to act in good faith — gives rise to legal claims that The Law Offices of Richard Corey, PLLC pursues aggressively on behalf of injured business owners.
Partnership and shareholder disputes frequently involve simultaneous claims for breach of fiduciary duty, breach of the operating agreement or partnership agreement, conversion of business assets, and tortious interference. They also often require emergency relief — including injunctions, receiverships, or temporary restraining orders — to prevent an offending partner from continuing to harm the business while litigation proceeds. Richard P. Corey has direct experience with emergency business injunction practice in Florida courts, including the complex evidentiary showings required to obtain and maintain temporary injunctive relief in high-stakes commercial disputes.
Business Fraud and Misrepresentation
The compressive forces generated by a car accident frequently damage the intervertebral discs of the cervical and lumbar spine — producing herniations and bulges that compress nerve roots and generate radiating pain, numbness, and weakness in the arms, hands, legs, and feet. Disc injuries are often dismissed by insurance companies as pre-existing degenerative conditions rather than acute trauma-induced injuries. Our car accident attorneys work with treating physicians and medical experts to establish the causal connection between the accident and your disc injuries — and to document the full extent of your pain, functional limitation, and medical needs.
Trade Secret Misappropriation
A company's trade secrets — its proprietary formulas, customer lists, pricing strategies, manufacturing processes, and confidential business information — are often among its most valuable assets. When a departing employee, a competitor, or a former business partner misappropriates those secrets, the economic harm can be severe and long-lasting. Florida's Uniform Trade Secrets Act, codified at Florida Statute §§ 688.001–688.009, provides a comprehensive framework for trade secret protection — including injunctive relief to stop ongoing misappropriation, damages for past harm, and attorney's fees in cases of willful and malicious misappropriation.
The Law Offices of Richard Corey, PLLC represents Florida businesses in trade secret misappropriation cases under both the Florida Uniform Trade Secrets Act and the federal Defend Trade Secrets Act (DTSA), 18 U.S.C. § 1836 — which provides access to federal courts and, in extraordinary circumstances, ex parte seizure orders to prevent the dissemination of stolen trade secrets. These cases move fast, and the first legal steps taken in the immediate aftermath of discovered misappropriation — including demand letters, evidence preservation, and emergency injunctive relief — are often the most consequential. Contact The Law Offices of Richard Corey, PLLC immediately if you suspect trade secret theft.
Non-Compete and Restrictive Covenant Enforcement
Florida is one of the most employer-friendly states in the country when it comes to non-compete agreement enforcement. Under Florida Statute § 542.335, non-compete agreements that are reasonable in time, area, and line of business are enforceable — and Florida courts are required to enforce them through injunctive relief without the need to prove irreparable harm, as harm is presumed by statute. When a former employee or business partner violates a non-compete or non-solicitation agreement — by joining a competitor, soliciting your clients, or soliciting your employees — prompt legal action is essential to stop the breach and recover the economic harm caused.
The Law Offices of Richard Corey, PLLC both enforces and defends against non-compete and restrictive covenant claims throughout Florida. For businesses seeking to enforce their agreements, we move quickly to obtain temporary injunctive relief, conduct targeted discovery of the former employee's post-departure activities, and pursue damages for breach. For individuals and companies on the receiving end of non-compete litigation, we challenge the scope, geographic reach, and enforceability of the agreement — and assert every available defense under § 542.335 and Florida common law to protect our clients' right to work and compete.
Business Dissolution and Wind-Down Disputes
When a business relationship ends — whether through voluntary dissolution, a buyout dispute, or a forced judicial dissolution — the legal issues that arise can be as complex and contentious as any other form of commercial litigation. Disputes over the valuation of each owner's interest, the allocation of assets and liabilities, the treatment of goodwill, and the obligations of departing owners under non-compete and confidentiality provisions are common in business dissolution matters. Under Florida Statute § 605.0702, a court may order judicial dissolution of an LLC when the managers or members are deadlocked, when those in control are acting illegally or fraudulently, or when the business is no longer able to carry out its purposes.
The Law Offices of Richard Corey, PLLC represents business owners in dissolution disputes — whether pursuing judicial dissolution of a deadlocked or mismanaged company, defending against dissolution actions, or negotiating buyout arrangements that protect our clients' economic interests in the wind-down of a business relationship. These matters require both the legal precision of a skilled litigator and the business judgment to evaluate complex valuation questions and economic tradeoffs — and Richard P. Corey brings both to every business dissolution engagement.
Tortious Interference
When a competitor, a former employee, or a third party intentionally disrupts your business relationships — by inducing a client to breach their contract with you, by interfering with a prospective business deal, or by spreading false information that drives customers away — Florida law provides legal recourse through tortious interference claims. Florida recognizes two distinct tortious interference claims: tortious interference with a contractual relationship and tortious interference with a business relationship or prospective economic advantage. Each requires proof that the defendant's intentional and unjustified conduct caused measurable economic harm to the plaintiff's business interests.
The Law Offices of Richard Corey, PLLC pursues tortious interference claims on behalf of Florida businesses that have been damaged by competitors' or third parties' intentional disruption of their commercial relationships. These cases frequently arise in the context of non-compete disputes, competitor misconduct, and disgruntled former employees who attempt to weaponize their knowledge of client relationships to damage their former employer's business. We build tortious interference cases with the documentary and testimonial evidence necessary to establish both the defendant's intent and the full economic impact of their conduct on our clients' business operations.
Florida Laws Governing Business Disputes
Florida's commercial litigation framework draws from multiple statutes that directly govern the rights and remedies available in business disputes. Understanding the applicable legal framework from the outset of a dispute is essential to developing an effective litigation strategy.
Florida Business Corporation Act — Chapter 607
Chapter 607 of the Florida Statutes governs the formation, operation, and dissolution of Florida corporations and establishes the fiduciary duties owed by corporate officers and directors to their shareholders. Shareholder derivative actions, oppression claims by minority shareholders, and disputes over corporate governance are governed by Chapter 607 — and the procedural requirements for bringing derivative claims, including demand requirements and standing rules, must be satisfied precisely to maintain a viable claim.
Florida Revised Limited Liability Company Act — Chapter 605
Chapter 605, which replaced the prior Florida LLC Act effective in 2014, governs the formation, operation, and dissolution of Florida LLCs. It establishes the duties owed by managers and members to the company and to one another, defines the rights of members to information and financial accountings, and provides the framework for judicial dissolution when the LLC's governance has broken down. Operating agreement disputes — including disputes over the interpretation of distribution provisions, voting rights, and transfer restrictions — are governed by Chapter 605 and the specific terms of the LLC's governing documents.
Florida Uniform Trade Secrets Act — Chapter 688
Florida Statute §§ 688.001 through 688.009 provide the primary framework for trade secret protection in Florida, defining what constitutes a trade secret, establishing the elements of a misappropriation claim, and specifying the remedies available — including injunctive relief, actual damages, unjust enrichment recovery, and attorney's fees in cases of willful and malicious misappropriation.
Florida Non-Compete Law — § 542.335
Florida Statute § 542.335 governs the enforceability of non-compete and restrictive covenant agreements in Florida — establishing a framework that is significantly more favorable to enforcement than the majority of states. Courts are required to construe the statute in favor of enforceability, presume that irreparable injury follows from a breach, and — when a non-compete agreement is overbroad — modify rather than void the agreement to the extent necessary to make it enforceable.
How Our Fort Lauderdale Business Litigation Attorneys Fight for You
Effective business litigation is not just about knowing the law — it is about strategy, timing, evidence, and the credibility to make the other side believe that if they do not settle fairly, they will lose at trial. The Law Offices of Richard Corey, PLLC builds that credibility through rigorous case preparation, thorough discovery, and a demonstrated willingness to try cases when settlement does not serve our clients' interests.
From the first consultation, we evaluate every available legal theory, assess the strength of the evidence, identify the full range of damages our client can recover, and develop a litigation roadmap that accounts for both the immediate dispute and the long-term business relationship context in which it arises. We conduct targeted, aggressive discovery — depositions, document production, interrogatories, and where appropriate, expert witnesses — to build the factual record necessary to win at trial or achieve maximum leverage at the negotiating table. When emergency relief is warranted, we move fast — filing for temporary restraining orders and preliminary injunctions before the other side can destroy evidence or further damage our clients' interests.
Richard P. Corey has been featured in USA Today, Yahoo News, and Influencive, and is a Member of the Bar of the Supreme Court of the United States. His TEDx Ocala 2025 speaking appearance reflects the same blueprint-driven, systems-oriented approach he applies to every commercial litigation matter — identifying leverage points, anticipating opposing strategy, and executing with precision at every stage of the proceeding.
Why Choose The Law Offices of Richard Corey, PLLC as Your Business Litigation Attorney in Fort Lauderdale?
Most business owners facing a commercial dispute want the same thing: a lawyer who understands business, who will fight for their interests without flinching, and who has the courtroom experience to back it up. Richard P. Corey brings all three. As a serial entrepreneur himself — with ventures spanning technology, media, consumer products, and professional services — he understands the stakes of business disputes not just as legal abstractions but as real threats to companies, livelihoods, and long-term business vision.
Richard 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. Our firm is boutique by design. Every business litigation client works directly with Richard — not a paralegal or junior associate — and receives the senior-level strategic attention that high-stakes commercial disputes demand. We do not treat business litigation as a volume practice. We treat every case as the priority matter it is.
The Law Offices of Richard Corey, PLLC handles business litigation matters in Florida state courts statewide, in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida, and in arbitration and mediation proceedings throughout South Florida.
Serving Business Litigation Clients Throughout South Florida
The Law Offices of Richard Corey, PLLC represents business litigation clients 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 business litigation 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 Business Litigation Attorney
If your business is facing a commercial dispute — or if you need aggressive legal counsel to enforce your rights against a partner, competitor, or counterparty who has wronged you — contact The Law Offices of Richard Corey, PLLC today. We represent businesses and entrepreneurs throughout Fort Lauderdale, Broward County, Miami-Dade County, and Palm Beach County.
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
Business litigation frequently involves underlying transactional disputes that began with poorly drafted contracts or operating agreements. Our business law attorneys provide the full range of transactional counsel to prevent disputes before they arise. When a commercial dispute implicates intellectual property — including trade secret misappropriation or trademark infringement — our intellectual property practice provides integrated representation across both dimensions of the dispute. For businesses facing partnership or shareholder conflicts that require formal governance restructuring, our corporate law attorneys provide the transactional support your situation demands.