California Partition Law Blog
No. In California, individuals often hide behind “corporations” that consist of a single shareholder. In so doing, they protect themselves from liability by utilizing a corporate form. This can be especially frustrating in lawsuits.
Often, a plaintiff will receive a judgment in their favor, only to find the corporation they’ve sued has magically become bankrupt, unable to satisfy their debts. California law provides a remedy for this instance, called “piercing the veil.”
But sometimes, the situation is reversed, and an individual cannot satisfy their debts. In some states, courts allow creditors to reverse pierce the veil and seize the corporate assets owned by the individual shareholder. California does not allow this, as the courts see it as a hasty and inadequate solution for which other remedies already exist.
A “quiet title” action is a lawsuit where a property owner seeks to eliminate, establish, resolve, and “quiet” any other claims on the same property by anyone else. Once complete, the lawsuit will result in a perfect title enforceable in the courts. A quiet title action is thus an effective tool to establish and settle ownership over real estate.
A lis pendens – also called a notice of pendency of action – is a special type of legal document filed with a county recorder. Though its use is limited to lawsuits involving real property claims, its effect is powerful. Once recorded, it acts as “constructive notice” to all persons who would subsequently acquire an interest in the property at issue that a lawsuit is occurring.
A pre-condemnation offer is a formal offer based on an appraisal that the government needs to offer a property owner prior to filing a condemnation claim in court. Condemnation is the special word given to eminent domain actions and should not be confused with the condemnation that is associated with those actions taken by the government against properties that pose health risks and other hazards to the public.
Sometimes, two or more persons claim to have an interest in the same piece of property. If these interests conflict, then the courts have to step in to adjudicate the dispute and decide whose title is true. But things can get messy when both parties appear to have valid deeds, free or forgery, or other impropriety.
Yes. While joint ventures are a distinct type of business entity, they share many similarities with 
While litigation guarantees are recommended in a lot of contested real estate issues in court, it is not required in a