Chris Smart

Background

About Chris Smart

I am a real estate trial attorney, and I try real estate, title insurance, and consumer finance cases. My clients are national title insurance companies, mortgage lenders, and real estate owners, developers, and investors. For the last 16 years I have handled litigation involving title insurance coverage, closing protection letter claims, title agent defalcations, and insurance bad faith claims. I have also tried lender liability, consumer protection, loan servicing, and mortgage foreclosure cases and defended real property developers. My trials have involved litigation over the sale of real property, the authority of a limited liability company to sell real property, a buyer’s status as a bona fide purchaser for value, condominium developments, restrictive covenants, easements, and Florida’s Marketable Record Title Act. In a recent example, I led a team in a seven-day jury trial on the plaintiffs’ claims seeking to rescind our real estate developer clients’ purchase of valuable beachfront property, which resulted in a directed verdict confirming our clients’ purchase and decisively defeating the claims of a disgruntled member of the seller. In addition to my trial experience, I also have a comprehensive understanding of the real estate industry and title to real property, and have served as an expert on Florida real property law.