Summary
The Third District Court of Appeal of Florida affirmed a final judgment in favor of Lakeview Development I, LLC, in a breach-of-real-estate-contract action. The court held that the closing documents controlled the parties’ intent and affirmed under de novo review.
Topics
Practice areas
Questions Presented
- Whether the circuit court properly entered final judgment for breach of a real estate contract based on the written closing documents.
- Whether the closing documents had to be construed as written as the best evidence of the parties' intent.
Holdings
- Closing documents must be construed as written because they are the best evidence of the parties' intent.
- The final judgment in favor of Lakeview Development I, LLC, for breach of the real estate contract was affirmed.
Key quotations
“we are required to construe [] [closing] documents as written, since they are the best evidence of the parties’ intent.” (at 2)
Factual background
The appeal arose from a dispute concerning a real estate contract and the parties' closing documents. The circuit court entered final judgment in favor of Lakeview Development I, LLC for breach of that contract. On appeal, the appellants challenged the judgment, and the district court resolved the challenge by construing the closing documents according to their written terms.
Procedural history
The appellants appealed a final judgment entered by the Circuit Court for Miami-Dade County in favor of Lakeview Development I, LLC. The Third District Court of Appeal reviewed the matter de novo and affirmed.