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What rules and legal mechanism deter frivolous or nuisance suits? Assume Florida venue.

A neighbor is threatening to sue the developer for soil erosion. The neighbor has been an owner for 3 years, however,

  1. the property is 15 years old and the ground cover (grass) has not been maintained
  2. owner \ association improvements have changed the impermeable area and affected the hydrology

Are there any strategies that would be the equivalent of the video game Defender "smart bomb" that would summarily dismiss such a claim?

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Yes, the doctrine that costs follow the event. That is, you lose, you pay the costs for the winner.

Also, if a plaintiff’s suit has no prospect of success, the defendant can file a motion for summary judgement on that basis.

Finally, if a plaintiff persistently lodges vexatious claims a court may declare them a vexatious litigant- they then need the court’s permission to initiate legal action.

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  • A good start! Can you elaborate (a little) on the elements of successful summary judgement motion?
    – gatorback
    Commented Feb 16, 2019 at 12:14
  • @gatorback that's an entire question in and of itself, but a good place to start is law.cornell.edu/wex/motion_for_summary_judgment.
    – A.fm.
    Commented Feb 16, 2019 at 12:49
  • "Fair enough". I thought that might be the case. Thank you for the link.
    – gatorback
    Commented Feb 16, 2019 at 13:25
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    @gatorback: TL;DR: Summary Judgement typically is a request for the judge to make the ruling on the Law(s) at issue only. Judges usually will grant if and only if both parties to the suit agree on the facts of the case and are merely in dispute on the law.
    – hszmv
    Commented Jul 6, 2021 at 15:18
  • Costs generally doesn't include "attorney fees" unless the court finds that it is groundless, frivolous or vexatious, and merely losing on a summary judgment motion wouldn't automatically establish that this is the case. An award of attorney fees or even summary judgment would be very unlikely in such a case. To many key facts are judgment calls that are subject to dispute for a motion for summary judgment, and there is no other basis of an attorney fee award. Most likely it would go to trial or settle, with no attorney fee award either way.
    – ohwilleke
    Commented Jul 6, 2021 at 22:06

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