
PARTITION COMPLAINT (SAMPLE) - RE CO-OWNER DISPUTE AND FORCED SALE OF REAL ESTATE
- An accounting for all expenses paid on belief of the Real Property and an income received from the Real Property and an order for distribution and/or charge to each ...
- Damages according to proof.
- Punitive damages according to proof.
Does a complaint in a partition action need to?
To state a claim of partition, a plaintiff should claim for a money judgment or a portion of the real property. Generally, to initiate a partition action, a plaintiff should file a petition for partition. However, complaints are also considered sufficient to start a partition action.
How to file a partition lawsuit?
- Buying out the other parties’ interests, if possible.
- Checking the contract for waiver of the right to partition.
- Make sure the plaintiff has the right to partition the property.
- Check deeds to make sure all parties have a title/ownership interest.
- Ensure no breach of contract occurred between interested parties.
How to stop a partition action?
- Put yourself in the other co-owner’s shoes. ...
- Overlook your emotional frustrations with this person and focus on their motivations.
- Lay out exactly why and how the other co-owners will be harmed if you end up in court.
- Explain how a voluntary sale (or a buyout) would prevent the wasteful and painful process of litigation.
What is a partition lawsuit?
When to file a Partition Lawsuit
- Inherited property. In most cases, the property written by the people from their ancestors needs property division. ...
- Investment. The mutual ownership of property also becomes a cause of dispute—the CO ownership of property divide among the partners as per their investment ratio.
- Community property. ...

What does partition mean in legal terms?
A partition is a division of concurrent interests in land. Such types of concurrent ownerships are usually either joint tenancies or tenancies in common.
What does filing a partition mean?
A Partition action is a legal action filed in Court that names all parties who have or claim an interest in the subject property, including owners, lienholders, lenders, and holders of future estates. The action commences with the filing of a Partition complaint, which is filed and served on all named defendants.
How do you respond to a partition action?
When an action for partition is filed, the opposing party has an opportunity to respond to this action by filing an answer. An answer to a partition action is a pleading by the defendant in response to the plaintiff's complaint for partition.
What is the purpose of a suit to partition?
A partition suit is an effective remedy for resolving real estate ownership disputes, particularly ones in which co-owners cannot agree on whether to sell or keep a piece of property.
Who can sue for partition?
Any or all the co-owners of the property can file a suit for partition in issue. In a situation where more than one heir exist, and if all of them are not willing to file a partition suit, it is not required for all the heirs to collectively participate in a suit for partition.
What is the process of partition?
The partition was outlined in the Indian Independence Act 1947 and resulted in the dissolution of the British Raj, i.e. Crown rule in India. The two self-governing independent Dominions of India and Pakistan legally came into existence at midnight on 15 August 1947.
How long is the partition action process?
If you have to go to court, the process could take around two years from start to finish. However, if you can agree through mediation, the process could take significantly less time. The length depends on your lawyer's preparation, methods, how many owners are involved, and how much each party is willing to compromise.
How do you defend a partition suit?
Potential Defenses for Partition Lawsuits There are two common defenses in a partition lawsuit. They are: The parties who filed the partition lawsuit did not have standing (i.e., they are not an owner of the property). The parties had previously waived their right of partition through a legally binding contract.
What does partition mean in real estate?
Partition actions are when one party to jointly-owned property or a business wants to sell their ownership rights. Business litigation and partnership disputes happen all the time and the remedy is a partition action that occurs in a court of law. Parties owning property usually sell the property.
Is a partition lawsuit expensive?
This usual cost for a partition action in California is between $5,000 to $12,000, with the most common cost for a partition action being about $8,000.
Can I force the sale of a jointly owned property?
Associate and Chartered Legal Executive If you are living in the jointly owned family home, unless you agree to voluntarily sell the home your spouse or partner can apply to the Court for an order for sale of the property. The Court will normally only make an Order for sale at a final hearing.
Can a jointly owned property be sold by one owner?
1. A co-owner of a property is capable of selling his/her undivided share in the property provided the purchaser is willing to make a purchase in the said manner. the only other way is to partition a property, either through court or through a partition deed and then affect sale of divided property. 2.
How does a partition action work?
A partition action allows a co-owner of a property to force a sale of the property, so they can take their share of the proceeds. However, in some...
Can real property rights be divided?
Because real estate can rarely be physically divided, the Court typically orders the property be sold and the proceeds divided equitably between th...
Can a partition action be stopped?
Can A Partition Be Stopped? Typically, a partition action cannot be stopped once a lawsuit is filed because anyone who wants to dissolve ownership...
How long does a partition lawsuit take?
It generally takes about a year and half to two years to get to trial on a partition action.
How long does a partition action take?
How long does it take to process a partition action? It generally takes about a year and half to two years to get to trial on a partition action.
Why would a co owner of a property file a partition suit?
A Partition By Sale allows a co-owner of real property to force a sale of the entire property despite the unwillingness of any co-owner.The Court m...
California Complaint for Partition of Real Property - US Legal Forms
Suit for Partition of Real Estate - William & Mary
What happens after a partition complaint is filed?
After the partition complaint is filed and served, there will be a preliminary conference in which each owner can present their position and attempt to reach an agreement. If an amenable agreement cannot be reached, the judge will continue on or appoint a partition master to oversee the case.
What are the common situations that lead to partition action?
There are countless scenarios in which conflict can arise, but partition actions often involve unmarried couples, siblings who inherit a home, and co-owners who purchase investment properties together.
Where do you file a partition action?
To begin the process, a partition complaint must be filed in the Court of Common Pleas in the county where the property is located .
Who decides whether a property can be divided into sections?
The judge or partition master will evaluate whether or not the property can actually be divided into sections. Often, this is not possible with smaller properties or homes, so the court will order it to be sold instead of physically divided.
What happens if you divide land?
If it is not feasible to divide the land so that each owner gets an equal share, the court may order the owner who obtains the more valuable portion to pay the co-owner the difference in value. If this is not a reasonable solution, the court will order the property to be sold.
What is partition action?
To ensure peace is maintained between the parties that have brought the dispute, a partition action is often how the courts would like to resolve these matters. Within this regulation, there are two primary forms of partitions involving land ownership. These are actual partition and partition by licitation or succession.
Why do you need a third party for partition action?
Because both of these cannot be accomplished with the amount of land or property available, a third-party is needed for assistance. This is usually required when negotiation or compromise is not possible and both parties are getting nowhere with what to do. This is how a partition action comes into play.
What is court ordered petition?
Court-ordered petition usually is accomplished through non-negotiation between the parties.
How is a court order petition accomplished?
Court-ordered petition usually is accomplished through non-negotiation between the parties. A resolution must be made, and only the courts are able to complete these processes. However, various factors such as the rights, titles and interests of the individuals affected are taken into account for the determination.
Can mediation be achieved?
If, however, mediation cannot be achieved , it is best to obtain a lawyer for litigation or partition actions. The legal representative may ensure all rights and factors are taken into account for the case. This means the interests of the client are important and applied to the claim on the property. Provided by HG.org.
Can you mediate a decision?
However, it is possible to mediate a decision with the use of a lawyer as someone to provide advice. This is when both parties are amenable to a resolution that both may be happy with through compromise. If, however, mediation cannot be achieved, it is best to obtain a lawyer for litigation or partition actions.
What is partition action?
A partition action is a type of lawsuit pertaining to joint owners of real property. When two or more owners cannot agree on the disposition of the property in question, any of the owners can file a partition action in the appropriate court.
How much are the proceeds divided in real estate?
The proceeds would be divided in the same proportion as the ownership interests, so that if two parties each own half of the real estate, the proceeds are divided 50% - 50%.
How to win a partition lawsuit?
To win a partition action, parties must determine from the get-go what they hope the outcome of the partition lawsuit to be . Finally, to achieve the best possible outcome for a partition action, it is necessary to have an estate and trust lawyer on your team.
What is partition action?
Forcing the sale of jointly owned property through a partition action is a commonly used remedy in real estate disputes and one that is available to all co-owners – so long as they did not previously waive their right of partition through a legally binding contractual agreement.
How does partition by sale work?
The partition by sale can be ordered to occur through a private sale, public auction or by listing the property with help from a licensed real estate broker. Partition by Kind: The court orders the physical division of property so that each owner receives an undivided interest in their portion of the property.
What is partition action in California?
Put simply, a co-owner who brings a lawsuit for partition in California is seeking to fairly and equitably divide a piece of real property among all its co-owners with the help of the court. Partition actions are used as a last resort when the co-owners of property are in disagreement about how to achieve this division, or about whether to sell at all.
What is the advantage of partition action?
The advantage of a partition action is that it can bring a long-standing real estate dispute to a close when co-owners cannot agree on the terms of an agreement or certain parties are refusing to cooperate.
What is the right of partition?
The right of partition allows co-owners who are seeking to terminate their interests in a piece real property to do so by utilizing the appropriate court to force the sale of the property. The right of partition for co-owners is absolute when a piece of real property is jointly owned unless co-owners previously waived the right ...
Can a sibling file a partition action?
Once the title to the property is distributed to the siblings, if the sibling seeking to maintain ownership of the property cannot reach a buyout agreement with their siblings who are seeking to sell, the latter can file a partition action forcing the sale of the jointly owned property. As another example, if a decedent had owned only ...
Answer to a Partition Action Complaint in California
When an action for partition is filed, the opposing party has an opportunity to respond to this action by filing an answer. An answer to a partition action is a pleading by the defendant in response to the plaintiff’s complaint for partition.
Partition Action Answers – Affirmative Defenses to Partition Actions
Objections are usually followed by alleging one or multiple affirmative defenses to a partition action. Plaintiffs may have stated the facts incorrectly in their partition complaint, or there may be an explanation for plaintiffs’ allegations.
Waiver of Right to Partition in Partition Answer
Furthermore, if partition of the property has been waived, this waiver to partition should be addressed in the partition answer to prevent further costly proceedings. As one court explained: “A co-owner of property has an absolute right to partition unless barred by a valid waiver.” Orien v. Lutz (2017) 16 Cal.App. 5th 957, 962 (citing Code Civ.
What is partition suit?
A partition suit is an effective remedy for resolving real estate ownership disputes, particularly ones in which co-owners cannot agree on whether to sell or keep a piece of property. Your strategy for how to win a partition action will depend on what you are seeking to do with the property at issue. A lawyer well-versed in real estate disputes can ...
Can you sue your brother for a partition?
You and your sibling will not have standing to bring a partition suit until the title to the property has been transferred; however, it would be part of your beneficiary rights to sue the executor of the estate.
Can a probate attorney help you win a partition suit?
If you are uncertain about what you are seeking out of a partition suit, a probate attorney can offer guidance and later help you craft a strategy for how to win the partition action.
Is the right of partition absolute?
Since a person usually cannot be forced into maintaining ownership of real property they do not want, the right of partition is absolute. Below are some of the questions you should ask yourself before bringing a partition suit.
Is there a one size fits all strategy for winning a partition suit?
There is no one-size-fits-all strategy for winning a partition suit, which is why it’s so important you become clear on what you want to happen to the property at issue before the partition suit begins. Your idea of winning may not be the same as the other co-owners’ idea of winning.
What is partition law?
Partition law is an extremely complex and time consuming process, which involves very technical details. To ensure that a partition action proceeds smoothly given the unique complications in every case, co-owners should seek the advice of an experienced partition attorney.
What is partition action in California?
What is a partition action in California? A partition action is the only court ordered process in California to bring an end to real estate co-ownership disputes. Under California Code of Civil Procedure Section 872.210, a partition action is a legal process taken to divide a California real estate equitably among its co-owners.
What happens when a partition is dropped?
This notifies anyone interested in the property that a legal action is in process. The court only rescinds the notice once the partition is accomplished or the complaint is dropped. Eventually, the case will come before the court, at which time the judge will make a determination of the partition request.
What is the right to partition action?
Generally, the right to a partition action is absolute meaning that the right to partition a property is achievable by any co-owner , no matter how small or large their interest in the property may be.
What to do if you have tried to negotiate with your co-owners but they refuse to compromise with your interests
If you have tried to negotiate with your co-owners, but they still refuse to compromise with your interests, then you should seek a partition action. A partition action can be filed by any co-owner in property with joint ownership, no matter how large or small the interest of co-owner.
What is conflict on diverging interest?
A conflict on diverging interest may also occur where joint owners disagree on the best use of the property. You should consider filing a partition action if you have co-ownership of a property and your desire to use or sell the property conflicts with the other party.
Can a partition action be stopped?
So, in short, it is typically very uncommon for a partition action to be stopped, except in rare cases of fraud.
What is partition action?
The law offers something called a partition action, which can be brought to divide the property into individual shares among the owners, allowing you to move forward with your share independently. A partition, or division, of property can be arranged on a voluntary basis if all owners agree to it.
What is the right to partition?
The right to partition is an "absolute right," which can be restricted only by law, written waiver, or a provision in a will. The right can be used at any time, even if it's not referenced in a contract. Partition is a remedy that's usually favored by courts, for the sake of maintaining peace between the parties. In other words, assuming that you meet the various legal requirements for partition in your state, your partition suit should be readily granted.
Why is partition a remedy?
Partition is a remedy that's usually favored by courts, for the sake of maintaining peace between the parties. In other words, assuming that you meet the various legal requirements for partition in your state, your partition suit should be readily granted.
Can a judge order a split property?
However, if they don't agree, a judge can order a partition of the property based on one owner's request. If done gracefully and with agreement, it can result in a more efficient splitting of the property where all of the former owners are happier owning their own portion.
Can co-owners agree to partition?
Co-owners may voluntarily agree to partition their ownership rights and divide the property. Such agreements are generally enforced unless they adversely affect the rights of another person. If all owners don't agree to the partition, one owner may file a lawsuit asking the courts to compel a partition.