A property owner filed a lis pendens (notice of pending lawsuit) to challenge changes to restrictive covenants on a subdivision. When the lawsuit failed, the property developer sued for slander of title. The court ruled that filing a lis pendens is protected from slander claims when there's a real legal dispute over property rights, even if you ultimately lose the case. This protects developers and contractors from being sued just for filing legitimate property disputes.
Filing a lis pendens to challenge restrictive covenants or property restrictions is legally protected, even if your case loses, as long as the dispute is genuine and involves real property rights
Lis pendens protection is qualified, not absolute—meaning you're protected only if the underlying lawsuit involves a real, justiciable controversy about the property