Mechanic's Lien Fraud and How to Clear a Clouded Title

A client calls to say a $24 million mechanic's lien has appeared on their property from a contractor they never hired, and escrow closes in three weeks. A real estate litigator walks through the statutory framework and the deadlines that determine which remedies are still on the table. Attorneys will leave knowing how to evaluate a petition to release under Civil Code section 8480, when a section 8424 release bond makes sense, what supports a slander of title claim, and how to pursue criminal referral under Penal Code section 115.