What are the common defenses to real estate fraud?

Real estate fraud is a criminal and civil offense in California, where a person obtains or attempts to obtain money or property through a false or misleading statement or omission of fact. Common defenses to real estate fraud include lack of intent to defraud, misunderstanding of the facts, non-material misstatements, good faith error, and non-fraudulent conduct. The defense of lack of intent to defraud occurs when a defendant claims he or she did not have the intent to deceive a buyer or seller. This defense is difficult to prove and requires the defendant to provide a convincing explanation for all their actions. The defense of misunderstanding of the facts may be used when an individual claims they were unaware of certain information in a real estate transaction. The court will consider all the evidence as to whether the misunderstanding was reasonable. The defense of non-material misstatements involves proving the misstatement was not considered important in the real estate transaction. The defense of good faith error implies that the defendant believed the information to be true and acted upon it in good faith. Finally, the defense of non-fraudulent conduct occurs when the defendant is able to demonstrate they acted in a manner that was not intended to defraud any party involved in the transaction. In such cases, the defendant must be able to provide convincing evidence that the conduct was not fraudulent in nature. Real estate fraud is a serious offense in California, and the defenses available to a defendant are often limited.In order to successfully defend against a real estate fraud charge, a defendant must provide convincing evidence to support their defense claims. It is often wise to have a qualified lawyer present to assist in the defense of a real estate fraud case in California.

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