Lis Pendens is a legal term meaning "lawsuit pending" and serves as a public notice filed against a property involved in litigation. A lis pendens is a latin term and is defined as, "a pending legal action, or a notice thereof." In the real estate world, it means a notice, filed in a court. A lis pendens is a document that is filed in the public records that alerts the world that someone is asserting claim over the property. Rule 252 - REQUIREMENTS FOR INDEXING AN ACTION AS A LIS PENDENS. (c) Notice of lis pendens. A lis pendens is a filing only providing notice that a lawsuit involving a dispute over ownership to real estate is being litigated.