Lis pendens is a legal term to describe a notice of pending litigation against real estate or real property. Lis pendens serves as a formal notice of a pending lawsuit involving real property.A lis pendens is the first filing made during the foreclosure process. Barron's Dictionary of Real Estate Terms defines Lis Pendens as Latin for "suit pending". A lis pendens, Latin for "lawsuit pending," is a written notice to the public that a lawsuit has been filed involving a piece of real estate. The lis pendens is a nullify. A lis pendens operates as a notice that an action involving that piece of real property is pending.