Lis pendens is an official notice to the public that a lawsuit has been filed and a property has a claim against it. A lis pendens is a notice that a lawsuit has been filed regarding either a dispute in ownership of real estate or some other claim of interest in the property.A notice of lis pendens is a legal term that refers to a pending lawsuit. A release of lis pendens notice is a type of surety bond that allows the defendant to carry out the sale of the property. 'Lis Pendens' is a Latin term that translates to "pending litigation. A notice of a lis pendens (Latin for "suit pending") is an instrument filed in the real property records of a county that indicates a civil lawsuit is pending. § 1116 governs the filing of a lis pendens in North Carolina and sets out an exclusive list of circumstances in which a lis pendens is proper.