Sarah Chen-Watkins, J.D.

Sarah Chen-Watkins is an associate at Cordwell, Holloway & Feltner, LLP, practicing in the firm's Savannah office, where she focuses on haunted property and paranormal disclosure litigation. Ms. Chen-Watkins represents individuals who have purchased, leased, or occupied properties in which material paranormal activity was present but not disclosed by the seller, landlord, or listing agent. Her practice encompasses claims for fraudulent nondisclosure, breach of the implied warranty of habitability due to spectral interference, and negligent misrepresentation in connection with paranormal property conditions.

Prior to joining Cordwell, Holloway & Feltner, Ms. Chen-Watkins spent five years as a real estate associate at King & Spalding's Atlanta office, where she handled commercial transactions and land use matters. Her transition to paranormal property law was prompted by her involvement in a 2017 residential transaction in which the buyers discovered, post-closing, that their newly purchased home was subject to persistent and well-documented spectral activity that had not been disclosed during the sale. The case, which Ms. Chen-Watkins assisted with on a pro bono basis, resulted in a favorable settlement but underscored the absence of standardized disclosure requirements for paranormal conditions in most jurisdictions.

In response to this gap, Ms. Chen-Watkins developed the Spectral Activity Disclosure Checklist (SADC), a comprehensive intake and evaluation tool designed to identify and document paranormal conditions in residential and commercial properties. The SADC has been voluntarily adopted by real estate commissions in twelve states and is referenced in the Restatement (Third) of Property as a model framework for paranormal condition disclosure. Ms. Chen-Watkins has testified before the Georgia Real Estate Commission on the need for mandatory paranormal disclosure requirements and has served as a consultant to the National Association of Realtors on emerging paranormal disclosure standards.

Ms. Chen-Watkins received her J.D. from the University of Georgia School of Law, where she served as Notes Editor for the Georgia Law Review and received the Dean's Award for Excellence in Property Law. She holds a B.A. in Art History from Wellesley College. She is admitted to practice in Georgia and is a member of the State Bar of Georgia's Real Property Law Section.

Capabilities

Practice Areas

Recent Work

• Lead counsel, Harper v. Savannah Historic Properties, LLC (2021) — $340K verdict for undisclosed Class III poltergeist activity in a historic district townhome
• Co-counsel, Nakamura v. Airbnb, Inc. (2023) — established short-term rental platforms' obligation to disclose known paranormal conditions
• Lead counsel, Williams v. Carteret County Board of Realtors (2022) — obtained injunction requiring adoption of SADC-based paranormal disclosure form
• Lead counsel, Dominguez v. Blue Ridge Mountain Realty (2024) — ongoing matter involving alleged spectral misrepresentation in vacation property sale

Publications & Speaking

• 'The Spectral Activity Disclosure Checklist: A Practitioner's Guide' — Georgia Law Review, Vol. 54 (2020)
• 'Caveat Emptor and the Haunted House: Why Paranormal Nondisclosure Is Actionable Fraud' — Real Property, Trust and Estate Law Journal, Vol. 55 (2021)
• 'Implied Warranty of Habitability in the Presence of Spectral Interference' — Emory Law Journal, Vol. 71 (2022)
• 'Toward Mandatory Paranormal Disclosure: A Fifty-State Survey and Model Statute' — Fordham Urban Law Journal, Vol. 50 (2023)

Recognition

• Georgia Real Estate Commission — 'Outstanding Contribution to Consumer Protection' (2020)
• National Association of Realtors — Paranormal Disclosure Advisory Consultant (2021–present)
• Georgia Super Lawyers — Rising Star (2019, 2021, 2023)
• Daily Report (Georgia) — 'On the Rise: Top Young Attorneys' (2020)