EVA FLICK, AS MOTHER AND NEXT FRIEND OF JENNIFER FLICK, APPELLANT,
v.
PAT MALINO, AS PERSONAL REPRESENTATIVE OF THE ESTATE OF JOSEPH MALINO AND RESERVE INSURANCE COMPANY, APPELLEES

Fla. 5th DCA | 1979-08-16
No. MM-74
MILLS, ROBERT P. SMITH, Jr., and SHIVERS, JJ., concur.
374 So. 2d 89 Florida District Court of Appeal, Fifth District (1979) Caution
Cited by 4 cases

AI-generated. These summaries, headnotes, and key points are machine-generated and may contain errors or omissions. Always verify against the full opinion text below. Not legal advice.

Synopsis

A three-year-old child was bitten by a dog on the defendant's property that displayed a "BAD DOG" sign. The trial court granted summary judgment for the defendant based on a statutory immunity provision, but the appellate court reversed, holding that whether a warning sign is "easily readable" to a three-year-old cannot be determined as a matter of law.


Holding

The trial court erred in granting summary judgment because whether a warning sign is "easily readable" cannot be determined as a matter of law, particularly where the victim is a three-year-old child incapable of reading. The determination of whether a sign gives actual notice must be made as a fact question.


Headnotes

[1] A "BAD DOG" sign must be easily readable to provide a defense to strict liability for a dog owner.

[2] Whether a "BAD DOG" sign is "easily readable" is a question of fact, particularly when the plaintiff is a child incapable of reading.

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Key Quotes

“it cannot be said as a matter of law that a sign, even though posted in a prominent place, is "easily readable" as to a three-year-old child”

Establishes the core holding that readability to the victim must be a fact question, not resolved by summary judgment

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Facts & Procedural History

Jennifer Flick, age three, was allegedly bitten by Joseph Malino's dog while on Malino's property. Malino had posted a "WARNING BAD DOG" sign on his p…

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Opinion of the Court
PER CURIAM.

PER CURIAM.

The lower tribunal granted summary final judgment in favor of appellees, on the ground that appellee Malino’s decedent was immune from liability by virtue of Section 767.04, Florida Statutes. We reverse and remand for further proceedings.

Plaintiff Jennifer Flick was three years old when, while on Joseph Malino’s property, she allegedly was bitten by Mr. Malino’s dog. Mr. Malino had a “WARNING BAD DOG” sign posted on his property. The Flicks filed two suits, one of which named Pat Malino individually as defendant. See Flick v. Malino, 356 So. 2d 904 (Fla. 1st DCA 1978). The instant case involves Mrs. Mali-no as personal representative of her husband’s estate.

She argued successfully before the lower tribunal that Section 767.04, which imposes a strict liability upon dog owners, also protects from liability a dog owner who displays “in a prominent place on his premises a sign easily readable including the words, ‘BAD DOG’.” The trial judge erred in granting summary judgment for Mrs. Malino because it cannot be said as a matter of law that a sign, even though posted in a prominent place, is “easily readable” as to a three-year-old child.

The Florida Supreme Court has suggested that a “BAD DOG” sign must give actual notice to the plaintiff before the defendant may avoid liability:

[Bjefore a dog owner will be relieved of liability the attempt to give notice that a bad dog is on the premises must be genuine, effective and bona fide. In every case, the factual determination must be made whether the ‘Bad Dog’ sign as posted is in a prominent place and easily readable, so as to give actual notice of the risk of bite to the victim. Carroll v. Moxley, 241 So. 2d 681, 683 (Fla.1970) (emphasis supplied)

The Court also noted in Carroll, at 683, that “[n]ot every sign, even if seen, is sufficient to put a potential victim on notice of the risk he assumes by being on the premises.” And in Romfh v. Berman, 56 So. 2d 127, 129 (Fla.1951), the Court reversed a jury verdict for the plaintiff because there was no question as to the plaintiff’s ability to read a warning sign placed by defendant. We hold that “easily readable” means the plaintiff must have had ability and opportunity to read the warning sign, and in this case there was no dispute as to the fact that Jennifer Flick was incapable of reading the warning sign.

We note in passing that Section 767.04 requires a plaintiff to have been on a dog owner’s premises lawfully in order for strict liability to apply, but the pleadings in this case raise a factual dispute as to whether Jennifer Flick and her mother had been invited onto the Malino property prior to the dog bite.

MILLS, ROBERT P. SMITH, Jr., and SHIVERS, JJ., concur.*


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Citator

Cited By

  • Reed v. Bowen, 503 So. 2d 1265 (Fla. 2d DCA 1986)
    …that the trial court should have directed a verdict against the owners on the issue of their liability. Significantly, that court did not rule as a matter of law that the child was incapable of mischievous or careless behavior. In Flick v. Malino, 374 So. 2d 89 (Fla. 5th DCA 1979), the court considered the provision in section 767.04 protecting from liability a dog owner who displays “in a prominent place on his premises a sign easily readable including the words ‘BAD DOG.’ ” The court reversed an order gr…
  • Seres Registe v. Porter, 557 So. 2d 214 (Fla. 2d DCA 1990)
    …1 So. 2d 40 (Fla.1966); Rattet v. Dual Security Systems, Inc., 373 So. 2d 948 (Fla. 3d DCA 1979). That leads us to the crucial issue which we must decide and which apparently has not previously been decided by Florida courts, though Flick v. Malino, 374 So. 2d 89 (Fla. 5th DCA 1979) is relied upon by appellánt as being factually analogous and, therefore, persuasive. We do not find Flick to be analogous enough to be persuasive, but if so, our resolution of this case is in conflict. The issue we are called up…

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