KENT ELECTRIC COMPANY, A CORPORATION, APPELLANT,
v.
JACKSONVILLE ELECTRIC AUTHORITY, A CORPORATION, APPELLEE
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The court held that a complaint is neutralized when its allegations contradict an attached exhibit, but allowed amendment to clarify the discrepancy.
Appellant sued for breach of contract, alleging appellee failed to provide $1,500,000 in electrical work as agreed. The attached contract, however, st…
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PER CURIAM.
Appellant appeals from the trial court’s dismissal of appellant’s second amended complaint with prejudice. In that complaint, appellant alleged that appellant and appellee had entered into a written contract whereby appellant agreed to perform overhead electrical work for appellee and that appellee agreed to provide appellant with $1,500,000 of overhead electrical work during the contract period; that appellee had breached the contract by providing only approximately $90,000 worth of overhead electrical work pursuant to the contract. The contract, which was attached to the second amended complaint, provides that appellant would do work required for the total sum “not to exceed ONE MILLION FIVE HUNDRED THOUSAND and no/100 DOLLARS.” The contract language does not support appellant’s assertion that appellee had agreed to provide appellant $1,500,000 worth of work, but only shows that appellant had contracted with appellee to perform work “not to exceed” that amount. Obviously, $90,000 worth of work does not exceed $1,500,000.
Inconsistency between the general allegations of material facts in a complaint and specific facts revealed by the exhibit attached to it has the effect of neutralizing each allegation, rendering the pleading objectionable. Padgett v. First Federal Savings & Loan Association, 378 So. 2d 58 (Fla. 1st DCA 1979); and Harry Pepper and Associates, Inc. v. Lasseter, 247 So. 2d 736 (Fla.3d DCA 1971). See Rule 1.130(b), Florida Rules of Civil Procedure.
The trial court did not err in dismissing the second amended complaint, but we consider that appellant should be given one more opportunity to amend so that the ambiguity between the exhibit and the complaint could be cleared up, if possible. Affirmed in part and reversed in part with directions to allow appellant to file a third amended complaint.
McCORD and LARRY G. SMITH, JJ., and WOODIE A. LILES (Retired), Associate Judge, concur.
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Citator
Cited By
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Cherney v. Moody, 413 So. 2d 866 (Fla. 1st DCA 1982)…1977, of the possible accrual of a cause of action and that this cause of action sounded in legal malpractice. See Padgett v. First Federal S & L Ass’n., 378 So. 2d 58, 65 (Fla. 1st DCA 1979) and Kent Electric Co. v. Jacksonville Electric Authority, 395 So. 2d 277 (Fla. 1st DCA 1981). Even though we agree with the trial court that the Cherneys’ claim was barred as an independent cause of action by the expiration of the two year statute of limitations, we nevertheless conclude that it was error to dismiss the…
Authorities Cited
- Harry Pepper & Assocs., Inc. v. Harley O. Al Lasseter, Sr., 247 So. 2d 736 (Fla. 3d DCA 1971)
- Padgett v. First Fed. Sav. & Loan Ass'n OF Santa Rosa Cnty., 378 So. 2d 58 (Fla. 1st DCA 1979)