ALBERT JOHN PONKE, APPELLANT,
v.
A.A. BOCA, INC., APPELLEE; JACK R. PACE, APPELLANT, V. A.A. BOCA, INC., APPELLEE

Fla. 4th DCA | 1983-03-30
Nos. 82-171, 82-172
ANSTEAD and HURLEY, JJ., concur.
429 So. 2d 415 Florida District Court of Appeal, Fourth District (1983) Positive Treatment
Cited by 6 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

Two appellants challenged contempt orders for violating a temporary injunction in a non-competition dispute involving a taxi business. The court reversed the contempt finding as to Ponke due to lack of jurisdiction and service of process, but affirmed the contempt finding as to Pace.


Holding

The court reversed the contempt finding as to Ponke because: (1) the trial court lacked jurisdiction to amend the order after appeal was pending; (2) Ponke did not submit to jurisdiction by appearing as a witness; and (3) service of process had never been effected on Ponke and the injunction was never served on him. The court affirmed the contempt finding as to Pace.


Headnotes

[1] A trial court lacks jurisdiction to amend an order after an appeal has been filed and jurisdiction has vested in the appellate court.

[2] A party does not submit to a court's jurisdiction by appearing as a witness on behalf of another party.

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Key Quotes

“the trial court lacked jurisdiction to amend the order of January 18, 1982, because jurisdiction over that order was vested in this court”

Establishes that once an appeal is pending, the trial court loses jurisdiction to modify the appealed order.

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Facts & Procedural History

A.A. Boca, Inc. sued to enforce a non-competition agreement against appellants Ponke and Pace, and Seaboard Sedan Services, Inc. A temporary injunctio…

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Opinion of the Court
DOWNEY, Judge.

DOWNEY, Judge.

By these consolidated appeals appellants, Albert J. Ponke and Jack R. Pace, seek review of an order of the trial court dated January 18, 1982, in which appellants were held in contempt for violation of a temporary injunction.

Appellee, A.A. Boca, Inc., sued the appellants and Seaboard Sedan Services, Inc., to, among other things, enjoin all defendants from violating a non-competition agreement involved in the sale of a taxi business. On August 18,1981, a temporary injunction was entered enjoining Sedan Services and Pace, their agents, servants, and employees from competing with appellees in the taxi business in violation of the non-competition agreement.

On September 29, 1981, the trial court found Sedan Services and Pace to be guilty of civil contempt and sentenced Pace to be incarcerated until he purged himself by performing certain described purgative acts and fining both Pace and Sedan Services. Thereafter, on January 18, 1982, Sedan Services and Pace were once again found to be in contempt of court for further violations of the temporary injunction. In said order, the court also found that Albert Ponke had submitted himself to the jurisdiction of the court by testifying on the merits of the case and the court found that he, too, was in contempt. The order further enjoined Ponke, Seaboard Transit, and Greater Eastern Seaboard Transport Company to comply with the prior injunctive order. Finally, the order fined Ponke, Pace, Seaboard Transit, and Greater Eastern Seaboard Transport Company $1,000.

Petitions for writ of prohibition were filed by Ponke and Pace to prohibit the trial court from enforcing the order of January 18, 1982, which petitions have been treated as appeals. While these appeals were pending the trial court amended the order of January 18,1982, and vacated the contempt provisions as to Ponke, by order dated February 16, 1982.

We are compelled to reverse the order of January 18,1982, as regards Ponke for several reasons. Initially, we observe that the trial court lacked jurisdiction to amend the order of January 18, 1982, because jurisdiction over that order was vested in this court. Therefore, the February 16,1982, order was ineffective to vacate the contempt provisions relating to Ponke. Secondly, we hold the trial court erred in finding that Ponke had submitted himself to the court’s jurisdiction by appearing as a witness on behalf of Pace. Furthermore, since service of process had never been effected upon Ponke and there was no showing the injunction had been served upon him, the temporary injunction of August 18, 1981, was not effective as to him and his related corporations.

Accordingly, we reverse the order of January 18, 1982, as it applies to appellant, Albert Ponke, and remand the cause to the trial court so that appellee can proceed against Ponke as it may be advised.1

We have considered all of the points raised by appellant, Jack R. Pace, and find them to be without merit.

The order of January 18,1982, is reversed as to appellant, Albert Ponke, and affirmed as to appellant, Jack R. Pace, and the cause is remanded for further proceedings.

AFFIRMED IN PART; REVERSED IN PART; AND REMANDED.

ANSTEAD and HURLEY, JJ., concur. . The court was advised by appellant, Ponke, at oral argument that he had now been served with process in the case.


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Citator

Cited By

  • Smith v. Knight, 679 So. 2d 359 (Fla. 4th DCA 1996)
    …mporary injunction to issue. However, unless a court has acquired personal jurisdiction over a defendant by service of process, a court may not use its contempt power against the defendant to enforce a temporary injunction. Ponke v. A.A. Boca, Inc., 429 So. 2d 415 (Fla. 4th DCA 1983); see Alger v. Peters, 88 So. 2d 903, 906 (Fla.1956); Savage v. Winfield, 152 Fla. 165, 11 So. 2d 302, 303 (1943); Riddick v. Suncoast Beauty College, Inc., 570 So. 2d 1064, 1065-66 (Fla. 2d DCA 1990). This case does not involve s…
  • Valparaiso Realty Co. v. City OF Valparaiso, 473 So. 2d 1 (Fla. 1st DCA 1985)
    …essee,” the reference to “lessee” cannot be enforceable by contempt proceedings against any person not made a party to the proceedings, and as to such third parties such reference must be considered as mere surplusage. See, Ponke v. A.A. Boca, Inc., 429 So. 2d 415 (Fla. 4th DCA 1983); Seminole Enterprises of Bonifay, Florida, Inc. v. Manuel, 464 So. 2d 1301 (Fla. 1st DCA 1985). MILLS, SMITH and THOMPSON, JJ., concur.…
  • Brooks v. Honorable Jerry T. Lockett, 658 So. 2d 1205 (Fla. 5th DCA 1995)
    …ch formal certification, say Brooks, et al., the Lake County Circuit Court lacks jurisdiction over the absent class members who have never voluntarily appeared in the action below and have never been served with process. See Ponke v. A.A Boca, Inc., 429 So. 2d 415, 416 (Fla. 4th DCA 1983). The crux of the argument by Brooks, et al. is that they are “being railroaded into choosing between accepting the settlement offer at face value without the benefit of discovery, evidence or counsel; or opting out of the c…

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