SUSAN C. GOMES, GUARDIAN OF ANNA E. COURTS, INCOMPETENT, APPELLANT,
v.
ROBERT M. STEVENS AND BARBARA E. STEVENS, APPELLEES

Fla. 2d DCA | 1989-08-18
No. 88-03590
RYDER, A.C.J., and PATTERSON, J., concur.
548 So. 2d 1163 Florida District Court of Appeal, Second District (1989) Negative Treatment
Cited by 89 cases

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Synopsis

Susan Gomes, guardian of an incompetent woman, challenged a summary judgment declaring a promissory note and mortgage valid and awarding $46,000 to the defendants. The court reversed, holding that the defendants failed to establish as a matter of law that a benefit flowed to the incompetent woman, creating a genuine issue of material fact unsuitable for summary judgment.


Holding

Summary judgment was improperly granted because the appellees failed to conclusively demonstrate that a benefit flowed to Mrs. Courts, which was an essential element of their restitution claim. The amended complaint must be reinstated because it is no longer moot once the summary judgment is reversed.


Headnotes

[1] Summary judgment is improper if the record reflects the existence of any genuine issue of material fact, or the possibility of any issue, or if the record raises even the…

[2] The burden is on the movant for summary judgment to demonstrate conclusively that the nonmoving party cannot prevail.

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Key Quotes

“A motion for summary judgment may only be granted if the pleadings, depositions, answers to interrogatories, and admissions on file together with affidavits, if any, show that there is no genuine issue as to any material fact and that the moving party is entitled to a judgment as a matter of law.”

Establishes the legal standard for summary judgment under Florida law

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Facts & Procedural History

Anna E. Courts, an incompetent person represented by guardian Susan C. Gomes, had a promissory note and mortgage involving improvements to her home wi…

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Opinion of the Court
SCHOONOVER, Judge.

SCHOONOVER, Judge.

The appellant, Susan C. Gomes, guardian of Anna E. Courts, Incompetent, challenges a final summary judgment in favor of the appellees, Robert Stevens and Barbara E. Stevens. We find that the trial court erred in granting the summary judgment and, accordingly, reverse.

The appellant filed a two-count amended complaint against the appellees seeking to have a promissory note and mortgage declared null and void on the grounds of fraud and the incompetency of Mrs. Courts. The appellees answered the amended complaint and filed a counterclaim. The counterclaim sought collectively, or in the alternative, to have the promissory note and mortgage declared valid and then reformed, specific performance of an agreement between the parties, foreclosure of the mortgage, damages, and an injunction. It also alleged causes of action for breach of contract, breach of implied contract, and restitution because of unjust enrichment.

After the case was at issue, the appellees moved for summary judgment on their restitution claim and on that portion of the appellant’s amended complaint seeking to have the note and mortgage declared void on the grounds of fraud. The appellant also filed a motion for summary judgment on her amended complaint. At the conclusion of the hearing on the motions, the court granted the appellees’ motion and denied the appellant’s motion. The court then entered a final summary judgment for the appellees. The judgment awarded the sum of $46,000 plus costs to the appellees and secured the payment of that sum by imposing an equitable lien on the appellant’s home. The judgment also determined that, because of the summary judgment in favor of the appellees, the amended complaint was rendered moot and, accordingly, dismissed with prejudice. This timely appeal followed.

A motion for summary judgment may only be granted if the pleadings, depositions, answers to interrogatories, and admissions on file together with affidavits, if any, show that there is no genuine issue as to any material fact and that the moving party is entitled to a judgment as a matter of law. Fla.R.Civ.P. 1.510(c).

The burden, furthermore, is on the movant to demonstrate conclusively that the nonmoving party cannot prevail. Snyder v. Ckeezem Dev. Corp., 373 So. 2d 719 (Fla. 2d DCA 1979).

See also Holl v. Talcott, 191 So. 2d 40 (Fla.1966).

If the record reflects the existence of any genuine issue of material fact, or the possibility of any issue, or if the record raises even the slightest doubt that an issue might exist, summary judgment is improper. Snyder. In this case, the appellees did not carry their burden and summary judgment was, therefore, improper. In order to prevail in the instant action, the appellees had to prove that a benefit was conferred upon Mrs. Courts, that she appreciated such benefit, and that the acceptance and retention of it was under such circumstances that it would be inequitable for her to retain the benefit without paying the value thereof. Henry M. Butler, Inc. v. Trizec Properties, Inc., 524 So. 2d 710 (Fla. 2d DCA 1988).

The appellees also had to establish that Mrs, Courts either requested the benefit or knowingly and voluntarily accepted it, Butler, and that the benefit flowed to her. Coffee Pot Plaza Partnership v. Arrow Air Conditioning & Refrigeration, Inc., 412 So. 2d 883 (Fla. 2d DCA 1982).

In this case, although it appears that Mrs. Courts knowingly and voluntarily allowed the improvements to her home, we cannot say as a matter of law that the appellees proved that a benefit flowed to her. Since the record reflects the existence of a genuine issue of material fact, or the possibility of such an issue, i.e., whether a benefit flowed to Mrs. Courts, the trial court erred, in entering a summary judgment in favor of the appellees. Snyder.

Additionally, since the trial court dismissed the appellant’s amended complaint on the ground that it was moot because of the summary judgment, and we are reversing that summary judgment, the amended complaint must be reinstated.

Reversed and remanded for proceedings consistent herewith.

RYDER, A.C.J., and PATTERSON, J., concur.


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Citator

Cited By (45 total)

  • Hervey v. Alfonso, 650 So. 2d 644 (Fla. 2d DCA 1995)
    …ent as a matter of law. E.g., Snyder v. Cheezem Dev. Corp., 373 So. 2d 719 (Fla. 2d DCA 1979). The party moving for summary judgment has the bur [*646] den of establishing irrefutably that the non-moving party cannot prevail. E.g., Gomes v. Stevens, 548 So. 2d 1163 (Fla. 2d DCA 1989). Furthermore, it is only after the moving party has met this heavy burden that the non-moving party is called upon to show the existence of genuine issues of material fact. E.g., Williams v. Beckham & McAliley, P.A., 582 So. 2d 12…
  • …enefit flowed to the defendant, and 4) that under the circumstances, it would be inequitable for the defendant to retain the benefit without paying the value thereof. Turner v. Fitzsimmons, 673 So. 2d 532, 536 (Fla. 1st DCA. 1996); Gomes v. Stevens, 548 So. 2d 1163 (Fla. 2d DCA 1989). Appellant pled for recovery on this theory as an inconsistent alternative pleading. After re-alleging Paragraphs 1 through 13 of its general allegations, supra, Appellant alleged further 1) that Jensen Construction needed a guar…
  • Holland v. Gustav Verheul and Elizabeth Verheul, 583 So. 2d 788 (Fla. 2d DCA 1991)
    …ty is entitled to a judgment as a matter of law. Fla.R.Civ.P. 1.510(c). In addition, the burden is on the movant to demonstrate conclusively that the nonmoving party cannot prevail. Cohen v. Wall, 576 So. 2d 945 (Fla. 2d DCA 1991); Gomes v. Stevens, 548 So. 2d 1163 (Fla. 2d DCA 1989). If the record reflects the existence of any genuine issue of material fact or the possibility of any issue, or if the record raises even the slightest doubt that an issue might exist, summary judgment is improper. Cohen; Crandall…

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