ALBERTO L. SURIJON
v.
ROBERTO BUENO ZARRIA

Fla. 3d DCA | 2019-09-04
No. 18-0744
278 So. 3d 328 Florida District Court of Appeal, Third District (2019)
Cited by 3 cases

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Synopsis

The appellate court reversed a "Summary Final Judgment" because it was improperly entered as a final judgment when some claims remained pending. The court clarified that the order should have been interlocutory regarding the granted claim and retained jurisdiction for the others.


Holding

The appellate court held that the trial court erred in entering a final judgment when claims remained pending. The order should have been interlocutory as to the granted claim and should have retained jurisdiction over the remaining claims.


Headnotes

[1] A trial court's order granting summary judgment on some counts but denying it on others, while also including language of finality and closing the case, is an improper fi…

[2] A trial court must enter an interlocutory order when granting summary judgment on fewer than all claims, without words of execution, and retain jurisdiction over pending…

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Key Quotes

“Although the order under review provides that the trial court denied “without prejudice” the motion for summary judgment as to Counts V and VI, the order inconsistently includes words of finality—“for all of which let execution issue”—and closes the case as to all parties.”

This quote highlights the inconsistency in the trial court's order that led to the reversal.

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Facts & Procedural History

Roberto Bueno Zarria sued Alberto L. Surijon on five counts. Zarria moved for summary judgment on three counts: unjust enrichment, fraud in the induce…

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Opinion of the Court

HENDON, J.

Alberto L. Surijon (“Surijon”) appeals from a “Summary Final Judgment.” For the reasons that follow, we reverse the order under review and remand with instructions. Roberto Bueno Zarria (“Zarria”) filed a complaint against Alberto L. Surijon, alleging five counts, and all counts arise from the same set of facts. Zarria filed a motion for summary judgment addressing three of the five counts alleged against Surijon—Count II (unjust enrichment), Count V (fraud in the inducement), and Count VI (civil theft).1 Following a hearing, the trial court entered the order under review, which is titled “Summary Final Judgment.” The order reflects that the trial court granted the motion for summary judgment as to Count II (unjust enrichment) and denied the motion for summary judgment “without prejudice” as to Counts V and VI, finding that a genuine issue of material fact exists. Further, as to Count II, the trial court ordered that Zarria is to recover $150,000, plus attorney’s fees and prejudgment interest from Surijon, “for all of which let execution issue.” The trial court also ordered Surijon, as the judgment debtor, to fill out the Fact Information Sheet (Form 1.977 of the Florida Rules of Civil Procedure).

Although the order under review provides that the trial court denied “without prejudice” the motion for summary judgment as to Counts V and VI, the order inconsistently includes words of finality—“for all of which let execution issue”— and closes the case as to all parties. Accordingly, we reverse the purported “Summary Final Judgment” and remand with directions to the trial court to enter an interlocutory order against Surijon as to Count II (unjust enrichment), without words of execution, and to retain jurisdiction to consider the pending related claims.2 See Investacorp, Inc. v. Evans, 88 So. 3d 248 (Fla. 3d DCA 2011); Molina v. Watkins, 824 So. 2d 959 (Fla. 3d DCA 2002); Culverhouse v. Barth, 699 So. 2d 795 (Fla. 3d DCA 1997); Del Castillo v. Ralor Pharmacy, Inc., 512 So. 2d 315 (Fla. 3d DCA 1987); but see East Avenue, LLC v. Insignia Bank, 136 So. 3d 659 (Fla. 2d DCA 2014). Further, we direct the Clerk of the Circuit Court to reopen the lower tribunal case. Reversed and remanded with directions.

Footnotes
1 The remaining two counts—Count III and Count IV—were not addressed in the motion for summary judgment and were never disposed of by any other order. Unlike the other counts alleged against Surijon, which sought to recover $150,000, Count VI sought to recover treble damages ($450,000).
2 We only address the form of the order on review. The merits of the underlying ruling granting summary judgment as to Count II of the operative complaint will be considered only on appeal from a properly entered final judgment or a nonfinal order reviewable under Florida Rule of Appellate Procedure 9.130.

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