ACCENT HOMES, INC., WOODVALE MANAGEMENT CORP., WOODVALE AT CYPRESS HEAD, INC., HEARTHSTONE AT CYPRESS HEAD, DUPREE GENERAL CONTRACTORS, INC., FOGLIA CONSTRUCTION COMPANY INC., AND FOGLIA-DUPREE CUSTOM HOMES, A FLORIDA GENERAL PARTNERSHIP, BY AND THROUGH ITS GENERAL PARTNERS, DUPREE GENERAL CONTRACTORS, INC., AND FOGLIA CONSTRUCTION COMPANY, INC., APPELLANTS,
v.
NARCO REALTY, INC., ARTHUR RUTENBERG CORPORATION, A FLORIDA CORPORATION, AND AS GENERAL PARTNER OF RUTENBERG-BOCA, LTD., A FLORIDA LIMITED PARTNERSHIP, CYPRESSHEAD REALTY, INC., RONALD NUNES AND ALLAN SONES, JAMES R. ALLEN, NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION AND ALLOMON CORPORATION, APPELLEES
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Accent Homes and related entities appealed a trial court's dismissal of their second amended complaint against Narco Realty and others alleging fraud, misrepresentation, civil conspiracy, RICO violations, and antitrust claims. The appellate court reversed most dismissals, finding the complaint sufficiently alleged the elements of these claims, but affirmed dismissals of alter ego liability and civil theft claims.
The court reversed dismissals of counts one through five and seven (fraud, misrepresentation, civil conspiracy, RICO violations, and antitrust claims, and breach of contract), finding these claims were sufficiently alleged. However, the court affirmed dismissals of the alter ego claim and civil theft claim because the existence of a contractual relationship precludes civil theft absent conversion.
[1] A complaint sufficiently alleges the elements for fraud, misrepresentation, civil conspiracy, and RICO violations if those elements are present within the four corners of…
[2] Dismissal of claims for unreasonable restraint of trade is reversible error if the complaint adequately pleads such claims under relevant statutes.
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Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligence“The appellants sufficiently allege within the four corners of their second amended complaint the elements for fraud, misrepresentation, civil conspiracy and RICO violations.”
Establishes the court's core holding that the complaint adequately pleaded these major claims
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Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligenceAppellants, various construction and real estate companies, filed a second amended complaint against Narco Realty, Arthur Rutenberg Corporation, Cypre…
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PER CURIAM.
The appellants sufficiently allege within the four corners of their second amended complaint the elements for fraud, misrepresentation, civil conspiracy and RICO violations.
Accordingly, confining our attention to the face of the complaint, this court reverses the trial court’s action dismissing counts one, two, three, four and seven. See §§ 772.103, 772.104, Fla.Stat.; A.S.J. Drugs, Inc. v. Berkowitz, 459 So. 2d 348 (Fla. 4th DCA 1984); Donofrio v. Ma- tassini, 503 So. 2d 1278 (Fla. 2d DCA 1987).
See also H.J., Inc. v. Northwestern Bell Tel. Co., — U.S. -, 109 S.Ct. 2893, 106 L.Ed.2d 195 (1989); Menasco, Inc. v. Wasserman, 886 F. 2d 681 (4th Cir.1989).
Cf. 06 State v. Lucas, 15 F.L.W. 961 (Fla. 3d DCA April 10, 1990).
In addition, we reverse on the authority of Quality Foods de Centro America, S.A. v. Latin Am. Agribusiness Dev. Corp., 711 F. 2d 989 (11th Cir.1983) and Havoco of Am., Ltd. v. Shell Oil Co., 626 F. 2d 549 (7th Cir.1980) the trial court’s dismissal of count five for unreasonable restraint of trade under Sections 542.18 and 542.22, Florida Statutes.
We find the trial court erred in dismissing appellants’ breach of contract claims based on Evans v. Parker, 440 So. 2d 640 (Fla. 1st DCA 1983) and Young v. Field, 548 So. 2d 784 (Fla. 4th DCA 1989). Further, we reverse the trial court’s decision to dismiss the second amended complaint for improper joinder on the authority of Florida Rule of Civil Procedure 1.250(a) and Roberts v. Keystone Trucking Co., 259 So. 2d 171 (Fla. 4th DCA 1972).
We find no error by the trial court in its dismissal of the appellants’ alter ego claim against appellee, National Development Corporation, based upon Dania Jai-Alai Palace, Inc. v. Sykes, 450 So. 2d 1114 (Fla.1984) and Steinhardt v. Banks, 511 So. 2d 336 (Fla. 4th DCA), rev. denied, 518 So. 2d 1273 (Fla.1987).
We also affirm the trial court’s order dismissing the civil theft count since the existence of a contractual relationship precludes a civil theft action in the absence of a conversion. See Rosen v. Marlin, 486 So. 2d 623 (Fla. 3d DCA), rev. denied, 494 So. 2d 1151 (Fla.1986).
Cf. O’Donnell v. Arcoiries, Inc., 561 So. 2d 344 (Fla. 4th DCA 1990); Masvidal v. Ochoa, 505 So. 2d 555 (Fla. 3d DCA 1987); Nova Flight Center, Inc. v. Viega, 554 So. 2d 626 (Fla. 5th DCA 1989); Russo v. Heil Constr., Inc., 549 So. 2d 676 (Fla. 5th DCA 1989).
WALDEN and STONE, JJ., concur. LETTS, J., concurs in part and dissents in part with opinion.
LETTS, Judge,
concurring in part and dissenting in part.
I do not agree with the majority’s reversal of counts five, six or seven.
Cases With Similar Vibessemantic neighbors from the corpus
Citator
Authorities Cited (16 total)
- H. J. Inc. v. Nw. Bell Tel. Co., 492 U.S. 229 (U.S. 1989)
- Dania Jai-Alai Palace, Inc. v. Sykes, 450 So. 2d 1114 (Fla. 1984)
- Quality Foods de Centro Am., S.A. v. Latin Am. Agribusiness Dev. Corp., S.A., 711 F.2d 989 (11th Cir. 1983)
- Murray Rosen v. Marlin, 486 So. 2d 623 (Fla. 3d DCA 1986)
- Havoco OF Am., Ltd. v. Shell OIL Co., 626 F.2d 549 (7th Cir. 1980)
- Masvidal v. Ochoa, 505 So. 2d 555 (Fla. 3d DCA 1987)
- Leila J. Evans v. Parker, 440 So. 2d 640 (Fla. 1st DCA 1983)
- Steinhardt v. Vannoy Banks, 511 So. 2d 336 (Fla. 4th DCA 1987)
- A.S.J. Drugs, Inc. v. Berkowitz, 459 So. 2d 348 (Fla. 4th DCA 1984)
- Menasco, Inc. v. Wasserman, 886 F.2d 681 (4th Cir. 1989)