VIRGINIA KLINE, APPELLANT,
v.
PUBLIX SUPERMARKETS, INC., APPELLEE; PUBLIX SUPERMARKETS, INC., APPELLANT, V. VIRGINIA KLINE, APPELLEE

Fla. 2d DCA | 1990-05-09
Nos. 89-00345, 89-01182
HALL and THREADGILL, JJ., concur.
568 So. 2d 929 Florida District Court of Appeal, Second District (1990) Caution
Cited by 24 cases

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Synopsis

Virginia Kline appealed a summary judgment in her favor against Publix for intentional infliction of emotional distress and discrimination, while Publix cross-appealed seeking attorney's fees and costs under Florida's offer of judgment statute. The court affirmed the summary judgment for Publix and reversed the award of costs, holding that the offer of judgment statute does not apply when the defendant prevails.


Holding

A defendant is not entitled to recover costs or attorney's fees under section 768.79(l)(a) when the defendant obtains judgment in the underlying action. The plain language of the statute requires that a judgment be rendered in favor of the plaintiff as a prerequisite to awarding such costs and fees to a defendant.


Headnotes

[1] A defendant is not entitled to recover costs and attorney's fees under section 768.79(1)(a), Florida Statutes (1987), when the judgment obtained is in favor of the defend…

[2] The plain language of section 768.79(1)(a), Florida Statutes (1987), requires a judgment rendered in favor of the plaintiff as a prerequisite to awarding costs and attorn…

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Key Quotes

“If a defendant files an offer of judgment which is not accepted by the plaintiff within 30 days, the defendant shall be entitled to recover reasonable costs and attorney's fees incurred from the date of filing of the offer if the judgment obtained by the plaintiff is at least 25 percent less than such offer....”

States the operative statutory language requiring that judgment be 'obtained by the plaintiff' for costs and fees to apply to the defendant.

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Facts & Procedural History

Virginia Kline sued Publix Supermarkets alleging intentional infliction of emotional distress and discrimination. Publix filed an offer of judgment th…

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Opinion of the Court
RYDER, Acting Chief Judge.

RYDER, Acting Chief Judge.

In this consolidated appeal, plaintiff Virginia Kline challenges a final summary judgment in favor of defendant Publix in a case in which she alleged intentional infliction of emotional distress and discrimination. Although the trial court awarded costs to Publix pursuant to section 768.79, Florida Statutes (1987), Publix appeals the trial court’s denial of attorney’s fees under that same section. In Kline’s appeal, we affirm the final summary judgment in favor of Publix. In Publix’s appeal, we affirm that portion of the order which denied Publix attorney’s fees and reverse the award of costs to Publix.

Section 768.79(l)(a), Florida Statutes (1987), provides, in part:

f a defendant files an offer of judgment which is not accepted by the plaintiff within 30 days, the defendant shall be entitled to recover reasonable costs and attorney’s fees incurred from the date of filing of the offer if the judgment obtained by the plaintiff is at least 25 percent less than such offer....

(Emphasis added.)

In this case, defendant Publix obtained the judgment, therefore, it is not entitled to either costs or attorney’s fees under section 768.79(l)(a).

The plain language of the statute requires that there be a judgment rendered in favor of the plaintiff as a prerequisite to awarding costs and attorney’s fees to a defendant who has made an offer a judgment pursuant to section 768.79(l)(a).

See also Rabatie v. U.S. Security Insurance Co., Nos. 88-2229 and 88-2503 (Fla. 3d DCA July 25, 1989) [14 F.L.W. 1753] (section 768.79(l)(a) does not provide for attorney’s fees where defendant prevails in underlying action); Makar v. Investors Real Estate Management, Inc., 553 So. 2d 298 (Fla. 1st DCA 1989) (in order for a defendant to recover costs and attorney’s fees under section 768.79(l)(a), there must be a judgment for the plaintiff).

Additionally, Florida Rule of Civil Procedure 1.442 does not apply to this case. See B & H Construction & Supply Co., Inc. v. District Board of Trustees of Tallahassee Community College, 542 So. 2d 382, 388 (Fla. 1st DCA), review denied, 549 So. 2d 1013 (Fla.1989) (offer of judgment rule does not apply where judgment is entered against plaintiff-offeree and in favor of defendant-offeror).

B & H Construction cited Delta Air Lines, Inc. v. August, 450 U.S. 346, 101 S.Ct. 1146, 67 L.Ed.2d 287 (1981), in which the court interpreted language contained within Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 68: “[I]f the judgment finally obtained by the offeree is not more favorable than the offer the offeree must pay the costs.... ” The court reasoned that the plain language of the rule confines its effect to a case in which the plaintiff has obtained a judgment for an amount less favorable than the defendant’s settlement offer, and that the rule clearly contemplates that a judgment taken against a defendant is one favorable to the plaintiff, and is, therefore, “obtained” by the plaintiff.

The court concluded that the rule clearly is inapplicable where the defendant obtains the judgment. In B & H Construction, the first district also relied upon this reasoning and, held that because the trial court rendered a net judgment in offeror B & H’s favor, Florida Rule of Civil Procedure 1.442 was inapplicable. B & H Construction, 542 So. 2d at 388. We recognize that rule 1.442 has been replaced with a totally rewritten and newly adopted rule, effective January 1, 1990. The Florida Bar, Re: Amendment To Rules of Civil Procedure, Rule l.Jf2 (Offer of Judgment), 550 So. 2d 442, 443 (Fla.1989).

Nevertheless, the language contained in the newly adopted Florida Rule of Civil Procedure 1.442(h)(l)(B)(i) still requires the offeree to obtain a damage award against the offeror before a trial court can impose sanctions upon an offeree for the failure to accept an “offer to pay.” Id. at 444.

Accordingly, we reverse the order awarding costs to defendant Publix pursuant to section 768.79(l)(a).

Case No. 89-00345 is affirmed. Case No. 89-01182 is affirmed in part and reversed in part.

HALL and THREADGILL, JJ., concur.


Cases With Similar Vibessemantic neighbors from the corpus


Citator

Cited By (12 total)

  • Timmons v. Combs, 608 So. 2d 1 (Fla. 1992)
    …recovery of costs and attorney’s fees by a defendant when the defendant obtained a judgment. Rabatie v. U.S. Security Insurance Co., 581 So. 2d 1327 (Fla. 3d DCA 1989), review dismissed, 589 So. 2d 294 (Fla.1991); Kline v. Publix Supermarkets, Inc., 568 So. 2d 929 (Fla. 2d DCA 1990); Oriental Imports, Inc. v. Alilin, 559 So. 2d 442 (Fla. 5th DCA 1990).1 [*2] Section 45.061, which applies to most court actions, is worded somewhat differently. It permits the award of attorney’s fees and costs if the court deter…
  • Rondoe Marie Williams v. Jeannine O. Brochu, 578 So. 2d 491 (Fla. 5th DCA 1991)
    …. Rowe, 472 So. 2d 1145 (Fla.1985). See also Bruce Construction Corp. v. The State Exchange Bank, 102 So. 2d 288 (Fla.1958). . See and compare Oriental Imports, Inc. v. Alilin, 559 So. 2d 442 (Fla. 5th DCA 1990); Kline v. Publix Supermarkets, Inc., 568 So. 2d 929 (Fla. 2d DCA 1990); Gunn v. DePaoli, 562 So. 2d 427 (Fla. 2d DCA 1990); Makar v. Investors Real Estate Management, Inc., 553 So. 2d 298 (Fla. 1st DCA 1989), Rabatie v. U.S. Security Ins. Co., 14 F.L.W. 1753 (Fla. 3d DCA 1989) (on rehearing). See als…
  • Winn Dixie Stores, Inc. v. Elbert, 590 So. 2d 15 (Fla. 4th DCA 1991)
    …has been consistently construed to require a judgment in favor of the plaintiff to trigger its enforcement. Mujica v. Turner, 582 So. 2d 24 (Fla. 3d DCA 1991); Luizza v. Yaeger, 571 So. 2d 600 (Fla. 2d DCA 1990); Kline v. Publix Supermarkets, Inc., 568 So. 2d 929 (Fla. 2d DCA 1990); Gunn v. DePaoli, 562 So. 2d 427 (Fla. 2d DCA 1990); Oriental Imports, Inc. v. Alilin, 559 So. 2d 442 (Fla. 5th DCA 1990); Makar v. Investors Real Estate Management, Inc., 553 So. 2d 298 (Fla. 1st DCA 1989). Therefore, it cannot s…

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