LINDA JUDD, APPELLANT,
v.
ENGLEWOOD COMMUNITY HOSPITAL, A FLORIDA CORPORATION, AND COLUMBIA/HCA HEALTHCARE CORP., A DELAWARE CORPORATION AUTHORIZED TO DO BUSINESS IN THE STATE OF FLORIDA, APPELLEES
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The court is bound by prior precedent interpreting the Whistleblower's Act, despite acknowledging ambiguity and disagreeing with the interpretation.
The opinion does not detail specific facts of the underlying case but discusses statutory interpretation of the Whistleblower's Act.…
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PER CURIAM.
Linda Judd appeals the adverse summary judgment in her whistle blower claim against her former employers, which was based on section 448.102(3), Florida Statutes (1995). Judd admits she did not provide written notice to her employer regarding the activities to which she objected but contends that written notice is not required by section 448.102(3). We affirm because this court has previously decided this issue contrary to Judd’s position. See Potomac Sys. Eng’g, Inc. v. Deering, 683 So. 2d 180 (Fla. 2d DCA 1996) (holding that statutory presuit notice requirement applies to claims brought under all three subsections of the act). We also recognize that our decision in Potomac conflicts with decisions from the Third and Fifth Districts, which have held that the written notice requirement applies only to claims brought under section 448.102(1). Jenkins v. Golf Channel, 714 So. 2d 558 (Fla. 5th DCA 1998), revietv granted, 728 So. 2d 202 (Fla.1998); Baiton v. Carnival Cruise Lines, Inc., 661 So. 2d 313 (Fla. 3d DCA 1995).
Accordingly, we affirm the summary judgment and certify conflict.
PATTERSON, A.C.J., and SALCINES, J., Concur. BLUE, J., Concurs specially.
BLUE, Judge,
Specially Concurring.
I concur because I am required to do so by the prior opinion of this court. There is no question that some ambiguity exists between sections 448.102 and 448.103 concerning the necessity of written notice for a whistle blower claim. However, I am persuaded by the Jenkins, 714 So. 2d 558, and Baiton, 661 So. 2d 313, decisions that this court’s interpretation of the statute in Potomac, 683 So. 2d 180, is incorrect. In particular I agree with the following analysis that appears in the Fifth District’s opinion:
The Whistle Blower’s Act is remedial in nature and so should be liberally construed. The purpose of the Whistle Blower’s Act is to protect private employees who report or refuse to assist employers who violate laws enacted to protect the public. Requiring written notice and an opportunity to cure would seem to frustrate the intent of the Legislature in many circumstances. For example, under subsection 448.102(2), the employee may not be allowed to give notice if called to testify before a “closed door” investigation. Under subsection 448.102(3), the employee has already objected or refused to participate in alleged illegal activities so written notice to the employer to cure would be superfluous. Furthermore, consider an employee who is tenninated on the spot by his supervisor for refusing to dump hazardous waste in a waterway. No opportunity is reasonably available to deliver the so-called required written notice in such a case.
Jenkins, 714 So. 2d at 563 (citations omitted).
If it is the intent of the Whistle Blower’s Act to protect employees, that intent is greatly compromised by this court’s interpretation. Were I allowed, I would adopt the reasoning of Baiton and Jenkins.
Cases With Similar Vibessemantic neighbors from the corpus
Citator
Cited By
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The Golf Channel v. Jenkins, 752 So. 2d 561 (Fla. 2000)…t the written notice requirement applies to all claims brought under the Whistle-Blower Act, whether based on subsection 448.102(1), (2), or (3). See McEowen v. Jones Chem., Inc., 745 So. 2d 991 (Fla. 2d DCA 1999); Judd v. Englewood Community Hosp., 739 So. 2d 627 (Fla. 2d DCA [*564] 1999); Potomac Systems, 683 So. 2d at 182. But see Judd, 739 So. 2d at 628 (Blue, J., specially concurring) (agreeing with the interpretation of the Third and Fifth Districts). Golf Channel contends that the statute is plain and…
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Tyson v. Viacom, Inc., 760 So. 2d 276 (Fla. 4th DCA 2000)…1); the notice provision is limited to claims under subsection (1). See The Golf Channel v. Jenkins, 752 So. 2d 561, 565 (Fla.2000); Baiton v. Carnival Cruise Lines, Inc., 661 So. 2d 313, 316-17 (Fla. 3d DCA 1995); Judd v. Englewood Community Hosp., 739 So. 2d 627, 628 (Fla. 2d DCA 1999) (Blue, J., specially concurring). The complaint was not defective in failing to allege prior notice. The complaint failed to state a cause of action under section 448.102, however, because an injunction is not “a law, rule o…
Authorities Cited
- Baiton v. Carnival Cruise Lines, Inc., 661 So. 2d 313 (Fla. 3d DCA 1995)
- Potomac Sys. Eng'g, Inc. v. Deering, 683 So. 2d 180 (Fla. 2d DCA 1996)
- Jenkins v. The Golf Channel, 714 So. 2d 558 (Fla. 5th DCA 1998)