EDDIE G. NEWBERN AND JANE NEWBERN, AS TRUSTEES OF THE EDDIE G. NEWBERN AND JANE NEWBERN REVOCABLE TRUST DATED 9/24/97, APPELLANTS,
v.
SAMUEL MANSBACH, ET AL., APPELLEES
AI-generated. These summaries, headnotes, and key points are machine-generated and may contain errors or omissions. Always verify against the full opinion text below. Not legal advice.
The Newberns purchased a $2 million Destin property without discovering it was located in a Coastal Barrier Resource Area (CBRA), making it ineligible for federal flood insurance. The trial court granted summary judgment against the Newberns' misrepresentation claims against their realtor's agent and insurance agent, but the appellate court reversed, holding that reliance on misrepresentations about publicly available information presents jury questions rather than matters of law.
The court reversed both summary judgment orders, holding that CBRA designations being part of the public record do not bar misrepresentation claims as a matter of law. Questions regarding whether the Newberns justifiably relied on the representations and whether the defendants' conduct was negligent present issues of material fact for a jury, not questions of law.
[1] A recipient may rely on the truthfulness of a representation, even if its falsity could have been ascertained through investigation, unless the recipient knows the repres…
[2] A party who negligently transmits false information may be held liable for negligent misrepresentation if the recipient establishes the claim and justifiably relied on th…
Previewing 2 of 6 headnotes on this case. FLexlaw’s editorially structured points of law — every proposition, pinpointed — are reserved for members.
Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligence“a recipient may rely on the truthfulness of a representation, even if the falsity could have been ascertained through investigation by the recipient, unless the recipient knows the representation to be false or its falsity is obvious”
Establishes the Besett standard for fraudulent misrepresentation, allowing reliance on representations even when the falsity was discoverable.
Previewing 1 of 3 key quotes on this case — the court’s exact language, pinpointed for members.
Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligenceThe Newberns purchased a Destin property for $2 million, communicating through their realtor Diane Decker that they would not purchase if the property…
The full statement of facts, procedural history, and disposition for this case are member content.
Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligence© FLexlaw, Inc. — AI-generated enrichments are proprietary. All rights reserved.
Explore caselaw by topic → Browse Justifiable Reliance cases and more on FLexlaw
PER CURIAM.
The Newberns appeal two summary judgment orders entered below, one in favor of appellees Susan McGinnis and Coldwell Banker All Star Real Estate Services (McGinnis/Coldwell Banker) and one order in favor of John M. Hunnicutt Insurance & Investments, Inc. and Ashley Hun-nicutt (Hunnicutt). We reverse both orders.
The Newberns (appellants and plaintiffs below) purchased property in Destín, Florida, for $2 million. In the purchase, appellants’ realtor was Diane Decker of Abbott Realty; the seller’s agent was Susan McGinnis of Coldwell Banker; and the insurance agent was Ashley Hunnicutt of Hunnicutt Insurance. Appellants filed an amended complaint against various defendants with regard to the purchase, alleging counts of both fraudulent and negligent misrepresentation.
With regard to McGinnis/Coldwell Banker, appellants alleged that they communicated to Decker their determination not to purchase the property in question if it was located in a Coastal Barrier Resource Area (CBRA)1 and that McGinnis falsely informed Decker that the home was not located in such a zone, although McGinnis was then in possession of a document indicating otherwise.
With regard to Hunnicutt, appellants alleged that Hunnicut understood that they would not close on the purchase unless they were fully insured, including federal flood insurance, and Hunnicutt falsely represented that they would be so insured. Before closing, Hunnicutt obtained information that the property was in a CBRA and was thus ineligible for federal coverage, but she failed to inform appellants. Appellants claimed that they relied on these representations to their detriment because they purchased the property and then discovered it is located within a CBRA and is not eligible for federal flood insurance. Appellees, in separate motions, moved for summary judgment, and the court granted both.
In granting summary judgment for McGinnis/Coldwell Banker, the lower court found that CBRA designations are land regulations that are part of public record. The court concluded that appellants, therefore, could have reasonably ascertained this information, and their claims of fraudulent and negligent misrepresentation were precluded as a matter of law. This conclusion was erroneous.
In Gilchrist Timber Co. v. ITT Rayonier, Inc., 696 So. 2d 334, 339 (Fla.1997), the court considered a question from the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals and held that a party who negligently transmits false information may be held liable if the recipient establishes a negligent misrepresentation claim in accordance with § 552, Restatement (Second) of Torts. The court specified, however, that the doctrine of comparative negligence applies to such an action. Id. The court made clear that the application of the latter doctrine distinguishes a negligent misrepresentation claim from a claim of fraudulent misrepresentation under the court’s ruling in Besett v. Basnett, 389 So. 2d 995 (Fla.1980), in which the court held that a recipient may rely on the truthfulness of a representation, even if the falsity could have been ascertained through investigation by the recipient, unless the recipient knows the representation to be false or its falsity is obvious. 696 So. 2d at 336. A negligent “misrepresenter is liable only if the recipient of the information justifiably relied on the erroneous information.” Id. at 337.
The court stated that “a recipient of information will not have to investigate every piece of information furnished; a recipient will only be responsible for investigating information that a reasonable person in the position of the recipient would be expected to investigate.” Id. at 339.
The court determined that the question of a party’s justifiable reliance is an issue of comparative negligence that should be resolved by a jury. Id. In so holding the court was fully aware that the negligent misrepresentation in question in Gilchrist concerned the zoning designation of the property. See Gilchrist, 696 So. 2d at 339; see also Gilchrist Timber Co. v. ITT Rayonier, Inc., 127 F. 3d 1390, 1398 (11th Cir.1997) (upon Florida Supreme Court’s answer to certified question, reversing and remanding for retrial solely on issue of comparative negligence).
Accordingly, Gilchrist in no way suggests that a cause of action may be precluded as a matter of law based on the trial court’s determination that a plaintiff reasonably could have discovered the information and/or that such information is part of public record.
In ruling that appellants’ claims of negligent and fraudulent misrepresentation were precluded as a matter of law, the lower court in the instant case relied on Nelson v. Wiggs, 699 So. 2d 258 (Fla. 3d DCA 1997), review denied, 705 So. 2d 570 (Fla.1998), and Pressman v. Wolf, 732 So. 2d 356 (Fla. 3d DCA), review denied, 744 So. 2d 459 (Fla.1999).
In Nelson, the purchasers argued at trial that under Johnson v. Davis, 480 So. 2d 625 (Fla.1985), the seller had failed her duty to disclose the seasonal flooding to which the property was subject. The Third District noted that although the then recently decided Gilchrist case involved negligent misrepresentation as opposed to no representation, both types of cases require a purchaser to take reasonable steps to ascertain material facts regarding the property. Nelson, 699 So. 2d at 261.
The court concluded that the seller had no duty to disclose because the regulations intended to protect homes in the county from seasonal flooding were a matter of public record. Id. In the instant case, appellees McGinnis/Coldwell Banker concede that CBRA designations are not easily understood by lay persons and that a prospective buyer may need help in interpreting the contents of public record.
Nevertheless, appellees argue that the holding in Nelson refines Gilchrist and stands for the principle that land use regulations are per se reasonably ascertainable in a negligent misrepresentation action because they are public record.
We reject this per se rule as a contradiction of the supreme court’s holding in Gilchrist.
In Pressman, the property buyer sued the sellers on several grounds, including various claims of fraudulent misrepresentation, and received judgment and compensatory damages, but the Third District reversed. Pressman, 732 So. 2d at 362. Pertinent to this case, the court addressed the buyer’s claim that the sellers fraudulently induced her to buy the home by falsely telling her that the city planned to remove an “eyesore” building within the home’s view. Relying on Nelson, the court held that “[statements concerning public record cannot form the basis for a claim of actionable fraud.” Id. at 361. Insofar as the trial court may have based its decision on Pressman to bar the negligent misrepresentation claim, Gilchrist is to the contrary, as we have previously stated.
With regard to a claim of fraudulent misrepresentation, this holding in Pressman conflicts with the supreme court’s holding in Besett v. Basnett, 389 So. 2d 995, 998 (Fla.1980), in which the supreme court expressly stated with regard to a fraudulent misrepresentation that “a recipient may rely on the truth of a representation, even though its falsity could have been ascertained had he made an investigation, unless he knows the representation to be false or its falsity is obvious to him.”
For the foregoing reasons, we hold that the trial court erred in determining that appellants’ claims of negligent and fraudulent misrepresentation are barred as a matter of law. The court also erred in determining that appellants did not rely on a representation by McGinnis to appellants that the property was not in a CBRA. Appellees concede that McGinnis made this representation to appellants’ agent and concede that at the time McGin-nis had a document stating that the property was located in a CBRA. The question of appellants’ reliance remains a disputed issue of material fact.
Accordingly, for the reasons discussed above, we reverse the trial court’s grant of summary judgment to appellees McGinnis/Coldwell Banker. To the extent that our decision conflicts with Nelson and Pressman, we certify that conflict to the supreme court. See Azam v. M/I Schottenstein Homes, Inc., 761 So. 2d 1195, 1196 (Fla. 4th DCA 2000) (certifying conflict with Pressman and agreeing with special concurrence, which stated that “[wjhether a fraudulent statement about a public record is actionable is a question of fact”).
We also reverse the court’s order of summary judgment entered in favor of appellees Hunnicutt. Contrary to the trial court’s finding, whether Mrs. Newbern and Abbott Realty originally told Hunni-cutt that the property was not a CBRA is not determinative of appellants’ misrepresentation claim. Appellants alleged that Hunnicutt knew that appellants would not close unless they were fully insured at closing, including federal flood insurance coverage, and assured them that such coverage would be effective upon closing. Prior to closing, however, Hunnicutt first discovered conflicting information regarding the property’s CBRA status and then obtained information that the property was located in a CBRA.
Nevertheless, she never notified appellants of this information before closing, and at closing Hunnicutt did not provide the promised insurance. The question of Hunnicutt’s negligence presents issues of material fact. See Warehouse Foods v. Corporate Risk Management Servs., 530 So. 2d 422, 423 (Fla. 1st DCA 1988).
In addition, to the extent the trial court found that appellants did not establish damages because they have not suffered flood damage and have not purchased private flood insurance, we reverse. Appellants presented evidence regarding the large price differential between federal and private flood insurance and their purchase of a house that they would not have bought had they known the property was located in a CBRA. Both orders of summary judgment are reversed, and the cause is remanded for further proceedings consistent with this opinion.
ERVIN, MINER and KAHN, JJ., CONCUR. . Pursuant to the Coastal Barrier Improvement Act of 1990, Congress mandated the exclusion of CBRAs from the Federal Flood Insurance Program. See 16 U.S.C. §§ 3501, 3504.
Cases With Similar Vibessemantic neighbors from the corpus
Citator
Cited By
-
Specialty Marine & Indus. Supplies, Inc. v. Bahram Venus, 66 So. 3d 306 (Fla. 1st DCA 2011)…of information furnished, but instead is responsible for investigating that information which “a reasonable person in the position of the recipient would be expected to investigate.” Gilchrist Timber, 696 So. 2d at 339; see also Newbern v. Mansbach, 777 So. 2d 1044, 1045-46 (Fla. 1st DCA 2001). If a recipient of false information does undertake an investigation, the element of justifiable reliance does not fail as a matter of law. Stev-Mar, Inc. v. Matvejs, 678 So. 2d 834, 837 (Fla. 3d DCA 1996) (holding that,…
-
Camena Invs. & Prop. Mgmt. Corp. v. Cross, 791 So. 2d 595 (Fla. 3d DCA 2001)…ired a buyer to take reasonable steps to “ascertain reasonably ascertainable facts.” However, that is not the same as holding that a buyer can never claim fraud when the seller withholds information found in a public record. See Newbern v. Mansbach, 777 So. 2d 1044 (Fla. 1st DCA 2001) citing Besett v. Basnett, 389 So. 2d 995, 998 (Fla.1980)(with regard to a fraudulent misrepresentation, “a recipient may rely on the truth of a representation, even if the falsity could have been ascertained through investigation…
-
In re STANDARD JURY INSTRUCTIONS IN CONTRACT & BUS. CASES-2018 REPORT., 260 So. 3d 87 (Fla. 2018)…f the "readily observable" standard as that is generally a question of fact for the jury to determine. Compare Nelson v. Wiggs, 699 So. 2d 258 (Fla. 3d DCA 1997); M/I Schottenstein Homes, Inc. v. Azam, 813 So. 2d 91 (Fla. 2002); Newbern v. Mansbach, 777 So. 2d 1044 (Fla. 1st DCA 2001). 416.43 PIERCING THE CORPORATE VEIL A (form of business entity) is a legal entity separate from its owner(s). An owner can be an/a [individual] [(form of business entity)]. The owner(s) are not liable for the acts of the (form…
Previewing 3 of 4 citing cases — full citator treatment, depth of discussion, and citing context are member features.
Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligenceAuthorities Cited
- Johnson v. Morton Davis and Edna Davis, 480 So. 2d 625 (Fla. 1985)
- Besett v. Basnett, 389 So. 2d 995 (Fla. 1980)
- Gilchrist Timber Co. v. ITT Rayonier, Inc., 696 So. 2d 334 (Fla. 1997)
- Pressman v. Ingrid Wolf, 732 So. 2d 356 (Fla. 3d DCA 1999)
- Warehouse Foods, Inc. v. Corporate Risk Mgmt. Servs., Inc., 530 So. 2d 422 (Fla. 1st DCA 1988)
- Nelson v. Wiggs, 699 So. 2d 258 (Fla. 3d DCA 1997)
- Gilchrist Timber Co. v. ITT Rayonier, Inc., 127 F.3d 1390 (11th Cir. 1997)
- Nasad Azam v. M/I Schottenstein Homes, Inc., 761 So. 2d 1195 (Fla. 4th DCA 2000)