MIRADIEU AUBOURG, APPELLANT,
v.
DENISE ERAZO, APPELLEE
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In this automobile accident case, the Florida Fourth District Court of Appeal affirmed the trial court's denial of the defendant's motion for new trial without holding a hearing. The court receded from its prior holding in Magnuson to the extent that it required a live hearing before denying a motion for new trial, holding that due process does not mandate such a hearing when the motion contains no new evidence or arguments not previously presented to the court.
The trial court did not err in denying the motion for new trial without a hearing. Due process does not require a live hearing before a court denies a motion for new trial, particularly when the motion contains no new matters not previously argued during trial. The court receded from Magnuson to the extent that case required a hearing prior to denial of a motion for new trial.
[1] Due process requires a hearing on a motion for new trial when the motion raises new matters not previously argued to the court.
[2] A trial court may deny a motion for new trial without a hearing if the motion does not present new matters not previously argued.
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Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligence“due process requires a hearing thereon after notice to all parties”
The court's statement of the holding in Magnuson regarding the requirement for a hearing on a motion for new trial.
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Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligenceAppellant was the defendant in an automobile accident case. After trial, he filed a motion for new trial asserting that the verdict was against the ma…
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TAYLOR, J.
Appellant, the defendant below in this automobile accident case, contends that the trial court erred in denying his motion for new trial. The motion asserted that the verdict was against the manifest weight of the evidence. We find no error in the trial court’s denial of the motion for new trial. However, we write to address appellant’s argument that the court erred in denying the motion for new trial without holding a hearing.
In arguing that the trial court was required to hold a “live” hearing on his motion for new trial, appellant relies on Seaboard Coast Line Railroad Co. v. Magnuson, 288 So. 2d 302 (Fla. 4th DCA 1974). In Magnuson, wherein the trial court had denied the motion for new trial, we held that when a party to an adversary proceeding files a motion for new trial under rule 1.530, Florida Rules of Civil Procedure, due process requires a hearing thereon after notice to all parties. Rule 1.530 provides no guidance, however, as to whether the due process requirement of an “opportunity to be heard” can only be fulfilled by a “live” hearing prior to denial or grant of a motion for new trial. We provided no reasoning for our ruling in Magnuson and no support can be found in the rule itself. Nevertheless, we concluded that the error in failing to hold a hearing in Magnuson was harmless because the motion contained no new matters which had not been argued previously to the court during the course of the trial.
Appellant argues that his motion for new trial in this case did contain matters which had not been previously argued to the court, namely, his assertion that the verdict was against the manifest weight of the evidence. Thus, he argues, due process required the trial court to hold a hearing on his motion for new trial. We disagree and recede from Magnuson to the extent that it requires a hearing before the court can deny a motion for new trial.
Several of our sister district courts of appeal have addressed rule 1.530’s omission of a hearing requirement. The Second District Court of Appeal .held that, although rule 1.530 contains no requirement for a live hearing, due process requires such a proceeding before a trial court can grant a motion for rehearing. J.R. Fenton, Inc. v. Gallery 600, Inc., 488 So. 2d 587, 588 (Fla. 2d DCA 1986); see also Carnell v. Carnell, 398 So. 2d 503, 507 (Fla. 5th DCA 1981).
The third and fifth districts have also addressed this issue. In Alberger v. Harrison, 342 So. 2d 537, 539 (Fla. 3d DCA 1977) the third district recognized our Magnuson holding that due process requires a hearing prior to a ruling on a post-trial motion for new trial. Although Alberger did not pass on the validity of Magnuson, it did apply the Magnuson limitation that, if there is no new evidence raised by the motion, then there is only harmless error, if any error at all, if no hearing is held. Id. The fifth district, in Camell, likewise recognized the rule established by Magnuson and its limiting provision with respect to harmless error. In Camell, the appellant argued that he was denied due process because he was not given a hearing on his motion for rehearing. 398 So. 2d at 507. As appellee argues, the trial court is entitled to assume that the party’s motion for new trial contains all relevant arguments such that an oral hearing is unnecessary before the court denies the motion. Further, if the court contemplates granting the motion for new trial, the court can satisfy due process by holding a hearing or giving the opposing party an opportunity to be heard through written responses.
We have considered the other issues raised by appellant, but find no error and affirm.
Affirmed.
STEVENSON, GUNTHER, STONE, WARNER, POLEN, FARMER, KLEIN, SHAHOOD, GROSS, HAZOURI and MAY, JJ., concur.
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Authorities Cited
- Darrel Carnell v. Carnell, 398 So. 2d 503 (Fla. 5th DCA 1981)
- Seaboard Coast Line R.R. Co. & Robert J. Schmidt v. Art A. Magnuson, 288 So. 2d 302 (Fla. 4th DCA 1974)
- Alberger v. Harvison, 342 So. 2d 537 (Fla. 3d DCA 1977)
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