ALAIN MURGA, INDIVIDUALLY AND ON BEHALF OF ALL OTHER SIMILARLY SITUATED PLAINTIFFS, APPELLANT,
v.
UNITED PROPERTY & CASUALTY INSURANCE COMPANY, APPELLEE

Fla. 3d DCA | 2006-11-01
No. 3D05-2295
Before WELLS, CORTIÑAS, and LAGOA, JJ.
941 So. 2d 482 Florida District Court of Appeal, Third District (2006) Positive Treatment
Cited by 4 cases

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Holding

The trial court's order granting dismissal of the class action complaint was defective because it failed to state findings of fact and conclusions of law as required by Rule 1.220(d)(1).


Facts & Procedural History

The trial court dismissed a class action complaint without providing any grounds or findings of fact and conclusions of law. The appellate court revie…

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Opinion of the Court
WELLS, Judge.

WELLS, Judge.

Alain Murga appeals from an order dismissing his class action complaint against insurer United Property & Casualty Insurance Company. Rule 1.220 of the Florida Rules of Civil Procedure governing pleadings in class action cases requires the plaintiff to allege the existence of a class; to define the alleged class; to specify the approximate number of class members; and to “demonstrate that the four prerequisites specified in rule 1.220(a) are satisfied and that the action meets the criteria for one of the three types of class actions defined in rule 1.220(b).” Bobinger v. Deltona Corp., 563 So. 2d 739, 742 (Fla. 2d DCA 1990). Murga’s complaint demonstrates that his claim cannot satisfy the criteria of any of the three types of actions defined in Rule 1.220(b). Because amendment in this case would be futile, the action was properly dismissed. See Kay’s Custom Drapes, Inc. v. Garrote, 920 So. 2d 1168, 1171 (Fla. 3d DCA 2006)(quoting Kimball v. Publix Super Mkts., Inc., 901 So. 2d 293, 296 (Fla. 2d DCA 2005), observ ing that “[r]efusaJ to allow an amendment is an abuse of the trial court’s discretion ‘unless it clearly appears ... amendment would be futile.’ State Farm Fire & Cas. Co. v. Fleet Fin. Corp., 724 So. 2d 1218, 1219 (Fla. 5th DCA 1998).”); Carter v. Ferrell, 666 So. 2d 556, 557 (Fla. 2d DCA 1995)(observing that “refusal to allow an amendment constitutes an abuse of discretion unless it clearly appears that ... amendment would be futile”).

Accordingly, the order under review is affirmed.

LAGOA, J., concurs.

Dissent
CORTINAS, Judge

CORTINAS, Judge

(dissenting).

I respectfully dissent. This is an appeal from an order granting a motion to dismiss the class action complaint. The trial court’s order does not explain or detail the judge’s grounds for dismissal.

Assuming, as the majority does, that the trial court dismissed the complaint for failure to meet the Rule 1.220 criteria applicable to class actions, the order doing so is completely defective.1 Rule 1.220(d)(1) of the Florida Rules of Civil Procedure requires that the court conduct a hearing “as soon as practicable after service of any pleading alleging the existence of a class.” Fla. R. Civ. P. 1.220(d)(1). After holding a hearing, the trial court “shall enter an order determining whether the claim or defense is maintainable” as a class action. Id.

Rule 1.220(d)(1) further requires that “[irrespective of whether the .court determines that the claim or defense is main-tamable on behalf of a class, the order shall separately state the findings of fact and conclusions of law upon which the determination is based.” Fla. R. Civ. P. 1.220(d)(1)(emphasis added); see also Fla. Dep’t of Agric. & Consumer Servs. v. City of Pompano Beach, 829 So. 2d 928, 930 (Fla. 4th DCA 2002)(“Rule 1.220(d) requires the court to conduct a hearing and enter an order determining whether the claim is maintainable on behalf of a class, stating its findings as to the requirements of Rule 1.220(a) and (b).”).

Here, the trial court’s order does not contain a single finding of fact or any conclusion of law. In fact, the trial court’s order does not even cite to the rule under which dismissal is being granted. On its face, the trial court’s order is completely defective and, as such, cannot be affirmed.

In my opinion, the majority puts the proverbial cart before the horse in conducting what is essentially a de novo review of the propriety of appellant’s class action allegations without any indication that the allegations were properly considered and ruled upon by the trial court. Such a review is entirely inconsistent with the applicable standard of review for appeals of trial court decisions on class certification. United Auto. Ins. Co. v. Diagnostics of S. Fla., Inc., 921 So. 2d 23, 25 (Fla. 3d DCA 2006)(stating that a trial court’s order certifying a class is reviewed for abuse of discretion) (citations omitted).

An abuse of discretion review, which is required in this case, does not and can not entail performing the functions of a trial court. As an appellate court, we cannot review the propriety of the trial court’s order without any indication, as required by Rule 1.220(d)(1), of the grounds on which it is based. I would reverse the order of dismissal and remand this case to the trial court for consideration of appellant’s class action allegations.

. There is nothing to indicate that the trial court's dismissal of the complaint was based on Rule 1.140, which applies to dismissals for failure to state a cause of action. Cf. Slade v. Federated Nat’l Ins. Co., 904 So. 2d 623, 624 (Fla. 4th DCA 2005)(holding that an order granting a motion to dismiss class action allegations on the grounds that they are not sufficient to maintain a class action is implicitly a Rule 1.140(b)(6) motion, not a denial of class certification, and therefore is not appealable as a non-final order); see also Fla. Dep’t of Agric. & Consumer Servs. v. City of Pompano Beach, 829 So. 2d 928, 930 (Fla. 4th DCA 2002)(recognizing a difference between motions to dismiss for failure to state a cause of action under Rule 1.140 and motions to deny class certification under Rule 1.220).


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  • United Dominion Realty Tr., Inc. v. Penco Constr. Co., 108 So. 3d 1111 (Fla. 5th DCA 2013)
    …ntiff. That ruling was never challenged or appealed. As a consequence, the Appellant’s cross-claims sounding in contribution, negligence or common law indemnity were properly dismissed without leave to amend. See Murga v. United Prop. Cas. Ins. Co., 941 So. 2d 482, 482 (Fla. 3d DCA 2006) (dismissal is proper where amendment is futile). Although the Appellant now claims that it could have asserted a contractual indemnity claim, it never did. More importantly, Appellant never asked the court for leave to amend…
  • Valls v. SCI Funeral Servs. OF Fla., Inc., 4 So. 3d 1254 (Fla. 3d DCA 2009)
    …PER CURIAM. Affirmed. See Engle v. Liggett Group, 945 So. 2d 1246 (Fla.2006); Kia Motors Am. v. Butler, 985 So. 2d 1133 (Fla. 3d DCA 2008); Murga v. United Prop. & Cas. Ins. Co., 941 So. 2d 482 (Fla. 3d DCA 2006); Carnival Corp. v. Gagliano, 907 So. 2d 647 (Fla. 3d DCA 2005); Ortiz v. Ford Motor Co., 909 So. 2d 479 (Fla. 3d DCA 2005); Norwegian Cruise Lines v. Rose, 784 So. 2d 1248 (Fla. 3d DCA 2001); S. Bell Tel. & Tel. Co. v. Wilson, 305…

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