TERESA V. GUERRERO, APPELLANT,
v.
MIAMI-DADE COUNTY AND THE CITY OF MIAMI, APPELLEES
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Teresa Guerrero appeals the dismissal of her civil action for failure to prosecute. The Third District Court of Appeal reversed the dismissal, holding that the record revealed sufficient activity (filings and court orders) to preclude dismissal under Florida Rule of Civil Procedure 1.420(e).
The court reversed the dismissal, holding that because the record revealed activity by filing of pleadings and court orders, the action should not have been dismissed for failure to prosecute under Rule 1.420(e). The court noted that while Guerrero's conduct and change in position might justify dismissal as a sanction, this argument was not raised below and thus could not support the dismissal.
[1] An action should not be dismissed for lack of prosecution if the record reveals activity such as filings of pleadings, orders of court, or otherwise.
[2] A party's change in position regarding representation, even if intended to frustrate procedural rules, cannot form the basis for an order of dismissal if the arguments we…
Previewing 2 of 3 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“if a review of the face of the record reveals activity by 'filings of pleadings, order of court, or otherwise,' an action should not be dismissed [for lack of prosecution]”
Establishes the controlling legal standard for dismissal for failure to prosecute under Rule 1.420(e)
Previewing 1 of 3 key quotes on this case — the court’s exact language, pinpointed for members.
Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligenceGuerrero's action was filed in March 2001. In July 2005, her counsel was permitted to withdraw and she was ordered to decide whether to represent hers…
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WELLS, J.
Teresa V. Guerrero appeals from an order dismissing the instant action for failure to prosecute. We reverse.
This action has been pending since March 2001. In July of 2005, Guerrero’s counsel was permitted to withdraw and Guerrero was ordered to advise the court within twenty one days whether she would represent herself or would obtain new counsel. Guerrero timely notified the court that she would proceed pro se.
Guerrero thereafter took no meaningful steps to prosecute this action. In December of 2006, both the City of Miami and Miami-Dade County moved to dismiss for failure to prosecute under Florida Rule of Civil Procedure 1.420(e).1 Within days, Guerrero filed a notice requesting a ruling on an earlier filed motion for leave to amend her complaint and advising of her ongoing efforts to retain new counsel. No action was taken.
In early 2007, the City and Miami-Dade County again sought to dismiss for failure to prosecute. Guerrero again frustrated dismissal by timely filing a response. The court nonetheless dismissed the action for lack of prosecution.
The City, citing to rule 1.420(e) and this court’s decision in London v. Baxter Healthcare Corp., 965 So. 2d 307, 307 (Fla. 3d DCA 2007), has correctly confessed error. See also Wilson v. Salamon, 923 So. 2d 363, 368 (Fla.2005) (concluding that “if a review of the face of the record reveals activity by ‘filings of pleadings, order of court, or otherwise,’ an action should not be dismissed [for lack of prosecution]” (quoting Metro. Dade County v. Hall, 784 So. 2d 1087 (Fla.2001))). The County, however, argues that dismissal was nonetheless proper since Guerrero represented in her 2007 response to its motion to dismiss for lack of prosecution that the action should not be dismissed because she was still attempting to locate new counsel, despite the fact that she earlier had notified the court that she would be proceeding pro se rather than retaining new counsel. While Guerrero’s change in position apparently made for the purpose of frustrating the rules of procedure, combined with her failure to advance this action for over six years may well justify dismissal as a sanction, these arguments were not raised below, thus they can provide no basis for the instant order. See Roth v. Cohen, 941 So. 2d 496, 500 (Fla. 3d DCA 2006) (“For an issue to be preserved for appeal, ... it ‘must be presented to the lower court and the specific legal argument or ground to be argued on appeal must be part of that presentation if it is to be considered preserved.’ ” (quoting Archer v. State, 613 So. 2d 446, 448 (Fla.1993))); see also Dober v. Worrell, 401 So. 2d 1322, 1323-24 (Fla.1981); Vacation Beach, Inc. v. Charles Boyd Constr., Inc., 906 So. 2d 374 (Fla. 5th DCA 2005); Parlier v. Eagle-Picher Indus., Inc., 622 So. 2d 479 (Fla. 5th DCA 1993).
Because the record reveals activity that would preclude dismissal for failure to prosecute, we reverse the order on appeal and remand for reinstatement of the instant action.
. Rule 1.420(e), in pertinent part, provides:
In all actions in which it appears on the face of the record that no activity by filing of pleadings, order of court, or otherwise has occurred for a period of 10 months, and no order staying the action has been issued nor stipulation for stay approved by the court, any interested person, whether a party to the action or not, the court, or the clerk of the court may serve notice to all parties that no such activity has occurred. If no such record activity has occurred within the 10 months immediately preceding the service of such notice, and no record activity occurs within the 60 days immediately following the service of such notice, ... the action shall be dismissed ... unless a party shows good cause....
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Cited By
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Weston TC LLLP v. CNDP Mktg. Inc., 66 So. 3d 370 (Fla. 4th DCA 2011)…l under Rule 1.420(e). Reversed. POLEN, J., concurs. DAMOORGIAN, J., concurs specially with opinion. . See also Bakala v. Bakala, 58 So. 3d 423 (Fla. 2d DCA 2011) (a suggestion of death and motion for substitution); Guerrero v. Miami-Dade Cnty., 994 So. 2d 472 (Fla. 3d DCA 2008) (a timely response to a motion to dismiss for failure to prosecute); Norman v. Darville, 964 So. 2d 864 (Fla. 2d DCA 2007) (a notice of change of address); London v. Baxter Healthcare Corp., 965 So. 2d 307 (Fla. 3d DCA 2007) (a st…
Authorities Cited
- Chirogianis v. Anderson, 401 So. 2d 1322 (Fla. 1981)
- Archer v. State, 613 So. 2d 446 (Fla. 1993)
- Gloriann Wilson v. Eva J. Salamon, M.D., 923 So. 2d 363 (Fla. 2005)
- Metro. Dade Cnty. v. Hall, 784 So. 2d 1087 (Fla. 2001)
- Roth v. Cohen, 941 So. 2d 496 (Fla. 3d DCA 2006)
- Aguilar v. Westchester Gen. Hosp., Inc., 622 So. 2d 479 (Fla. 3d DCA 1993)
- Vacation Beach, Inc. v. Charles Boyd Constr., Inc., 906 So. 2d 374 (Fla. 5th DCA 2005)
- London v. Baxter Healthcare Corp., 965 So. 2d 307 (Fla. 3d DCA 2007)