BELL
v.
DELOACH, ET AL.
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Plaintiff Bell sued defendants Deloach and Southern Bell for negligence arising from a 1979 automobile accident. The defendants' motion for summary judgment was granted because plaintiff failed to meet the threshold requirements of the Florida No-Fault Act, which requires proof of permanent injury or other specified damages to pursue a tort claim.
Defendants are entitled to summary judgment because plaintiff failed to establish, through either allegation or evidence, that she sustained a permanent injury within a reasonable degree of medical probability as required by the No-Fault Act. The unsupported allegations of permanent injury are insufficient to create a genuine issue of material fact.
[1] Under the Florida No-Fault Act, a plaintiff must demonstrate a significant and permanent loss of an important bodily function, permanent injury within a reasonable degree…
[2] Unsupported allegations of injury are insufficient to create a genuine issue of material fact regarding the extent and permanency of alleged injuries.
Previewing 2 of 5 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“Under the Florida No-Fault Act in effect at the time of the accident (1979), the defendants are exempted from tort liability for damages unless plaintiff has sustained injury or disease which consist in whole or in part of — (a) Significant and permanent loss of an important bodily function. (b) Permanent injury within a reasonable degree of medical probability, other than scarring or disfigurement.”
Establishes the statutory threshold requirements plaintiff must meet to pursue a tort claim under the No-Fault Act
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Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligenceOn April 25, 1979, plaintiff Barbara Bell and defendant William L. Deloach were involved in an automobile accident at the corner of 2nd Street and 16t…
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Summary final judgment: Plaintiff, Barbara Bell (“Bell”), has sued defendants, William L. Deloach (“Deloach”) and Southern Bell Telephone & Telegraph Company (“Southern Bell”), for alleged negligence in the operation or maintenance of a motor vehicle. The defendants have filed a motion for summary judgment in their favor. After having heard arguments of counsel and based upon the depositions and exhibits on file, the court finds as follows —
1. On or about April 25, 1979, plaintiff Bell and defendant Deloach were involved in an automobile accident at the corner of 2nd Street and 16th Avenue North, Jacksonville Beach, Florida. The accident and complaint arising therefrom fall within the Florida Automobile Reparations Reform Act, Chapter 627, Florida Statutes, as amended.
2. Under the Florida No-Fault Act in effect at the time of the accident (1979), the defendants are exempted from tort liability for damages unless plaintiff has sustained injury or disease which consist in whole or in part of —
(a) Significant and permanent loss of an important bodily function.
(b) Permanent injury within a reasonable degree of medical probability, other than scarring or disfigurement.
(c) Significant and permanent scarring or disfigurement.
(d) Death.
See §627.737(2), Florida Statutes.
3. The plaintiff alleged in her complaint that she was “injured in and about her body and extremities, suffered pain therefrom, incurred medical expenses in the treatment of her injuries, suffered physical handicap, and her working ability was impaired. The injuries are permanent and this plaintiff will suffer these losses and impairments in the future.”
*1994. The plaintiff has neither alleged nor presented evidence that she has sustained a “permanent injury within a reasonable degree of medical probability.” The undisputed deposition testimony of the plaintiff’s treating physician was that the plaintiff did not sustain a permanent injury.
5. The unsupported allegations of the plaintiff are insufficient to create a genuine issue of material fact as to the extent and permanency of plaintiff’s alleged injuries. Refior v. Matuszcak, 358 So.2d 95 (Fla. 4th D.C.A. 1978).
6. The depositions and exhibits on file show that there is no genuine issue as to any material fact and that defendants are entitled to judgment as a matter of law.
7. A new statutory procedure is set forth in §627.737 (3), Florida Statutes, for a hearing on a one-time basis only when a defendant questions whether the plaintiff has met the requirements of §627.737(2). The defendants in this case, however have moved for summary judgment under Rule 1.510, Rules of Civil Procedure, and the court deems that rule to be applicable here. The procedure provided for by §627.737(3) is (a) permissive rather than mandatory, and (b) involves a procedural aspect of trial reserved to the rulemaking authority of the Supreme Court by Article V, Section 2(a) of the Florida Constitution. See Markert v. Johnston, 367 So.2d 1003 (Fla. 1979).
It is therefore ordered and adjudged —
(1) That motion of the defendants William L. Deloach and Southern Bell Telephone & Telegraph Company for summary judgment is granted, and said defendants shall go hence without day.
(2) That the court reserves jurisdiction to award costs upon motion therefor.
Cases With Similar Vibessemantic neighbors from the corpus
Citator
Authorities Cited
- Markert v. Johnston, 367 So. 2d 1003 (Fla. 1978)
- Refior v. Matuszcak, 358 So. 2d 95 (Fla. 4th DCA 1978)