PATRICIA SMITH, AN INFANT, BY HER FATHER AND NEXT FRIEND, CARL GLASS SMITH, AND CARL GLASS SMITH, APPELLANTS,
v.
ANN CAFARO MUSSO, APPELLEE

Fla. 2d DCA | 1963-03-27
No. 3299
KANNER and SMITH, JJ., concur.
151 So. 2d 475 Florida District Court of Appeal, Second District (1963) Positive Treatment
Cited by 12 cases

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Holding

The court held that the summary judgment was improperly granted because genuine issues of material fact remained regarding the circumstances of the accident.


Facts & Procedural History

A nine-year-old child was struck by the defendant's car in the middle of the street. The defendant's deposition provided minimal details about how the…

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Opinion of the Court
SHANNON, Chief Judge.

SHANNON, Chief Judge.

The appellant, plaintiff below, appeals from a summary judgment entered on behalf of the defendant, Ann Cafaro Musso, appellee here:

The summary judgment was entered, on the question of liability, on the deposition of defendant taken at the instance of the plaintiff.

It appears from the complaint and the deposition that the plaintiff, Patricia Smith, a minor of nine years of age, was struck by the automobile driven by the defendant in the middle of the block and on the street-way in the daytime. The deposition of defendant shows that defendant was going slowly, but from that point it is almost devoid of any facts. In her deposition the defendant stated:

“Q. Will you describe, exactly what happened? You tell us what you recall about it.
“A. Well, I was driving along L Street and about 15 miles an hour and first thing you know the child is right on my car here.
“Q. When did you first notice the.child ?
*477“A. When she was right on top of the car.
******
“Q. Now then, you didn’t see this child then until the child you say was on the automobile?
“A. Right by the, you know, the car.
“Q. Was the child on the car or near the car?
“A. I only saw her when she just went on the car like that.
“Q. Went on the car?
“A. That’s right.”

In her motion for a summary judgment the defendant was required to show by F.R.C.P. 1.36(c), 30 F.S.A., that: “* * * The judgment or decree sought shall be rendered forthwith if the pleadings, depositions and admissions on file, together with the affidavits, if any, show that there is no genuine issue as to any material fact and that the moving party is entitled to a judgment or decree as a matter of law. * * * ”

In setting out the rule Judge Stur-gis, for the court, in Posey v. Pensacola Tractor & Equipment Company, Fla.App. 1962, 138 So.2d 777, stated:

“It is elemental that the movant at all times carries the burden of clearly and unequivocally establishing the right to summary judgment, and that it cannot be granted if there exists any controverted issue of material fact or if the proofs supporting the motion fail to overcome every theory upon which, under the pleadings, the adversary’s position might be sustained. * * * ”

The facts in this case show a motorist and a pedestrian, with reciprocal rights to the roadway, the defendant driving her car, and the minor plaintiff suddenly appearing, as shown in defendant’s testimony. Where the child came from or what she was doing in the middle of the highway, and other such points, were not covered. Insofar as we can see, she had as much right in the roadway as did the defendant, but whether her appearance was sudden, or whether she darted out, is not shown by either the depositions or any of the affidavits.

In Nelson v. Ziegler, Fla.1956, 89 So.2d 780, which was a directed verdict in the court below and was reversed on appeal, Mr. Justice Thornal, in a comprehensive opinion, stated:

“Appellee Ziegler testified that she did not see the appellant at any time before she heard a ‘thud’ from the left side of her car. She stated that her lights were bright but she offered no explanation whatever for having failed to see the man. The point where the vehicle struck Nelson was approximately 21 feet from the curb. His body was found approximately 30 feet from the point of contact.”

It would seem that in the present case, as in the Nelson case, such facts are necessary for a proper disposition of the action.

The appellants have cited certain cases which involve a motion for directed verdict. When the motions for directed verdict and summary judgment are compared, it will be seen that both motions are directed to a question of law. In Warring v. Winn-Dixie Stores, Fla.App.1958, 105 So. 2d 915, the court, through Mr. Justice Barns, stated:

"Motion for directed verdict and motion for summary judgment, compared: Both motions give rise to questions of law. Whether the motion be for a directed verdict or for a summary judgment the movant not only admits the basic facts established which are favorable to the adverse party, but also every conclusion or inference favorable to the adversary that might be reasonably inferred from the evidence.”

While the present case is a close one, nevertheless, as this court stated in *478Radice v. Morris, Fla.App.1961, 135 So.2d 231, the inferences that are discernible on a motion for summary judgment may give way in the trial so that a directed verdict may properly be granted; but we are not at this time compelled to decide the latter question.

Reversed.

KANNER and SMITH, JJ., concur.


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Citator

Cited By

  • Matarese v. Leesburg Elks Club, 171 So. 2d 606 (Fla. 2d DCA 1965)
    …ALLEN, J., concurs. KELLY, CLIFTON M., Associate Judge, dissents. . Hart Properties, Inc. v. Slack, Fla.1964, 159 So. 2d 236; Settecasi v. Board of Public Instruction of Pinellas County, Fla.App.1963, 156 So. 2d 652; Smith v. Musso, Fla.App.1963, 151 So. 2d 475; Posey v. Pensacola Tractor & Equipment Company, Fla.App.1962, 138 So. 2d 777; Sakowitz v. Marshall, Fla.App. 1962, 146 So. 2d 105; Food Fair Stores of Florida, Inc. v. Patty, Fla.1959, 109 So. 2d 5.…
  • Ocie M. Haley v. Harvey Bldg., Inc., 168 So. 2d 330 (Fla. 2d DCA 1964)
    …erted issue of material fact or if the proofs supporting the motion fail to overcome every theory upon which, under the pleadings, the adversary’s position might be sustained. * * * ” This court has quoted this rule in Smith v. Musso, Fla.App.1963, 151 So. 2d 475. In determining whether to grant a motion for summary judgment all inferences of fact must be resolved in favor of the nonmoving party. Warring v. Winn-Dixie Stores, Fla.App.1958, 105 So. 2d 915. In Williams v. Board of Public Instruction, etc., Fl…
  • Cahill v. Cooney, 182 So. 2d 32 (Fla. 3d DCA 1966)
    …inal judgment in a personal injury action. Necessarily, in determining the propriety of the entry of the summary final judgment, all reasonable inferences are to be drawn in favor of the party moved against. See: Smith v. Musso, Fla.App. [*33] 1963, 151 So. 2d 475; Michalski v. Peaslee, Fla.App.1965, 174 So. 2d 427. From the record on appeal, it appears that the defendant was traveling south on 31st Road in Broward County, when she approached an intersection [an alleyway which crossed the road at right angle…

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