JOE SAPIENZA, APPELLANT,
v.
KARLAND, INC., A FLORIDA CORPORATION, D/B/A SAGAMORE HOTEL, APPELLEE

Fla. 3d DCA | 1963-06-04
No. 62-595
Before PEARSON, TILLMAN, C. J., and CARROLL and BARKDULL, JJ.
154 So. 2d 204 Florida District Court of Appeal, Third District (1963) Negative Treatment
Cited by 24 cases

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Synopsis

Sapienza appealed a judgment striking his conversion complaint as a sham pleading. The trial court found contradictions between Sapienza's deposition testimony and interrogatory answers regarding his ownership interest in the allegedly converted property, but the appellate court reversed, holding that a complaint should not be struck in its entirety when it could be good in part.


Holding

The complaint should not have been struck in its entirety because, under the facts established, there exists an issue upon which the pleading could be found good in part. A sham pleading must be one whose falsity clearly and indisputably appears as an evident pretense set up in bad faith, and the record did not leave an inescapable conclusion that plaintiff was acting in bad faith.


Key Quotes

“a pleading may be considered sham when its falsity clearly and indisputably appears and it is evidently a mere pretense set up in bad faith and without color of fact”

Establishes the legal standard for striking a pleading as sham, requiring clear and indisputable falsity combined with bad faith intent.

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Facts & Procedural History

Sapienza filed a conversion complaint claiming $5,700 in damages for allegedly converted personal property. During deposition, Sapienza admitted he ha…

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Opinion of the Court
PEARSON, TILLMAN, Chief Judge.

PEARSON, TILLMAN, Chief Judge.

The appellant, who was plaintiff in the trial court, appeals an order striking his complaint as a sham pleading and entering judgment for the defendant. Plaintiff’s complaint was founded upon the claimed conversion of certain personal property. The defendant filed a motion to strike the complaint as sham upon the following grounds:

“1. That the Plaintiff is not the owner of the entire personalty claimed, but did sell two-thirds (2/3) of the said property prior to the alleged date of the conversion in the above captioned matter.
“2. That the deposition of the Plaintiff was taken on or about the 4th day of June, 1962, at which time he did admit that he sold two-thirds (2/3) of the said property to JOPIN TRONO-LONE at a time prior to the alleged conversion date.
“3. That up to and including the present date, the Plaintiff is the owner of one-third (1/3) of the property allegedly converted.
“4. That the Plaintiff, during the date of his deposition, did admit and state that the market value of the said property allegedly converted was FIFTEEN-HUNDRED ($1500.00) DOLLARS less than the FIFTY-SEVEN *206HUNDRED ($5700.00) DOLLARS claimed.
“5. That the Plaintiff, through his own admissions is the owner of one-third (1/3) of the property allegedly converted, and would therefore, under the law, only be entitled to one-third (1/3) of the market value of the said property.
“6. That the Plaintiff, through his own admissions, is the owner of one-third (1/3) of the property allegedly converted, and would therefore, under the law, only be entitled to one-third (1/3) of the reasonable rental value of the said property, and one-third (1/3) of the loss of income to the Plaintiff for the alleged loss of use of the said property.”

The court entered an order on the motion to strike as follows:

“CONSIDERED, ORDERED AND ADJUDGED that ruling upon said Motion to Strike as sham be and the same is hereby reserved, and Plaintiff shall, within ten (10) days of the date of this Order file and serve an Amended Complaint.”

Thereafter, on the 23rd day of July, 1962, the court entered the judgment appealed in the following words:

“THIS CAUSE, coming on to be heard before me upon the Defendant’s Motion to Strike as Sham, and the Court after having heard argument of counsel, and after having considered the evidence, exhibits and depositions on file, and statements and admissions of counsel, the Court finds that the material allegations essential to the validity of this Complaint are sham, false and untrue, and the Court, having granted the Plaintiff ten (10) days within which to file an Amended Complaint, and it appearing to this Court that the Plaintiff has failed to file same, it is thereupon:
“CONSIDERED, ORDERED and ADJUDGED as follows:
“1. That the Defendant’s Motion to Strike Plaintiff’s Complaint as Sham be and the same is hereby granted.
“2. That the Plaintiff’s Complaint be and the same is hereby stricken as sham, and that judgment is hereby entered in favor of the Defendant, KAR-LAND, INC., a Florida corporation, and against the Plaintiff, JOE SAPI-ENZA, together with the Defendant’s costs, to be subsequently taxed, and that the Defendant, KARLAND, INC., a Florida corporation, may go hence without day.”

Appellant’s argument is centered upon the proposition that his cause of action should not have been dismissed with prejudice inasmuch as it affirmatively appears that the complaint was good for a portion of the personal property claimed to have been converted. It should be noted that the order appealed cannot be sustained as a dismissal of plaintiff’s complaint for failure to file an amended complaint. Nenow v. Ceilings & Specialties, Inc., Fla.App. 1963, 151 So.2d 28. It is apparent that the circuit judge attempted'to give the plaintiff-appellant an opportunity to amend his complaint if he wished to avoid a ruling upon defendant-appellee’s motion to. strike the complaint as sham. The appellant declined to take advantage of the opportunity to amend. Therefore, the final judgment entered stands upon the motion to strike as sham and was not affected by the order postponing ruling thereon.1

*207The record reveals that on the taking of appellant’s deposition he admitted that he had sold at least a third interest in the allegedly converted personal property prior to the alleged conversion. In his answer to defendant’s interrogatories, the plaintiff made what appears to be a contradictory statement. He said that he had sold a one-half interest in the property to a different person, but the deal was not completed. Obviously, both statements cannot be true because he failed to mention the sale admitted in his deposition. The question then arises as to whether such inconsistency is sufficient to brand the entire complaint as a sham.

The rule set forth in Rhea v. Hackney, 117 Fla. 62, 157 So. 190, is that a pleading may be considered sham when its falsity clearly and indisputably appears and it is evidently a mere pretense set up in bad faith and without color of fact. It follows that if there is, under the facts as established, an issue upon which the pleading could be found good in part, it ought not be stricken in its entirety. See Meadows v. Edwards, Fla.1955, 82 So.2d 733. The instant situation does not leave the inescapable conclusion that the plaintiff was playing fast and loose with the court. We are reinforced in this conclusion by the fact that after examining the factual basis for the striking of the complaint, the trial judge felt that it would be possible to frame an amended complaint presumably for that portion of the property which the plaintiff still claims to be the owner.

We conclude that the judgment appealed was erroneous in that it dismissed plaintiff’s cause of action with prejudice. Therefore, the order appealed is reversed and the cause is remanded with directions to enter an amended order granting the plaintiff a reasonable time to amend his complaint and transferring the cause to the court having jurisdiction of the amount in good faith in controversy, if transfer shall be appropriate. We mention the possible transfer of the cause to the Civil Court of Record in and for Dade County, Florida, since it appears that the circuit court may have no jurisdiction to proceed once it is established by the pleadings and admissions in the file that the plaintiff is not the owner of sufficient property to place in controversy an amount equal to the jurisdiction of the circuit court.

Reversed and remanded.


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Citator

Cited By (12 total)

  • …. We have jurisdiction due to conflict between the decision in this case and decisions rendered by two other Distirct Courts in the cases of Nenow v. Ceilings and Specialities, Inc., 151 So. 2d 28 (2nd D.C.A.Fla.1963), and Sapienza v. Karland, Inc., 154 So. 2d 204 (3rd D.C.A.Fla.1963). The procedural events occurring below, which are the subject matter of this dispute, are described in the opinion of the District Court, Fourth District, reported at 223 So. 2d 365. We present here only an overview of the unde…
  • Destiny Constr. Co. v. Martin K. EBY Constr., 662 So. 2d 388 (Fla. 5th DCA 1995)
    …as a “sham plea,” the pleading must be a mere pretense, set up in bad faith and without color of fact. Ader v. Temple Ner Tamid, 339 So. 2d 268, 270 (Fla. 3d DCA 1976). Accord Meadows v. Edwards, 82 So. 2d 733 (Fla.1955); Sapienza v. Karland, Inc., 154 So. 2d 204 (Fla. 3d DCA 1963). In other words, a plea is considered a sham when it is inherently false and, based on plain or conceded facts, clearly known to be false at the time the pleading was made. Menke v. Southland Specialties Corp., 637 So. 2d 285 (Fla…
  • Slatko v. Virgin, 328 So. 2d 499 (Fla. 3d DCA 1976)
    …re are any genuine issues to be tried. Meadows v. Edwards, Fla.1955, 82 So. 2d 733; Guaranty Life Ins. Co. of Florida v. Hall Bros. Press, 138 Fla. 176, 189 So. 243; Rhea v. Hackney, 117 Fla. 62, 157 So. 190; Sapienza v. Karland, Inc., Fla.App.1963, 154 So. 2d 204, and see 25 Fla.Jur., Pleadings §§ 33 and 133. Applying the principles stated above to the appeal sub judice, we hold that the trial court erred in granting appel-lees’ motion to strike the complaint as a sham. Our examination of the record does no…

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