ROSE M. FOLEY AND JAMES S. FOLEY, HER HUSBAND, APPELLANTS,
v.
WEAVER DRUGS, INC., A FLORIDA CORPORATION, APPELLEE
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The Florida Supreme Court requested that the Third District Court of Appeal reconsider and provide written reasoning for its prior silent affirmance of summary judgment dismissing a retailer from a product liability action involving a broken glass bottle. The appellate court declined to reconsider the merits but adopted the Supreme Court's characterization of its prior decision to assist in certiorari review.
The court declined to reconsider the merits of its prior affirmance decision but adopted the Supreme Court's statement that the decision represented a holding that neither plaintiff had a cause of action against the retailer for breach of implied warranty of fitness and merchantability, and also held that plaintiffs were not entitled to damages on the theory of negligence.
“It is conflict of decisions, not conflict of opinions or reasons that supplies jurisdiction for review by certiorari”
Establishes the legal standard for Supreme Court certiorari review—jurisdiction depends on conflict of decisions, not merely different reasoning
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Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligenceJames Foley purchased a bottle of Revlon reducing pills from Weaver Drugs on October 17, 1959. The pills were packaged in a glass bottle with a screw-…
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The above styled appeal was decided by this court in November of 1962 when we affirmed, without opinion, a summary judgment for one of the two defendants. Foley v. Weaver Drugs, Inc., Fla.App.1962, 146 So.2d 631. The cause is before us now after the Supreme Court, in the course of considering a petition for certiorari, relinquished jurisdiction temporarily with the request that we reconsider the cause and the questions involved, and prepare and adopt an opinion setting forth the theory and reasoning underlying our decision. See Foley v. Weaver Drugs, Inc., Fla.1964, 168 So.2d 749.
*908For reasons set out hereinbelow, we are not inclined to reconsider the cause on its merits. And we do not feel it is essential or appropriate for us now to produce theories and reasons for the decision which we made in November of 1962.1 However, we recognize a duty to respond to a request of a paramount court, to the extent we consider practicable and appropriate, and that is, to state what we deem to be the “decision” which the silent af-firmance represented.
In view of the importance of this matter from the standpoint of the appellate process, it may be well to set forth the procedural background of this case. Appellants filed a tort action on February 8, 1961, in the circuit court of Dade County against Revlon, Inc. and Weaver Drugs, Inc., for damages because of an injury received by breaking of a glass bottle. On January 30, 1962, a summary judgment was entered in favor of the defendant Weaver Drugs, Inc. The plaintiffs appealed. On November 13, 1962, we affirmed the summary judgment without opinion.2
The plaintiffs then petitioned the Supreme Court for review by certiorari. Their petition was granted by an order of the Supreme Court dated April 19, 1963, which set the cause for argument before the Court on June 11, 1963, on the question of jurisdiction and on the merits. Thereafter, on November 18, 1964, the Supreme Court filed an opinion in which probable (conflict) jurisdiction was noted 3 and which made reference to the facts4 and pleadings,5 and *909which delineated the decision of this court.6 The Supreme Court’s opinion then requested that the cause and the questions referred to in its opinion be reconsidered by this court, and that we write and adopt an opinion setting out the theory and reasoning of the decision reached.7 The purpose of the request, as explained in the Supreme Court’s opinion, was to assist that court in determining whether the decision of this court, represented by its affirmance of the summary judgment which dismissed the retailer from the cause, was in conflict with a decision of the Supreme Court or of another district court in this state.
Although in many, if not in most instances of affirmances by a district court of appeal without opinion, the holding or “decision” which such affirmance represents will readily appear from the points briefed, or otherwise from the record proper, in ■other such cases the “decision” behind an affirmance without opinion may not be apparent or determinable from the “record proper.” In the present case the Supreme Court appears to have been able to determine from the record proper the decision ■of this appellate court, and it is noted that the request made to this court was not for a statement of our decision, but for the theory and reasoning thereof.
The reasons why we are inclined not to reconsider the appeal, or the questions involved as outlined in the Supreme Court’s •opinion, are several. Reconsideration leads to redecision and could result in a changed ■decision. When this appeal was decided and rehearing was denied or the period for it elapsed, the decision of affirmance became final and the judicial labor of this court was ended. So long as our judgment of affirmance stands, we do not feel we should undertake its reconsideration or risk a different determination. To do so would, to say the least, be contrary to established appellate procedure. Manifestly it could operate unfairly on parties, who could suffer from a changed decision or be prejudiced by the assignment of new found grounds or reasons operating to bolster or detract from a decision previously made. The judges of the panel of this court who decided the appeal may be unable to recall sufficiently the disclosures of the record and the arguments. Therefore reconsideration of such a cause ordinarily would proceed without adequate preparation, or the court would be required to repeat the labor of examination and study of the record and briefs, or to call upon counsel for the parties to reargue the appeal. On such a reconsideration of the cause, would new or added theories and arguments be permitted? If not, could they effectively be prevented from intruding? Intervening changes in the law, and even changes of attorneys or possible changes in the membership of the court could influence the outcome of a reconsideration of the cause. And finally, would not a policy of reconsideration and redetermination of a class of decisions, months, or, as in this case, years after they have been made, tend to give such decisions uncertainty and instability in the minds of litigants and attorneys when they should be entitled to rely on finality of such decisions in the court where rendered ?
*910On the other hand, as stated earlier we recognize an obligation and duty to accede to the Supreme Court’s request by informing the Court what we consider to have been the decision of this court on affirming the order or judgment appealed.
In this instance the Supreme Court has discerned our decision from the record, and has stated it to be “that neither of the plaintiffs had a cause of action against the defendant retailer for breach of implied warranty of fitness and merchantability,” [adding that we also held the plaintiffs were not entitled to damages on the theory of negligence, but noting the latter holding was not challenged on certiorari]. We adopt that statement by the Supreme Court as constituting our decision on the appeal.
Whereupon, the purpose of temporary relinquishment of jurisdiction of the cause to this court having ended, the cause is returned to the Supreme Court of Florida, with this opinion.
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Citator
Cited By (11 total)
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Melkonian v. Hon. Murray Goldman, 647 So. 2d 1008 (Fla. 3d DCA 1994)…tive order of January 4, 1994. . Melkonian is entitled to have his petition heard and decided by a three-judge panel. However, contrary to Melkonian’s argument, that panel is not required to issue a written opinion. See Foley v. Weaver Drugs, Inc., 172 So. 2d 907, 908 n. 2 (Fla. 3d DCA 1965) (written opinions generally not issued "where the writing of an opinion would be without useful purpose, serving only to satisfy the parties that the court adverted to the issues and gave them attention, and to add needl…
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Foley v. Revlon, Inc., 200 So. 2d 627 (Fla. 3d DCA 1967)…on it at this time. For these reasons, the final judgment herein appealed is Affirmed. . Foley v. Weaver Drugs, Inc., Fla.App.1962, 146 So. 2d 631; Foley v. Weaver Drugs, Inc., Fla.1964, 168 So. 2d 749; Foley v. Weaver Drugs, Inc., Fla.App.1965, 172 So. 2d 907; Foley v. Weaver Drugs, Inc., Fla.1965, 177 So. 2d 221. . Wolf v. State, 72 Fla. 572, 73 So. 740 (1917); Mann v. State, 23 Fla. 610, 3 So. 207 (1887); O’Connor v. State, 9 Fla. 215 (1860). . Section 913.04, Florida Statutes, F.S.A.; Section 54.11,…
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Time, Inc. v. Firestone, 279 So. 2d 389 (Fla. 4th DCA 1973)…to cause this court to reconsider its earlier decision and to write an opinion on each of the points supporting our decision, we must most respectfully decline upon the rationale and reasoning contained in Foley v. Weaver Drugs, Inc., Fla.App.1965, 172 So. 2d 907; Young Spring & Wire Corp. v. Smith, Fla.App.1965, 172 So. 2d 238; Fontainebleau Hotel Corp. v. Forty-five Twenty-five, Inc., Fla.App.1965, 172 So. 2d 248; Home Development Co. of St. Petersburg v. Bursani, Fla.App.1965, 176 So. 2d 100; and Hoisingt…1 / 2
Previewing 3 of 11 citing cases — full citator treatment, depth of discussion, and citing context are member features.
Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligenceAuthorities Cited
- Foley v. Weaver Drugs, Inc., 168 So. 2d 749 (Fla. 1964)
- In re Est. of Thomas Holmes v. Curlie Louise Barnes Holmes, 146 So. 2d 631 (Fla. 1st DCA 1962)
- Sharpe v. Gulf OIL Corp., 146 So. 2d 631 (Fla. 1st DCA 1962)