AUSTIN BURKE, INC., A FLORIDA CORPORATION, APPELLANT,
v.
VIGILANT INSURANCE CO., APPELLEE

Fla. 3d DCA | 1965-10-26
No. 65-242
Before TILLMAN PEARSON, CARROLL and SWANN, JJ.
179 So. 2d 600 Florida District Court of Appeal, Third District (1965) Positive Treatment
Cited by 14 cases

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Holding

The court held that the trial court did not abuse its discretion in refusing to set aside a final judgment entered after a default, as the appellant's reliance on a third party's assurance was not excusable neglect.


Facts & Procedural History

A default was entered against Austin Burke, Inc. after it failed to respond to a lawsuit. The company's president was assured by a third party that th…

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Opinion of the Court
PER CURIAM.

PER CURIAM.

A default was entered against the appellant, Austin Burke, Inc., on January 12, 1965, in an action brought by Vigilant Insurance Co. upon an assigned account. The defendant, appellant, was served with a notice of final hearing. This hearing was set before the trial judge at 2:00 P.M. on January 25, 1965. During the morning of January 25, the officer, resident agent, of the defendant who had received service of the summons and complaint, Austin H. Burke, called the trial judge and received confirmation that the hearing would be held at the time and place designated. No request for an extension of time was made, and the final judgment on the account was entered on January 25, 1965. On February 1, 1965, a motion was entered to set aside the final judgment. This motion recites that it was made pursuant to Rule 1.38, Florida Rules of Civil Procedure,1 30 F.S.A. *602The appellant’s motion, which was supported by affidavit, stated in part as follows:

“3. That upon being served with the complaint in this cause, Austin H. Burke, President of AUSTIN BURKE, INC., Defendant, immediately contacted Mr. Paul Wattenberg, President of Leon de Paris, Inc., whose invoice was attached to the complaint. Mr. Watten-berg advised Mr. Burke that the filing of this suit by VIGILANT INSURANCE CO., was a mistake since the Defendant was not obligated to pay the invoice attached to the complaint since the goods were shipped on an 'on approval’ basis and were never ordered by AUSTIN BURKE, INC., and that he, Mr. Wattenberg, would see to it that the lawsuit was dropped and that Mr. Burke should just forget all about the matter.”

The trial judge denied the motion to set aside the judgment and this appeal followed.

Appellant contends that its failure to respond to the summons of the court and its failure to employ an attorney in the matter, as well as its failure to attend the trial for the proof of damages, are all “excusable neglect” under Rule 1.38 because an officer of Leon de Paris, Inc., a corporation which is not a party to this suit, assured Mr. Burke that he could “forget about the complaint.”

In his points presented upon appeal, the appellant urges that the refusal of the trial court to set aside the final judgment pursuant to Rule 1.38 constituted a gross abuse of discretion. In the light of the facts recited above, we are unable to hold that the trial judge abused his discretion. Cf., Somerville v. Skidmore, Fla.App.1965, 175 So.2d 575, and Teply v. Key, Fla.App.1963, 158 So.2d 549.

Appellant relies upon North Shore Hospital, Inc. v. Barber, Fla.1962, 143 So.2d 849; however, that case was expressly limited to-the setting aside of an interlocutory order of default.

In Florida Investment Enterprises v. Kentucky Co., Fla.App.1964, 160 So.2d 733, a case which is similar to the one before us, the District Court of Appeal, First District,, held that the trial judge did not abuse his discretion in refusing to vacate a final judg-. ment where there was no indication that the defendant had employed an attorney or had taken any steps to defend the action-prior to the filing of the motion to vacate.

There is no doubt that in Florida a very liberal rule is applied in all situations where a default may be set aside and a trial on the merits achieved. However, under the facts, in this case, where the appellant neglected to respond to the summons of the court on two occasions and made no appearance in. court until it was actually served with process in aid of execution, we cannot say that this liberal rule has been breached.

Appellant’s second point urges, error because an invoice attached to the complaint carried the name of Austin Burke rather than Austin Burke, Inc. We hold that this objection comes too late after the entry of final judgment. The complaint fully alleged that the appellant was liable, and the default operated as an admission of" the truth of all well plead allegations of the complaint. O’Daniel v. Kulosa, 97 Fla. 269, 120 So. 357 (1929); Florida East Coast Railway Co. v. McRoberts, 111 Fla. 278, 149 So. 631, 94 A.L.R. 376 (1933).

Having determined that neither of appellant’s points present reversible error, the-judgment is affirmed.

Affirmed.


Cases With Similar Vibessemantic neighbors from the corpus


Citator

Cited By

  • Winter Park Arms, Inc. v. Akerman, 199 So. 2d 107 (Fla. 4th DCA 1967)
    …prises, Inc. v. Kentucky Co., supra; nor will they be set aside by reason of the failure of defendant to employ an attorney in the matter or to appear at the trial on the issue of damages, Austin Burke, Inc. v. Vigilant Insurance Co., Fla.App. 1965, 179 So. 2d 600; and the latter is true though the defendant be indigent. See Somerville v. Skidmore, supra. Appellant also argues that the failure of defendant’s president to act after being properly served with process constitutes excusable neglect insofar as th…
  • Lawn v. Wasserman, 226 So. 2d 261 (Fla. 3d DCA 1969)
    …liance upon an insurance company for his timely defense is not excusable neglect by a defendant within the meaning of Rule 1.540(b), RCP. Cf. White v. Spears, Fla. App.1960, 123 So. 2d 689; Austin Burke, Inc. v. Vigilant Insurance Co., Fla.App.1965, 179 So. 2d 600. Because of the foregoing circumstances it was reversible error for the trial court to set aside the default after final judgment had been entered. Accordingly, we reverse that part of the order appealed from which set aside the default. But a diff…
  • Cowen v. Knott, 252 So. 2d 400 (Fla. 2d DCA 1971)
    …served, called the office of a major stockholder, learned that the stockholder was out of town and “thereafter he took no action to employ counsel or to defend the case”. Id. at 108. In Austin Burke, Inc. v. Vigilant Insurance Co., Fla.App.3d 1965, 179 So. 2d 600, the corporate officer who had received service called the office of the trial judge on the date set for hearing, received confirmation that it would be held as scheduled, yet did not ask for any extension of time. In Somerville v. Skidmore, Fla.App…

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