JOSEPH CERNIGLIA, PETITIONER,
v.
C. & D. FARMS, INC., ET AL., RESPONDENTS; C. & D. FARMS, INC., ET AL., CROSS-PETITIONERS, V. JOSEPH CERNIGLIA ET AL., CROSS-RESPONDENTS
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The court held that an appellee can advance reasons to support a judgment without filing a cross-assignment of error, and remanded the case for consideration of the mutuality of obligation issue.
Petitioner sought review of a decision refusing to consider mutuality of obligation due to lack of cross-assignment of error. The lower court found a …
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By petition for writ of certiorari the petitioner urges that the decision of the District Court of Appeal, Third District, reported as C. & D. Farms, Inc. v. Cerniglia, Fla.App.1966, 189 So.2d 384, conflicts with the decision of the District Court of Appeal, Second District in Matthews v. Matthews, 177 So.2d 497 (Fla.App.196S). In the last paragraph of its opinion, the district court refused to consider questions raised by the appellee there because the appellee had not filed cross-assignments of error. In support of its holding on this issue, the district court cited the case of Florida Board of Pharmacy v. Hall, Fla.App.1963, 157 So.2d 824. The latter case was expressly overruled by this court in Hall v. Florida Board of Pharmacy, Fla.1965, 177 So.2d 833. This is a classic situation of conflict. The subject decision of the district court also conflicts on the same point of law with that of the District Court of Appeal, Second District, in Matthews v. Matthews, supra. We have found the necessary conflict in the decisions and so have jurisdiction of this cause.
The facts of the cause are stated in the published opinion of the district court. We will not repeat them.
The first issue for decision is whether a non-competition agreement in the contract sub judice is unenforceable as against public policy, and if so, is it unenforceable only in Florida as the district court held, or in its.entirety as the Chancellor decided. We find that the district court properly held that Florida’s public policy and statutes cannot be applied to a foreign contract to void its operation elsewhere. If performance, in Florida, of a foreign made contract is repugnant to our public policy it is unenforceable here, but not necessarily void or unenforceable in other jurisdictions. Griffin v. McCoach, 313 U.S. 498, 61 S.Ct. 1023, 85 L.Ed. 1481 (1941); Leflar, Conflicts of Laws, §§ 126-7 (1959). The Chancellor and the district court found the contract not to compete was unreasonable. We will not disturb these rulings. Davis v. Ebsco Industries, Inc., 150 So.2d 460 (Fla.App.1963).
The second issue is whether or not the petitioner, appellee below, was entitled to assert below that the covenant not to compete lacked mutuality of obligation. The petitioner, as plaintiff, had raised this point before the Chancellor. In his decree, the Chancellor stated that while he was inclined to the view that the executory and optional remainder of the contract was void for want of mutuality, his finding that it was unenforceable because against public policy made it unnecessary to rule on the question of mutuality. The district court refused to consider the question of mutuality because the plaintiff-appellee had not filed a cross-assignment of error. This was error. In Hall v. Florida Board of Pharmacy, supra, this court specifically held that the appellee may advance reasons to support the judgment under attack which may dif*3fer from those given by the lower court, without filing cross-assignment of error. This, of course, is true only when the appel-lee seeks to support the judgment of the lower court. As we understand this cause, that is what the appellee below, petitioner here, was trying to do by his argument that the contract involved was bad for want of mutuality as well as conflicting with the public policy of this state, the ground relied upon by the Chancellor.
Under the Chancellor’s decree the petitioner — Cerniglia—had received all the relief he had asked for, i. e., that the execu-tory remainder of the contract was unenforceable per se on public policy grounds. However, when the district court held that contract was unenforceable on this ground only in Florida the issue of mutuality became all important. If, under applicable law, the contract is found to be lacking in mutuality of obligation the contract can be void in its entirety and everywhere. Scudder v. Union National Bank of Chicago, Ill., 91 U.S. 406, 23 L.Ed. 245 (1875); Walling v. Christian & Craft Grocery Co., 41 Fla. 479, 27 So. 46 (1899); Buenger v. Kennedy, 151 So.2d 463 (Fla.App.1963); Castorri v. Milbrand, 118 So.2d 563 (Fla.App.1960). If petitioner should succeed on this point the validity of the contract everywhere will have been settled, whereas, if he must rely on public policy relating to such contracts he will be required to litigate the unenforceable nature of the contract in each state covered therein.
Petitioner is entitled to a decision on the issue of mutuality of obligation. In order that he have it we remand the cause to the district court with direction that it consider that issue and any others properly presented to it under our decision in Hall v. Florida Board of Pharmacy, supra.
On remand the district court may take note of petitioner’s attempts to supplement the record here to show matters which occurred after the Chancellor entered his decree. If deemed wise the district court may relinquish jurisdiction to the Chancellor for further proceedings.
It is so ordered.
CALDWELL, C. J., and DREW, THORNAL, O’CONNELL and ERVIN, JJ., concur.
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Dade Cnty. Sch. Bd. v. Radio Station Wqba, 731 So. 2d 638 (Fla. 1999)…Fla.1970). In MacNeill, this Court cited prior cases holding that an appellee “not aggrieved by the lower court’s decision need not file cross-assignments of error in order to have the points considered on appeal.” See Cemiglia v. C & D Farms, Inc., 203 So. 2d 1 (Fla.1967); Hall v. Florida Bd. of Pharmacy, 177 So. 2d 833 (Fla.1965). “These cases recognize that a party who is content with the judgment below need not assign error in order to support that judgment and is not limited in the appellate courts to…
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State v. Hankerson, 65 So. 3d 502 (Fla. 2011)…la.1970). In MacNeill, this Court cited prior cases holding that an appellee “not aggrieved by the lower court’s decision need not file cross-assignments of error in order to have the points considered on appeal.” See Cerniglia v. C & D Farms, Inc., 203 So. 2d 1 (Fla.1967); Hall v. Florida Bd. of Pharmacy, 177 So. 2d 833 (Fla.1965). “These cases recognize that a party who is content with the judgment below need not assign error in order to support that judgment and is not limited in the appellate courts to…
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Gellert v. E. AIR Lines, Inc., 370 So. 2d 802 (Fla. 3d DCA 1979)…would be sufficient to support the verdict. The appellee is privileged to argue the question of insufficiency of the evidence as the basis for supporting the judgment, without the need to have filed a cross-appeal. Cerniglia v. C. & D. Farms, Inc., 203 So. 2d 1 (Fla.1968). Under the decisions dealing with recovery for intentional infliction of severe mental distress, recovery therefor is proper only when the causatory conduct is deliberately done with intent to so harm the person, and is of such wanton an…
Previewing 3 of 12 citing cases — full citator treatment, depth of discussion, and citing context are member features.
Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligenceAuthorities Cited (11 total)
- Griffin v. McCoach, 313 U.S. 498 (U.S. 1941)
- Scudder v. Union Nat'l Bank, 91 U.S. 406 (U.S. 1875)
- Walling v. The Christian & Craft Grocery Co., 41 Fla. 479 (Fla. 1899)
- Castorri v. Otto E. Milbrand and Mary Milbrand, 118 So. 2d 563 (Fla. 2d DCA 1960)
- Matthews v. Olive M. Matthews & Soft Water Laundry, Inc., 177 So. 2d 497 (Fla. 2d DCA 1965)
- Dinnen v. Lincoln Fin. Co., Inc., 151 So. 2d 463 (Fla. 2d DCA 1963)
- Hall v. Fla. Bd. OF Pharmacy, 177 So. 2d 833 (Fla. 1965)
- Pier Pavilion, Inc. v. Hensley, 150 So. 2d 460 (Fla. 2d DCA 1963)
- Shepard W. Davis v. Ebsco Indus., Inc., 150 So. 2d 460 (Fla. 3d DCA 1963)
- Fla. Bd. OF Pharmacy v. Hall, 157 So. 2d 824 (Fla. 2d DCA 1963)