CHARLES TISEO, JR., APPELLANT,
v.
ARTHUR L. ARNOLD, APPELLEE

Fla. 2d DCA | 1970-06-10
No. 70-20
HOBSON, C. J., and McNULTY, J., concur.
237 So. 2d 21 Florida District Court of Appeal, Second District (1970) Caution
Cited by 12 cases

AI-generated. These summaries, headnotes, and key points are machine-generated and may contain errors or omissions. Always verify against the full opinion text below. Not legal advice.

Synopsis

Tiseo appealed from an order dismissing his complaint for breach of an oral contract involving real estate commissions. The court reversed, holding that the defendant's motion to dismiss improperly raised affirmative defenses rather than challenging the sufficiency of the complaint's allegations.


Holding

The court held that none of the four grounds warranted dismissal. The court found that a real estate license was not essential to the agreement, consideration existed in the joint purchase and Arnold's commission, the complaint alleged no facts suggesting illegality or public policy violation, and the release defense was an affirmative defense not properly raised on a motion to dismiss.


Headnotes

[1] A motion to dismiss is insufficient if it relies on affirmative defenses not apparent from the face of the complaint.

[2] A defendant must raise the lack of a real estate license as an affirmative defense, rather than grounds for dismissal of the complaint.

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Key Quotes

“None of the grounds stated is sufficient to warrant dismissing the complaint.”

Establishes the court's conclusion that each of the four grounds for dismissal was invalid.

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Facts & Procedural History

Tiseo and Arnold were parties to a joint purchase of real estate. Arnold received commissions in connection with the sale and allegedly breached an or…

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Opinion of the Court
PIERCE, Judge.

PIERCE, Judge.

This is an interlocutory appeal by Charles Tiseo, Jr., plaintiff below, from an order granting a motion to dismiss his complaint against appellee Arthur L. Arnold, defendant below, with leave to amend.

In his complaint, Tiseo alleged in substance that Arnold had breached an oral contract between the parties by refusing to rebate or account to Tiseo part of certain commissions received by Arnold in connection with the sale of a parcel of real estate which was being purchased by the parties jointly. Arnold moved to dismiss the complaint, which motion was granted by the trial Court. Although given leave by the Court so to do, Tiseo elected not to amend, and instead appealed to this Court from the order aforesaid.

The motion to dismiss contained four grounds, viz: (1) that the complaint did *22“not affirmatively allege possession of a real estate license” on the part of Tiseo, (2) that the complaint did “not allege any consideration” for the agreement to rebate, (3) that under the laws of Florida the agreement as alleged was void and unenforceable “as being against public policy”, and (4) that Tiseo had signed a voluntary “release of any liability” on the part of Arnold. In support of ground (4), copy of a purported release was attached to the motion. None of the grounds stated is sufficient to warrant dismissing the complaint.

The agreement between the parties was not such as to make possession of a real estate license under Chapter 475 essential on the part of Tiseo. And even if it had been so essential, the lack of such license would be an affirmative defense to be set up by defendant Arnold. Secondly, the consideration for the contract was the purchase of the subject property jointly by the parties, with the defendant making a sizeable commission. Also, the complaint alleges no facts upon which it would necessarily follow, or even be inferred, that the contract between the parties here was illegal or against public policy. Lastly, the ground as to a release of liability, even if true, would be distinctly an affirmative defense, inasmuch as the complaint alleges nothing about any such release.

All of the grounds set forth, especially the fourth ground, partake of matter that would be appropriate only as affirmative defenses on the part of defendant Arnold. Where the motion to dismiss alleges affirmatively facts outside the scope of the allegations of the complaint, it assumes the office of the old-time “speaking demurrer”, which, like the antiquated “demurrer to the evidence”, has long since been discarded as a vehicle of modern judicial procedure, however hallowed in rich tradition.

The motion to dismiss the complaint should have been denied, so the order appealed must be reversed, with directions that defendant Arnold file his further defenses, if he so desires, within twenty days from the filing in the Court below of our mandate of reversal.

Reversed and remanded.

HOBSON, C. J., and McNULTY, J., concur.


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Citator

Cited By

  • Reed v. Sampson, 349 So. 2d 684 (Fla. 4th DCA 1977)
    …DCA 1970). Where a motion to dismiss a complaint rests on facts outside the scope of the allegations contained in the complaint, the trial court commits reversible error in dismissing the complaint based on those extraneous matters. Tiseo v. Arnold, 237 So. 2d 21 (Fla.2d DCA 1970). In the instant case, the third party defendants moved to dismiss the third party complaint upon the grounds that the third party defendant had received a general release from the plaintiff which purported to relieve third party d…
  • Sonnenblick-Goldman OF Miami Corp. v. Feldman, 266 So. 2d 48 (Fla. 3d DCA 1972)
    …oan.” An examination of the record reveals that the New York corporation did not raise the affirmative defense of illegality in connection with appellee’s lack of a brokerage license. Rule 1.110(d), R.C.P., F.S.A. See Tiseo v. Arnold, Fla.App.1970, 237 So. 2d 21. Furthermore, since the broker’s license issue was not raised at the pre-trial conference, the trial court properly excluded evidence on this issue at trial. See Vaughn v. Smith, Fla.1957, 96 So. 2d 143. The fifth point is a catchall point in which…
  • Wenner v. Foster, 336 So. 2d 1248 (Fla. 4th DCA 1976)
    …the court with a brief, we determine that the trial court erred by going outside the four corners of the complaint in determining and granting dismissal of the third party second amended complaint with prejudice in favor of Foster. Tiseo v. Arnold, 237 So. 2d 21 (Fla.App.1970). Accordingly, the order appealed is reversed and the cause remanded for further proceedings. Reversed and remanded. MAGER, C. J., and CROSS and ALDERMAN, JJ., concur.…

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