MIDWAY SHOPPING MALL, INC., APPELLANT,
v.
AIRTECH AIR CONDITIONING, INC., A FLORIDA CORPORATION, APPELLEE
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.
The court held that an interlocutory appeal was proper, the counterclaim for fraudulent lien was properly dismissed for lack of particularity, and the landowner was not the prevailing party entitled to attorney's fees.
[1] An interlocutory appeal is the proper method for appellate review of an order that dismisses a counterclaim and strikes a petition for attorney's fees.
[2] A counterclaim alleging a fraudulent lien under Florida Statute § 713.31 is properly dismissed if the fraud is not stated with particularity.
Previewing 2 of 4 headnotes on this case. FLexlaw’s editorially structured points of law — every proposition, pinpointed — are reserved for members.
Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligenceAirtech filed a mechanics' lien and sought foreclosure, but the owner, Midway Mall, posted a bond. The trial court discharged the lien and lis pendens…
The full statement of facts, procedural history, and disposition for this case are member content.
Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligence© FLexlaw, Inc. — AI-generated enrichments are proprietary. All rights reserved.
Explore caselaw by topic → Browse Pleading Fraud cases and more on FLexlaw
Appellant-counterplaintiff, Midway Mall, has filed an interlocutory appeal, under Florida Appellate Rule 4.2, 32 F.S.A., from an order entered in a cause formerly cognizable in equity,1 which order dismissed its counterclaim and struck its motion for attorney’s fees. Airtech Air Conditioning had filed a four-count complaint alleging, inter alia, that it had placed a lien on Midway Mall’s property under the Florida Mechanics’ Lien Law, Ch. 713, Part I, Fla.Stat., F.S.A., and prayed that the lien be foreclosed.
After a hearing, and it having been established that the owner, Midway Mall, had posted a construction bond to cover liens, the court struck the appellee’s claim to foreclose, and discharged both the lien and the lis pendens which had been filed upon the land. However, other claims in appellee’s complaint have not been concluded, for example, claims against the construction bond posted by Midway Mall. Appellant counterclaimed, under § 713.31, Fla.Stat.1969, F.S.A., alleging that the ap-pellee had filed a statutory “fraudulent lien”; appellant also filed a motion for attorney’s fees under § 713.29, Fla.Stat., F.S.A. By the order appealed, the court struck the counterclaim and the motion for attorney’s fees. We affirm.
The issues in this case are; Is an interlocutory appeal, under Florida Appellate Rule 4.2, the proper means to review the instant order, rather than by a petition under Florida Appellate Rule 3.16, subd. c, 32 F.S.A., in view of the well-settled rule2 that where attorney’s fees are designated by statute to be “costs,” they are so treated? Second, was the trial court correct in dismissing the counterclaim ? Third, did the trial court corectly strike the motion for attorney’s fees ?
As to the first issue, the proper method of seeking appellate review of the instant order (which both dismissed the *902counterclaim and struck the petition for attorney’s fees as costs) is through an interlocutory appeal under Rule 4.2. Chatlos v. City of Hallendale, Fla.1968, 220 So.2d 353, 354.
The lower court did not err in dismissing the counterclaim brought under § 713.31, Fla.Stat.1969, F.S.A. The fraud alleged was not stated with particularity. Florida Rules of Civil Procedure Rule 1.-120(b), 30 F.S.A.; see also Florida Rules of Civil Procedure 1.110(b), 30 F.S.A. See generally Bieley v. Jennings Construction Corporation, Fla.App.1968, 212 So.2d 809.
As to attorney’s fees, we express the view that where the trial court dismissed the count for foreclosure of the mechanics’ lien by releasing the land and transferring the lien asserted to the fund created by the construction bond and removed the lis pendens filed, this does not constitute the landowner, Midway Mall, the “prevailing party” within the contemplation of § 713.29, Fla.Stat.1969, F.S.A. There was not a favorable determination of such finality as would entitle the owner to attorney’s fees under this statute. Cf. Lion Oil Co. v. Tamarac Lakes, Inc., Fla.App.1970, 232 So.2d 20. This court in Sharpe v. Ceco Corporation, Fla.App.1970, 242 So.2d 464, 465 has construed this statute by stating: “The prevailing party is regarded as that party who has affirmative judgment rendered in his favor at the conclusion of the entire case.” The appellee has asserted that the Lion Oil Co. case, supra, is itself indicative of the fact that the intent of the Mechanics’ Lien Law is not to penalize, by taxing attorney’s fees as costs, a plaintiff who, in good faith, has presented to the court as an alternative claim the foreclosure of a mechanics’ lien where there exists a genuine, non-frivolous issue of law and fact as to whether or not that lien is substituted for by a payment bond, as is the case sub jud-ice. We do not accept the whole of appel-lee’s argument in this regard, but do find support for appellee’s position in the case of Emery v. International Glass & Mfg., Inc., Fla.App.1971, 249 So.2d 496, 500: “The entire statute [Mechanics’ Lien Law] is essentially for the benefit of a claimant, not a defendant; and the section [§ 731.-29] providing for attorneys’ fees is primarily calculated to preclude any diminution of the claimant’s full compensation for which he is suing while, at the same time, discouraging specious claims or defenses.” The Second District Court’s interpretation of the statute therefore emphasizes the critical point in this case, that appellee-Airtech’s claim has not been finally decided.
Therefore, for the reasons stated, and upon the authorities cited, the judgment appealed is affirmed.
Affirmed.
Cases With Similar Vibessemantic neighbors from the corpus
Citator
Cited By
-
Peninsular Fla. Dist. Council of Assemblies of God v. PAN Am. Inv. & Dev. Corp., 450 So. 2d 1231 (Fla. 4th DCA 1984)…as all the elements of a cause of action in fraud, and therefore hold that the trial court erred by dismissing Count I.. Cf. Parker v. Gordon, 442 So. 2d [*1233] 273 (Fla. 4th DCA 1983); Midway Shopping Mall, Inc. v. Airtech Air Conditioning, Inc., 253 So. 2d 900 (Fla. 3d DCA 1971); General Dynamics Corp. v. Hewitt, 225 So. 2d 561 (Fla. 3d DCA 1969). In Count II plaintiff attempted to state an action in negligence against defendant Heller, Weaver and Associates, Inc., (“Heller”). It alleged that the preside…
-
Houdaille-Duval-Wright Co. v. Charldon Constr. Co., 266 So. 2d 106 (Fla. 3d DCA 1972)…the lien foreclosure action. See Emery v. International Glass & Mfg., Inc., Fla.App.1971, 249 So. 2d 496, 499-500; Sharpe v. Ceco Corporation, Fla.App.1971, 242 So. 2d 464; Midway Shopping Mall, Inc. v. Airtech Air Conditioning, Inc., Fla.App.1971, 253 So. 2d 900. Section 713.29 of the lien law relating to attorney fees has reference to the allowance thereof to the prevailing party in the cause of action presented to enforce the lien. Here the contractor was not such a party, although it was a prevailing pa…
-
Burnstein v. 5838 Condo., Inc., 430 So. 2d 572 (Fla. 3d DCA 1983)…ees until there is an end to the litigation as by judgment or other dis-positive order. See Steinhardt v. Eastern Shores White House Association, Inc., 413 So. 2d 785 (Fla. 3d. DCA 1982); Midway Shopping Mall, Inc. v. Airtech Air Conditioning, Inc., 253 So. 2d 900 (Fla. 3d DCA 1971). A preliminary injunction does not purport to decide the merits of a cause of action but merely serves to maintain the status quo pending a final determination on those merits; the provisions of such injunction may be merged in,…
Previewing 3 of 8 citing cases — full citator treatment, depth of discussion, and citing context are member features.
Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligenceAuthorities Cited
- The State of Fla. ex rel. Royal Ins. Co. v. Burton Barrs, 87 Fla. 168 (Fla. 1924)
- B. Irwin Emery et ux. v. Int'l Glass & MFG., Inc., 249 So. 2d 496 (Fla. 2d DCA 1971)
- Sharpe v. Ceco Corp., 242 So. 2d 464 (Fla. 3d DCA 1970)
- Chatlos v. City OF Hallandale, 220 So. 2d 353 (Fla. 1968)
- Lion OIL Co., Inc. v. Tamarac Lakes, Inc., 232 So. 2d 20 (Fla. 4th DCA 1970)
- Kleinman v. BAL Harbour Towers, Inc., 198 So. 2d 830 (Fla. 1967)
- Bieley v. Jennings Constr. Corp., 212 So. 2d 809 (Fla. 3d DCA 1968)