CONSTANTINOS STAMATINOS, APPELLANT,
v.
NORTHEAST AIRLINES, INC., ETC., AND WILLIAM H. HUTCHESON, APPELLEES
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.
Stamatinos sued his former employer Northeast Airlines for malicious prosecution after criminal charges of larceny against him were dismissed at a preliminary hearing and subsequently nolle prossed. The court reversed summary judgment for the airline, holding that genuine issues of material fact existed regarding whether Northeast Airlines instigated and continued the prosecution.
The court held that Northeast Airlines did not sustain its burden of establishing the non-existence of genuine issues of material fact. Summary judgment was improper because depositions and affidavits in the record could support findings that Northeast Airlines directed the prosecution.
[1] A plaintiff alleging malicious prosecution must present evidence from which a jury could infer that the defendant instigated, continued, or procured the criminal proceedi…
[2] A defendant seeking summary judgment in a malicious prosecution action bears the burden of demonstrating the absence of a genuine issue of material fact regarding the pla…
Previewing 2 of 5 headnotes on this case. FLexlaw’s editorially structured points of law — every proposition, pinpointed — are reserved for members.
Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligence“We hold that the appellee Northeast Airlines did not sustain its burden of establishing the non-existence of the genuine issue set forth.”
Establishes that the defendant airline failed to meet its burden on summary judgment to negate all genuine issues of material fact regarding whether it instigated the prosecution.
Previewing 1 of 3 key quotes on this case — the court’s exact language, pinpointed for members.
Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligenceStamatinos was accused of stealing steaks from a Northeast Airlines plane. After investigation by Sgt. Hammond of Metro Dade Police, who worked closel…
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 Question Of Law Vs. Question Of Fact cases and more on FLexlaw
The appellant Constantinos Stamatinos instituted an action for malicious prosecution against his former employer Northeast Airlines. The complaint was in two counts. The first alleged that Northeast Airlines procured without good faith or probable cause an affidavit to be filed before a justice of the peace charging the plaintiff with larceny and that after hearing the justice of the peace dismissed the charge and refused to bind the plaintiff over. , Secondly, plaintiff alleged that Northeast Airlines continued prosecution against him and caused criminal complaint of grand larceny to be filed with the state’s attorney immediately after the justice of the peace hearing. It is further alleged that a nolle prosequi was entered upon the second charge on the day set for trial.
The appellant was accused of having been one of the men involved in stealing approximately 42 steak dinners from a Northeast Airlines plane. An investigation was undertaken by Sgt. Hammond of the Metropolitan Dade County Police Department. Sgt. Hammond worked closely with the investigative personnel of Northeast Airlines. Two men who were suspected, along with Stamatinos, resigned from Northeast Airlines employment and at the direction of Northeast Airline officials Sgt. Hammond filed no complaints against them. He did, however, file a complaint against Stamatinos before a justice of the peace. After the hearing the justice of the peace dismissed the charges against Stama-tinos. Immediately after the justice of the peace hearing, Hammond was driven by Northeast Airlines officials directly to the state’s attorney’s office where Hammond alone signed an affidavit before an assistant state’s attorney as a basis for the state’s prosecution of Stamatinos for larceny. On the day of the trial, the state’s attorney entered a nolle prosequi to the charge.
The controlling question is whether it conclusively appears that there is no genuine issue of material fact upon appellant’s allegations that the charges against him were commenced, were continued or were *54instigated by the defendant Northeast Airlines. See Hopke v. O’Byrne, Fla.App.1963, 148 So.2d 755. We hold that the ap-pellee Northeast Airlines did not sustain its burden of establishing the non-existence of the genuine issue set forth. Holl v. Talcott, Fla.1966, 191 So.2d 40; Hurricane Boats Inc. v. Certified Indus. FAB Inc., Fla.App.1971, 246 So.2d 174.
It would serve no useful purpose to set forth all of the conflicting testimony which appears in the depositions and affidavits presented to the trial judge. It is sufficient to point out that there are depositions and affidavits in the record from which it could be found or inferred: (1) That there was a meeting held in Boston relative to the prosecution of Stamatinos where Northeast Airlines officials stated, "Northeast Airlines is taking action.” (2) Northeast Airlines requested that Sgt. Hammond discontinue the case against the two who resigned but made no such request as to Stamatinos who did not resign and resisted suggestions that he do so. (3) A Northeast Airlines official drove Sgt. Hammond from the justice of the peace’s office to the state’s attorney’s office for the purpose of continuing the prosecution of the charge. (4) Sgt. Hammond’s report states that the “victim” will prefer charges. (5) Sgt. Hammond testified that the reason for not continuing the prosecution of other persons was that he was not forced to prosecute these defendants. (6) The president of Northeast Airlines stated that the company did not wish to involve itself in criminal matters.
We hold that the affidavits and depositions did not present matters of fact sufficient to demonstrate without issue that it was Sgt. Hammond, the person signing the affidavit before the prosecuting officer, who instituted and continued the proceedings.
Accordingly, the summary final judgment is reversed and this cause is remanded for further proceedings.
Reversed and remanded.
ON PETITION FOR REHEARING
The appellees, in a timely filed petition for rehearing, have correctly pointed out that this court in its opinion failed to discuss the existence or non-existence of probable cause for the initiation of the criminal prosecution.1 We have held that there are genuine issues of material fact for trial. We adhere to that holding.
It is true that upon undisputed facts the question of probable cause may be a question of law. See Concord Shopping Center Inc. v. Litowitz, Fla.App.1966, 183 So.2d 562. In the instant case, the facts upon which the appellees claim the existence of probable cause for the institution of the criminal prosecution are disputed facts susceptible to conflicting interpretations. The question on this appeal as it relates to the defense of probable cause is whether or not the defendants conclusively demonstrated upon the facts without genuine issue that reasonable men must say that there was probable cause. We hold that the facts did create such an issue. Compare Williams v. Confidential Credit Corporation, Fla.App.1959, 114 So.2d 718.
Therefore the petition is granted for the discussion of the issue presented and we adhere to the opinion and decision previously filed.
It is so ordered.
PER CURIAM.
The appellees, in a timely filed petition for rehearing, have correctly pointed out that this court in its opinion failed to discuss the existence or non-existence of probable cause for the initiation of the criminal prosecution.1 We have held that there are genuine issues of material fact for trial. We adhere to that holding.
It is true that upon undisputed facts the question of probable cause may be a question of law. See Concord Shopping Center Inc. v. Litowitz, Fla.App.1966, 183 So. 2d 562. In the instant case, the facts upon which the appellees claim the existence of probable cause for the institution of the criminal prosecution are disputed facts susceptible to conflicting interpretations. The question on this appeal as it relates to the defense of probable cause is whether or not the defendants conclusively demonstrated upon the facts without genuine issue that reasonable men must say that there was probable cause. We hold that the facts did create such an issue. Compare Williams v. Confidential Credit Corporation, Fla.App.1959, 114 So. 2d 718.
Therefore the petition is granted for the discussion of the issue presented and we adhere to the opinion and decision previously filed.
It is so ordered.
. Perhaps we were misled by appellees’ statement of the point involved, which is: “As a matter of law, neither Northeast nor Hutcheson caused the initiation or continuation of criminal proceedings against the plaintiff.”
Cases With Similar Vibessemantic neighbors from the corpus
Citator
Cited By
-
Weksler v. Constantinos Stamatinos, 314 So. 2d 616 (Fla. 3d DCA 1975)…all settlement negotiations, if any. No settlement shall be made without an Order of this Court.” ‡ ‡ }jí ‡ ‡ ‡ The final summary judgment was reversed by an opinion of this court, reported as Stamatinos v. Northeast Airlines, Inc., Fla.App. 1972, 258 So. 2d 52. Thereafter, the matter came on for trial on the malicious prosecution claim before a jury. During the seventh day of the trial [against the recommendation of Mr. Bailey, who was conducting the trial proceedings for the plaintiff], the plaintiff acc…
-
Ne. Airlines, Inc. v. Constantinos Stamatinos, 262 So. 2d 443 (Fla. 1972)…Certiorari denied. 258 So. 2d 52. ROBERTS, C. J., and ERVIN, CARLTON, ADKINS and BOYD, JJ., concur.…
Authorities Cited
- Gory Roofing Tile Mfg., Inc. v. Davison, 191 So. 2d 40 (Fla. 1966)
- Hopke v. O'Byrne, 148 So. 2d 755 (Fla. 1st DCA 1963)
- Hurricane Boats, Inc. v. Certified Indus. Fabricators, Inc., 246 So. 2d 174 (Fla. 3d DCA 1971)
- Williams v. Confidential Credit Corp., 114 So. 2d 718 (Fla. 3d DCA 1959)
- Concord Shopping Ctr., Inc. v. Litowitz, 183 So. 2d 562 (Fla. 3d DCA 1966)