POINTER OIL COMPANY, A CORPORATION, APPELLANT,
v.
BUTLER AVIATION OF MIAMI, INC., D/B/A AIR INTERNATIONAL, APPELLEE

Fla. 3d DCA | 1974-04-23
No. 73-1266
Before BARKDULL, C. J., and PEARSON and CARROLL, JJ.
293 So. 2d 389 Florida District Court of Appeal, Third District (1974) Caution
Cited by 28 cases

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Synopsis

Pointer Oil Company appeals a partial final judgment entered against it for $8,576.54 of a $13,328.19 claim. The court reversed because the trial court improperly entered a partial final judgment when undisposed issues remained, violating the requirement that only one final judgment be entered in a case.


Holding

Yes. The trial court erred in entering a partial final judgment when the entire controversy had not been disposed of. Only one final judgment should be entered in a case, and when summary judgment is granted on some but not all issues, an interlocutory order should be entered instead, with a final judgment to follow after all remaining issues are resolved.


Headnotes

[1] A partial summary judgment is not a final judgment when triable issues remain regarding the entire controversy between the parties.

[2] A court should enter an interlocutory order specifying undisputed facts and directing further proceedings when summary judgment is not granted on the whole case.

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Key Quotes

“The circuit court erred in entering what purported to be a partial final judgment as said court had not disposed of the entire controversy between the parties.”

States the appellant's contention, which the court found to have merit; establishes the core issue on appeal.

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Facts & Procedural History

Butler Aviation filed a two-count complaint against Pointer Oil: Count 1 sought $13,328.19 on account stated, and Count 2 sought $420 as assignee of a…

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Opinion of the Court
PER CURIAM.

PER CURIAM.

The appellee filed a complaint against the appellant, containing two counts. The first presented a claim for $13,328.19 on account stated. In the second, alleging it was the assignee of a claim against the defendant held by a certain other corporation, the plaintiff sought recovery of $420 on account stated. A motion by the defendant to dismiss the complaint was denied as to the first count and was granted as to the second count. The defendant answered to the first count, admitting the qualifying allegations and denying the alleged obligation.

Thereafter, on motion of the plaintiff for summary judgment, the court granted the motion as to $8,576.54 of the $13,328.19 claimed by the plaintiff and denied the motion as to the balance of plaintiff’s claim, amounting to $4,754.65, with regard to which disputes of the parties created triable issues.

A partial summary judgment was entered against the defendant for said sum of $8,576.54, together with costs to be taxed. Defendant’s motion for new trial was denied by an order in which the designation of the judgment as a partial summary judgment was changed to “Partial Final Judgment.”

On appeal therefrom the appellant contends : “The circuit court erred in entering what purported to be a partial final judgment as said court had not disposed of the entire controversy between the parties.” The contention has merit. See. Fontainebleau Hotel Corp. v. Yount, Fla.App.1964, 162 So. 2d 303.

Although improperly entered at that stage of the case, the partial summary judgment was final in form and therefore was appealable, so that a failure to have appealed therefrom would have precluded further review of that judgment. It was so held in a similar circumstance in Wabash Life Insurance Company v. Rosenberg, Fla.App.1965, 177 So. 538.

As stated in the above cited cases, there should be only one final judgment. When, on motion of a plaintiff for summary judgment, the court determines that some but not all of the issues may be determined summarily, that is, that summary judgment is not to be rendered upon the whole of the case or as to all of the relief sought by the pleadings, the procedure to be followed is set out in subparagraph (d) of Rule 1.510 F.R.C.P, 31 F.S.A. An interlocutory order should be entered specifying the facts that appear without substantial controversy, including the extent to which the amount of damages or other relief is not in controversy, and directing such further proceedings in the action as are just. At such time as the remaining issues have been determined, the final judgment entered should include the amounts or damages which the court previously has determined the plaintiff is entitled to recover. On authority of Fontainebleau Hotel Corp. v. Young, supra, and for the reasons therein stated, the judgment entered herein for part of the plaintiff’s claim is reversed, without prejudice to the plaintiff to assign error with relation thereto in event of appeal from the judgment entered following trial or other disposition of the remaining undetermined issues or claims.

It is so ordered.


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Citator

Cited By (15 total)

  • McGURN v. Scott, 596 So. 2d 1042 (Fla. 1992)
    …he attributes of a ‘true’ final judgment, [and therefore] it is deemed to have taken on the characteristic of such a judgment which requires review by immediate appeal.” (Footnote omitted.) See also Pointer Oil Co. v. Butler Aviation of Miami, Inc., 293 So. 2d 389 (Fla. 3d DCA 1974) (although improperly entered, partial summary judgment was final in form and, therefore, immediately appealable). Therefore, if McGurn had not appealed the order immediately, a later appeal might have been viewed as untimely. Whi…
  • del Castillo v. Ralor Pharmacy, Inc., 512 So. 2d 315 (Fla. 3d DCA 1987)
    …ebleau Hotel Corp. v. Young, 162 So. 2d 303 (Fla. 3d DCA 1964), aff’d, 172 So. 2d 282 (Fla. 3d DCA 1965); accord Liberman v. Rhyne, 248 So. 2d 242 (Fla. 3d DCA 1971), cert. denied, 252 So. 2d 798 (Fla.1971); Pointer Oil Co. v. Butler Aviation, Inc., 293 So. 2d 389 (Fla. 3d DCA 1974). Thus, there is no question of the impropriety of the April 21,1983 order which provided for the plaintiffs recovery of specified money damages and ordered execution,10 while at the same time retaining jurisdiction over the puniti…
  • E. Ave., LLC v. Insignia Bank, 136 So. 3d 659 (Fla. 2d DCA 2014)
    …n the characteristic of such a judgment” and requires review by immediate appeal. 596 So. 2d at 1045 (quoting Del Castillo v. Ralor Pharmacy, Inc., 512 So. 2d 315, 319 (Fla. 3d DCA 1987), and citing Pointer Oil Co. v. Butler Aviation of Miami, Inc., 293 So. 2d 389 (Fla. 3d DCA 1974)). Ultimately, the supreme court held that because the order in McGum “appeared final in most respects and stated that execution could issue,” it would be “deemed a final order requiring review by immediate appeal.” 596 So. 2d at 1…

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