THE KEYES COMPANY, A FLORIDA CORPORATION, APPELLANT,
v.
THE EXECUTIVE CENTER, INC., A FLORIDA CORPORATION, ET AL., APPELLEES

Fla. 3d DCA | 1975-04-08
Nos. 74-621, 74-720
Before PEARSON, HAVERFIELD and NATHAN, JJ.
311 So. 2d 734 Florida District Court of Appeal, Third District (1975) Positive Treatment
Cited by 6 cases

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Synopsis

The Keyes Company appealed a summary judgment in a dispute over a real estate commission, claiming it held an exclusive listing agreement while Oscar E. Dooly Associates claimed the entire commission as the selling broker. The court reversed the summary judgment against Dooly to allow Keyes to amend its complaint to allege breach of duty, while affirming the judgment against Ryder.


Holding

The summary judgment against Dooly is reversed to the extent it did not allow amendment of the complaint prior to ruling on the petition for rehearing; the amendment shall be allowed on remand and the trial court may then determine whether Dooly is entitled to summary judgment on the amended complaint. The summary judgment against Ryder is affirmed.


Headnotes

[1] A trial court errs by denying a motion to amend a complaint when that motion is pending and undisposed of at the time the court rules on a petition for rehearing.

[2] A summary judgment entered without allowing a pending motion to amend the complaint is in error to the extent that the amendment was not considered.

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Key Quotes

“The facts developed at the time of the entry of the summary judgment conclusively refuted the existence of the cause of action for business interference.”

Establishes that the original complaint's theory of tortious interference lacked evidentiary support.

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Facts & Procedural History

Keyes Company allegedly held an exclusive listing agreement to sell property owned by Executive Center, Inc. The property was ultimately sold by Execu…

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Opinion of the Court
PER CURIAM.

PER CURIAM.

The appellant, The Keyes Co., was the plaintiff in the trial court in a suit to recover a claimed commission upon the sale of a large piece of property. The broker on the sale was ostensibly the appellee, Oscar E. Dooly Assoc., Inc. The property was sold by Executive Center, Inc., to the Ryder System, Inc. After extensive discovery, the trial court entered a summary final judgment for the defendant Dooly and the defendant Ryder. The first of the two appeals consolidated here is from that judgment. After the entry of the judgment, Keyes moved for (1) a rehearing and (2) an order allowing it to amend its complaint as to the defendant Dooly.

The trial court first denied the motion for rehearing and then signed an order granting Keyes’s motion for leave to amend. At this stage, Keyes filed its first notice of appeal. Thereafter the trial court set aside its order granting leave to amend upon the basis that it had lacked jurisdiction to make the order since it had already denied the petition for rehearing. The second appeal by Keyes is from the order setting aside the previously-entered order granting permission to amend.

The Keyes Co. allegedly was the holder of the exclusive listing agreement, the Dooly Association was allegedly a selling broker who claimed the entire commission, and Ryder was the ultimate purchaser. The complaint upon which summary judgment was entered alleged that Dooly and Ryder were guilty of interfering with Keyes’s profitable business venture, that is, its exclusive contract to sell the property of the Executive Center, Inc.

The facts developed at the time of the entry of the summary judgment conclusively refuted the existence of the cause of action for business interference. Prior to the time the court entered the judgment, Keyes, perhaps being apprehensive of the ultimate result, moved to amend its complaint in conformity with some of the evidence obtained upon discovery so that the complaint would allege a violation of a duty owed by Dooly to Keyes growing out of prior business dealings and the exclusive contract in this case. As can be seen from the fact that the motion to amend was granted, the trial judge felt that such an amendment would be in keeping with the applicable law. We concur in this determination by the trial judge. See Sorrells v. Mullins, Fla.App. 1974, 303 So. 2d 385. The trial judge subsequently found it necessary to set aside the order allowing the amendment because he had overlooked ruling upon the motion prior to signing the order denying rehearing. Without discussing the correctness of this basis where the motion was undisposed of at the time of the filing of the order denying rehearing, we conclude that the order denying rehearing without allowing amendment when there was a pending motion for amendment amounted to a denial of the motion to be allowed to amend. We, therefore, hold that the summary judgment as to the defendant Oscar E. Dooly Assoc., Inc., is in error to the extent that it did not allow amendment of the complaint prior to ruling on the petition for rehearing. Upon the return of this cause to the trial court, the amendment shall be allowed and the court may then proceed to determine whether Dooly is entitled to a summary judgment in the cause of action alleged in the amended complaint.

The summary judgment as to the defendant Ryder is affirmed.

Affirmed in part, reversed in part and remanded with directions.


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Citator

Cited By

  • Coudry v. City OF Titusville, 438 So. 2d 197 (Fla. 5th DCA 1983)
    …e Corp., 353 So. 2d 137 (Fla. 3d DCA 1977), appeal añer remand 382 So. 2d 878 (Fla. 3d DCA 1980); Schurkman v. Stolar, 347 So. 2d 653 (Fla. 3d DCA 1977); Forte v. Tripp & Skrip, 339 So. 2d 698 (Fla. 3d DCA 1976); Keyes Co. v. Executive Center, Inc., 311 So. 2d 734 (Fla. 3d DCA 1975); Watier v. REW Crane Service, Inc., 240 So. 2d 177 (Fla. 4th DCA 1970), amended in other respects, 257 So. 2d 249 (Fla.1971); McClendon v. Key, 209 So. 2d 273 (Fla. 4th DCA 1968). . See Forte v. Tripp & Skrip, 339 So. 2d 698 (Fla…
  • Sunshine Kitchens, Inc. v. Mallin, 388 So. 2d 1260 (Fla. 3d DCA 1980)
    …with the taxpayer.” .Gold Coast Crane Service, Inc. v. Watier, supra, dictates this form. We may have overlooked this in Dorset House Association, Inc. v. Dorset, Inc., 371 So. 2d 541 (Fla.3d DCA 1979), and Keyes Company v. Executive Center, Inc., 311 So. 2d 734 (Fla.3d DCA 1975), where we reversed the summary judgment.…
  • The Keyes Co. v. The Executive Ctr., Inc., 343 So. 2d 645 (Fla. 3d DCA 1977)
    …ry Dooly moved for and was granted summary final judgment. We affirm. With respect to Keyes action for business interference, that issue, has already been determined adversely to Keyes in a prior appeal. See Keyes Company v. Executive Center, Inc., 311 So. 2d 734 (Fla.3d DCA 1975). Turning to Keyes alternative claim for 40% of the commission received by Dooly, it is undisputed that in November 1972 the exclusive listing contract for the sale of the subject property had been cancelled by The Executive Center…

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