STEPHEN ZANATHY AND RETA ZANATHY, APPELLANTS,
v.
BEACH HARBOR CLUB ASSOCIATION, INC., APPELLEE

Fla. 2d DCA | 1977-01-21
No. 76-769
REVERSED in part, AFFIRMED in part, and REMANDED for further proceedings consistent with this opinion., SCHEB, J„ and DANAHY, PAUL W., Jr., Associate Judge, concur.
343 So. 2d 625 Florida District Court of Appeal, Second District (1977) Positive Treatment
Cited by 10 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

In this condominium lien foreclosure case, the Florida Second District Court of Appeal reversed in part and affirmed in part a trial court judgment awarding the Beach Harbor Club Association assessments and a lien on two condominium units owned by the Zanathys. The court found error in striking Reta Zanathy's pleadings where she had not defied any court order, and remanded to allow her to litigate counterclaims affecting her interests.


Holding

The court held that while striking Stephen Zanathy's pleadings was not an abuse of discretion, striking Reta Zanathy's pleadings was error because she did not defy any court order and the Association did not attempt to take her deposition. The court also held that execution of the judgment must be stayed pending resolution of Reta Zanathy's counterclaims that affected her interests, including claims for monies advanced, rent on carports, damages for trespass, and injunctive relief.


Headnotes

[1] A trial court may impose sanctions, including striking pleadings, against a party who fails to obey a court order or appear for a deposition.

[2] Striking the pleadings of one co-party for failure to appear for a deposition is an abuse of discretion if the other co-party did not defy a court order and their deposit…

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

Key Quotes

“The noncompliance of Stephen Zanathy is not chargeable to his co-party.”

Establishes that one party's failure to comply with discovery orders cannot justify striking the pleadings of a co-defendant who did not violate any order.

Previewing 1 of 3 key quotes on this case — the court’s exact language, pinpointed for members.

Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligence

Facts & Procedural History

The Zanathys owned three condominium units: C-304 and F-403 jointly, and E-312 held by Stephen as trustee. Beach Harbor Club Association sued for fore…

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.


Opinion of the Court
BOARDMAN, Chief Judge.

BOARDMAN, Chief Judge.

Appellants/defendants, Stephen and Reta Zanathy, filed this timely appeal from a final judgment in favor of appellee/plain-tiff, Beach Harbor Club Association, Inc. Appellee brought suit for foreclosure of a lien and damages and for injunctive relief. Appellee alleged that appellants had not paid assessments due on units C-304, F^403 and E-312 of a condominium development and that the declaration of the condominium provided that appellee shall hold a lien on each unit for unpaid assessments against that unit. Reta and Stephen Zanathy jointly owned units C-304 and F-403, and Stephen Zanathy owned unit E-312 as trustee. Appellants answered the complaint admitting portions of the allegations, stating that they were without sufficient information to form a belief as to other allegations, and denying that the assessments claimed were owed. They also denied that maintenance assessments were made against unit E-312 from March through November, 1973, and asserted that the condominium declaration prohibited the commencement of foreclosure action more than two years after the •date the unpaid assessment was made.1 Appellants counterclaimed for monies advanced to appellee and for rent, damages for trespass and injunctive relief in regard to appellants’ two carports. Appellee moved to strike appellants’ pleadings based on the failure of Stephen Zanathy to submit to oral deposition. The trial judge granted the motion subject to any right appellants might have to a set-off.

Following trial the court awarded appel-lee $4,534.04 for assessments due on C-304 and F-403, attorneys’ fees and court costs and an equitable lien on those units. Public sale of the property was ordered if the judgment were not satisfied within 10 days. The court directed appellants to remove their personal property from the storage rooms in Building F and other common elements of the condominium other than that authorized by the rules and regulations of the condominium association and to provide appellee access to the second floor storage room in Building F. The judge declined to rule on appellee’s claim on unit E-312 and stated that “[a]ll matters undisposed of by this judgment in this action are transferred and consolidated with . . ” cases concerning related issues pending before Honorable Judge Evelyn Gobbie of the Circuit Court for the Twelfth Judicial Circuit.

The trial court is authorized to impose sanctions against a party to litigation who fails to obey a court order or to appear for deposition. Fla.R.Civ.P. 1.380(b), (d). We do not believe that under the facts and testimony presented to the trial judge it was an abuse of discretion to strike the pleadings as to Stephen Zanathy. Nonetheless we submit that it was error to strike the pleadings as to Reta Zanathy because she did not defy any court order and appellee did not attempt to take her deposition. The noncompliance of Stephen Zanathy is not chargeable to his co-party. Leatherby Ins. Co. v. Jones, 332 So. 2d 139 (Fla. 3d DCA 1976).

It is not necessary in this case to remand for trial on the answer or defenses which were improperly stricken since Reta Zana-thy was not prevented in fact from asserting any matter relative to her interests which she had sought to raise by the pleadings. The affirmative defenses did not pertain to the storage rooms, and except for an averment that the assessments were not owed the defenses did not pertain to the units she owned jointly with her husband. Although Reta Zanathy had a right to raise the defense that the assessments claimed on her units were not owed, a review of the transcript of the proceedings reveals that this defense was given full consideration at the time of trial. Appellants conceded at trial that there were outstanding assessments against units C-304 and F-403 in the amount established by appellee. Appellants’ counsel stated that the power of appellee to make assessments had been ruled on and disposed of by the court as a matter of law at some time earlier in the progress of this suit. The court’s error in striking the pleading was harmless since it is clear that the ruling on Reta Zanathy’s liability on the assessments was not affected by that error. It is necessary however to provide an opportunity for Reta Zanathy to litigate the issues raised by the counterclaims that did affect her interests which she was prevented from pursuing.

The trial court preserved two of appellants’ claims, that is for monies advanced and rent due on the carports, to be raised as a potential set-off. In addition Reta Zanathy will be allowed to litigate the remaining two claims, that is for damages for trespass and injunctive relief regarding the carports, at the time the set-off is considered. Until these counterclaims are disposed of execution of the money judgment awarded by the trial court is stayed. See Davar Corp. v. Tropic Land Improvement Corp., 330 So. 2d 482 (Fla. 4th DCA 1976.2

Accordingly the “matters undisposed of” transferred to Judge Gobbie by the final judgment include appellee’s claim for a lien and assessments on unit E-312 and for attorneys’ fees and the issues raised in the counterclaims referred to above.

REVERSED in part, AFFIRMED in part, and REMANDED for further proceedings consistent with this opinion.

SCHEB, J„ and DANAHY, PAUL W., Jr., Associate Judge, concur. . This action was commenced June 27, 1975. The earliest assessments claimed by appellee against units C-304 and F-403 were due in October, 1974, within the two-year limit. The oarlipctf assessment claimed against unit E-312 was due in March, 1973. At trial appellee voluntarily withdrew its claims to assessments on unit E-312 for March, April and May, 1973, in effect admitting and conforming to one of appellants’ defenses. .

. “To allow a plaintiff to recover judgment and have execution while a defendant’s counterclaim remains undisposed of might well result in the plaintiff recovering on its claim without the ability to respond should the defendant recover on its counterclaim.” Davar Corp., supra, at 483. This observation is particularly appropriate to a condominium development involved in lengthy and complex litigation.

Other
BOARDMAN, Chief Judge.

BOARDMAN, Chief Judge.

Upon consideration of the petition for rehearing and clarification filed by appellants and reply filed by appellee, and petition for rehearing filed by appellee and reply filed by appellants, we add the following to our original opinion to avoid any misunderstanding regarding the disposition of this appeal.

The trial court’s award of attorneys’ fees relative to Units C-304 and F-403 is affirmed. The “matters undisposed of” transferred to Judge Gobbie by the final judgment of the trial court include attorneys’ fees for the litigation of appellee’s claim for a lien and assessments on Unit E-312. In all other respects we adhere to our original opinion and both petitions are denied.

SCHEB, J., and DANAHY, PAUL W., Jr., Associate Judge, concur.


Cases With Similar Vibessemantic neighbors from the corpus


Citator

Cited By

  • Wonna Stoner v. C.H. Verkaden & Stoner Builders Corp., 493 So. 2d 1126 (Fla. 4th DCA 1986)
    …ntered final judgment against appellant for $25,800. The trial court’s order, striking the individual’s pleadings, was harmful error. The corporation’s misconduct cannot be charged to its co-party. See Zanathy v. Beach Harbor Club Association, Inc., 343 So. 2d 625 (Fla. 2d DCA 1977) (husband-wife); Henry A. Knott Company, Division of Knott Industries v. Redington Towers, Inc., 428 So. 2d 687 (Fla. 2d DCA 1983) (insurer-insured); and Leatherby Insurance Company v. Jones, 332 So. 2d 139 (Fla. 3d DCA 1976) (insu…
  • Reliance Forwarding Co. v. Nilson VAN & Storage, 387 So. 2d 513 (Fla. 5th DCA 1980)
    …a. 1st DCA 1962); Annot., 8 A.L.R.3d 1361 (1966). Alternatively, the trial court could have entered a final summary judgment on the complaint and stayed its execution pending resolution of the counterclaim. Zanathy v. Beach Harbor Club Ass’n., Inc., 343 So. 2d 625 (Fla. 2d DCA 1977). REVERSED and REMANDED for further proceedings consistent with this opinion. ORFINGER and FRANK D. UP-CHURCH, Jr., JJ., concur.…
  • Tooltrend, Inc. v. C.M.T. Utensili, 707 So. 2d 1162 (Fla. 2d DCA 1998)
    …rt should stay the execution of the judgment pending the resolution of the counterclaim. See Howell v. Miller, 638 So. 2d 544 (Fla. 2d DCA 1994); Carpenter v. Super Pools, Inc., 534 So. 2d 426 (Fla. 5th DCA 1988); Zanathy v. Beach Harbor Club Ass’n, 343 So. 2d 625 (Fla. 2d DCA 1977). In this case, there was testimony that the counterclaim was seeking damages for at least $80,000 to $100,000. Accordingly, we remand this case to the trial court to either stay the execution of the judgment or take evidence reg…

Previewing 3 of 5 citing cases — full citator treatment, depth of discussion, and citing context are member features.

Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligence

Authorities Cited

Full citator, related cases, and AI research tools

Open in FLexlaw