Kirchoff v. Moulder Bros., Inc.
Kirchoff v. Moulder Bros., Inc.
Opinion of the Court
Appellees (Moulders) brought an action against appellants (Kirchoffs) for slander of title and seeking injunctive relief and damages for trespass to realty. The count alleging slander of title was preliminarily dismissed by the trial court. The Kirchoffs’ answer raised three affirmative defenses: prescriptive easement, implied easement, and statutory way of necessity under section 704.01, Florida Statutes. The Kir-choffs also filed a purported third-party action
Counsel for the Kirchoffs did not attend the hearing on these motions. The issue in regard to the claim of prescriptive easement by the Kirchoffs was whether or not adversity of use had been adequately pled. The Moulders asserted in their motion for judgment on the pleadings that the allegation of a prescriptive easement by the Kir-choffs showed that the use of the Moulders’ land occurred with permission of the owner, and failed to affirmatively show that such use was “hostile or adverse to the interest of plaintiffs or their predecessors in title.” The trial court entered an order granting a judgment on the pleadings in respect to the affirmative defense of prescriptive easement, and a partial summary judgment for the Moulders in respect to the Kirchoffs’ affirmative defenses of implied easement and statutory way of necessity.
No final judgment was entered pursuant to these orders prior to trial on the amount of damages. The defendants thereupon filed a “Motion for Reconsideration” of the order granting judgment on the pleadings as to Count I of the affirmative defenses-the claim by the Kirchoffs of a prescriptive easement. The motion for reconsideration was denied, and the case then proceeded to trial on the Moulders’ complaint and the answer of the Kirchoffs shorn of the affirmative defenses. The issues for trial were limited to a determination of trespass vel non upon the Moulders’ lands and, if appropriate, damages. Final judgment was
The Kirchoffs have appealed the judgment on the pleadings and the award of trespass damages. The Moulders have cross-appealed and have claimed that the trial court erred in computing the damages by failing to consider the full period of delay of the sale to Norton and Steel, by denying their claim for attorney’s fees, and by dismissing the count in the original complaint based on slander of title.
The first issue we will consider is whether or not the trial court erred by entering the order granting the motion for judgment on the pleadings as to the defendants’ affirmative defense of prescriptive easement. In this regard, we believe the trial court, possibly because of the unorthodox absence of the Kirchoffs’ counsel from the hearing,
The Kirchoffs have also argued that the trial court erred by refusing to allow them to amend their pleadings during trial in regard to the issue of prescriptive easement. In view of our holding in regard to the first point, this issue is moot.
Since the judgment must be vacated, except insofar as it relates to the dismissal of the third-party action against Norton and Steel, and this cause remanded for further proceedings, the issue raised by the Kirchoffs relating to the trial court’s computation of damages is also moot. However, we believe that we should observe, for the benefit of the trial court in conducting further pretrial and trial proceedings in this cause, that we concur with the Kirchoffs’ argument that generally the proper measure of damages in an action for trespass to realty is the difference in value of the property trespassed upon before and after the trespass is committed. National Rating Bureau, Inc. v. Florida Power Corp., 94 So.2d 809 (Fla. 1957); Gasque v. Ball, 65 Fla. 383, 62 So. 215 (1913); Nilsson v. Hiscox, 158 So.2d 799 (Fla. 1st DCA 1964); Mid-State Investment Corp. v. O’Steen, 133 So.2d 455 (Fla. 1st DCA 1961).
The Moulders’ cross-appeal is patently without merit in regard to the proper elements of damage for trespass and their claim for attorney’s fees. The damage evidence utilized by the trial court, based on the sale contract between the Moulders and
The trial court apparently dismissed the slander of title count because the alleged slander occurred after the Moulders had entered into the contract of sale, rather than before,
Where words which are slanderous of the title to property are uttered or published after a sale thereof has been .. . agreed upon and contracted for, so as to give the plaintiff a contract capable of being enforced, he does not suffer any actionable damages from their utterance although the purchaser was thereby deterred from performing his contract or induced to violate it, since the seller may obtain relief by suing the purchaser.
We agree with the trial court’s application of this rule to the Moulders’ second amended complaint in regard to the attempted allegation of slander of title. No issue is raised by this appeal in regard to the allegation of a cause of action predicated upon intentional interference with a contractual relation.
Accordingly, the final judgment is reversed, except for its dismissal of the third-party action against the third-party defendants, Norton and Steel, and this cause remanded for further proceedings before the trial court consistent with this opinion.
. This was actually a misnomered motion to add parties plaintiff as provided by Rule 1.210, Fla.R.C.P.
. Defense counsel’s office called the judge and advised him that Mr. Logan would not be at the hearing and to proceed without him.
. We recognize the exceptions to this general rule set forth in the cases of Anchorage Yacht Haven, Inc. v. Robertson, 264 So.2d 57 (Fla. 4th DCA 1972); and Elowsky v. Gulf Power Co., 172 So.2d 643 (Fla. 1st DCA 1965).
. See 32 Fla.Jur. Torts § 12 (1960).
. The trial court relied on two Alabama Cases: Louisiana Gas and Oil Corp. v. Green, 230 Ala. 470, 161 So. 479 (1935) and Dent v. Balch, 213 Ala. 311, 104 So. 651 (1925).
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.