Schnellenberger v. Merslich
Schnellenberger v. Merslich
Opinion of the Court
Suzanne Schnellenberger appeals from a final order awarding $27,750 in attorney’s fees to Linda Merslich, stemming from previous litigation where Schnellenberger had sued Merslich for fraud and civil theft. We reverse the order under review.
Schnellenberger originally sued her aunt, Merslich, after being induced by Merslich to sign papers transferring the contents of a Totten trust bank account, unknowingly held by Schnellenberger, into a joint account with Merslich.
Unfortunately, the parties thereafter improperly relied on dicta in that opinion, and operated under the misapprehension that our affirmance of the denial of treble damages was tantamount to a reversal of the civil theft finding. It was not. Proceeding under this misapprehension, Merslich was awarded attorney’s fees under Section 772.-11, Florida Statutes (1991). However, since Schnellenberger’s original claim was clearly not “without substantial fact or legal support,” the trial court’s award of attorney’s fees to Merslich was incorrect, and is, accordingly, reversed. See § 772.-11, Fla.Stat. (1991).
Our resolution of Schnellenberger’s appeal moots Merslich’s cross-appeal.
Reversed.
. The trial court specifically found, "LINDA MERSLICH fraudulently and under false pre
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.