Black v. Burrows
Black v. Burrows
Opinion of the Court
Appellants, the plaintiffs in the trial court, seek review of several rulings by the trial court culminating in the order dated January 25, 2002, granting Appel-lees’ motion for summary judgment, partial summary judgment and/or judgment on the pleadings; and an order granting Appellee Ms. Burrows’ motion for judgment pursuant to section 78.20 & -.21, Florida Statutes (1999). Appellants contend that summary judgment is precluded by the existence of genuine issues of material fact. We agree that genuine issues of material fact exist, e.g., on the issues of whether Appellant Mr. Black has an individual right of ownership or possession of the office equipment in question; whether Mr. Black has standing to bring an action against Appellees on behalf of Appellant Burrows and Black Interiors, Inc.; and whether there is a specific, identifiable res on which to impose a constructive trust. Accordingly, we reverse the summary final judgment and the order awarding attorney’s fees and costs, and remand for further proceedings.
Section 78.21 does not cover the instant facts and is not a basis for relief. Section 78.20 states:
78.20 Judgment for defendant when goods retained by, or redelivered to, defendant_When property has been retained by, or redelivered to, defendant on his or her forthcoming bond or upon the dissolution of a prejudgment writ and defendant prevails, he or she shall have judgment against plaintiff for his or her damages for the taking, if any, of the property, attorney’s fees, and costs. The remedies provided in this section and s. 78.21 shall not preclude any other remedies available under the laws of this state.
Under the plain language of this provision, entitlement to fees and costs expressly depends on whether the “defendant prevails.” Our reversal of the order granting final summary judgment and other attendant orders renders the question of whether Ms. Burrows “prevailed” premature. Thus, no current basis for attorney’s fees and costs exists.
We REVERSE the order granting Ap-pellees’ motion for summary final judgment and the order granting attorney’s fees and costs pursuant to section 78.20, and REMAND for further proceedings.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.