In Re: Amendments to Florida Rule of Civil Procedure 1.530 and Florida Family Law Rule of Procedure 12.530
Supreme Court of Florida
In Re: Amendments to Florida Rule of Civil Procedure 1.530 and Florida Family Law Rule of Procedure 12.530
Opinion
Supreme Court of Florida
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No. SC2022-0756
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IN RE: AMENDMENTS TO FLORIDA RULE OF CIVIL
PROCEDURE 1.530 AND FLORIDA FAMILY LAW RULE OF
PROCEDURE 12.530.
April 27, 2023
PER CURIAM.
Previously in this case and on our own motion, we amended
Florida Rule of Civil Procedure 1.530 (Motions for New Trial and
Rehearing; Amendments of Judgments; Remittitur or Additur) and
Florida Family Law Rule of Procedure 12.530 (Motions for New Trial
and Rehearing; Amendments of Judgments) to clarify that filing a
motion for rehearing is required to preserve an objection to
insufficient trial court findings in a final judgment order. 1 In re
Amendments to Fla. Rule of Civil Procedure 1.530 and Fla. Family
Law Rule of Procedure 12.530, 346 So. 3d 1161 (Fla. 2022).
1. We have jurisdiction. See art. V, § 2(a), Fla. Const.; Fla. R.
Gen. Prac. & Jud. Admin. 2.140(d).
Because the amendments were not published for comment prior to
their adoption, we gave interested parties 75 days in which to file
comments on the amendments. Four comments were received.
Having considered the comments filed, we further amend rules
1.530 and 12.530 by replacing “sufficiency of a trial court’s findings
in the final judgment” in subdivision (a) (Jury and Non-Jury
Actions) of both rules with “failure of the trial court to make
required findings of fact.” This change makes both rules applicable
to all orders, not just final judgments, and makes clear that the
rules apply only when a judge is required to make specific findings
of fact and not when a party seeks to make other challenges to a
trial court’s order.
Accordingly, we amend the Florida Rules of Civil Procedure
and Florida Family Law Rules of Procedure as reflected in the
appendix to this opinion. New language is indicated by
underscoring and deleted language is indicated by struck-through
type. The amendments shall become effective immediately upon the
release of this opinion.
It is so ordered.
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MUÑIZ, C.J., and CANADY, LABARGA, COURIEL, GROSSHANS,
and FRANCIS, JJ., concur.
THE FILING OF A MOTION FOR REHEARING SHALL NOT ALTER
THE EFFECTIVE DATE OF THESE AMENDMENTS.
Original Proceeding – Florida Rules of Civil Procedure and Florida
Family Law Rules of Procedure
Landis V. Curry III, Chair, Civil Procedure Rules Committee,
Tampa, Florida, Joshua E. Doyle, Executive Director, The Florida
Bar, Tallahassee, Florida, and Heather Savage Telfer, Bar Liaison,
The Florida Bar, Tallahassee, Florida; Dennis W. Moore, Interim
Executive Director, and Sara Elizabeth Goldfarb, Statewide Director
of Appeals, on behalf of the Statewide Guardian ad Litem Office,
Tallahassee, Florida; Ariadne FitzGerald, Lyndsey E. Siara, Jennifer
Latta, Melissa Anne Foss, Miranda Margolis, and Christian
Mairena, Tampa, Florida; and Yosef Kudan of Stok Kon +
Braverman, Fort Lauderdale, Florida,
Responding with comments
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APPENDIX
FLORIDA RULES OF CIVIL PROCEDURE
RULE 1.530. MOTIONS FOR NEW TRIAL AND REHEARING;
AMENDMENTS OF JUDGMENTS; REMITTITUR
OR ADDITUR
(a) Jury and Non-Jury Actions. A new trial may be granted
to all or any of the parties and on all or a part of the issues. To
preserve for appeal a challenge to the sufficiency of a trial court’s
findings in the final judgmentfailure of the trial court to make
required findings of fact, a party must raise that issue in a motion
for rehearing under this rule. On a motion for a rehearing of
matters heard without a jury, including summary judgments, the
court may open the judgment if one has been entered, take
additional testimony, and enter a new judgment.
(b) – (h) [NO CHANGE]
Committee Notes
[NO CHANGE]
Court Commentary
[NO CHANGE]
FLORIDA FAMILY LAW RULES OF PROCEDURE
RULE 12.530. MOTIONS FOR NEW TRIAL AND REHEARING;
AMENDMENTS OF JUDGMENTS
(a) Jury and Non-Jury Actions. A new trial or rehearing
may be granted to all or any of the parties and on all or a part of the
issues. To preserve for appeal a challenge to the sufficiency of a trial
court’s findings in the final judgmentfailure of the trial court to
make required findings of fact, a party must raise that issue in a
motion for rehearing under this rule. On a motion for a rehearing of
matters heard without a jury, including summary judgments, the
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court may open the judgment if one has been entered, take
additional testimony, and enter a new judgment.
(b) – (h) [NO CHANGE]
Court Commentary
[NO CHANGE]
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Reference
- Status
- Published