Florida Distinctions Flashcards
Florida Distinction:
Pro Rata Shares?
Tortfeasor’s total recovery limited to amount paid in excess of his pro rata share & Tortfeasor may not be compelled to make a contribution beyond the pro rata share of the entire liability. Right of contribution exists in favor of a tortfeaser pays more than his pro rata share of common liability.
Determining tortfeasor’s pro rata share:
- Relative degree of fault MUST be basis for allocation of liability;
- If equity requires, collective liability of some as a group must constitute a single share; &
- Equity principles apply.
Florida Distinction:
SENTENCING, POST-CONVICTION RELIEF:
Sentencing:
A Judge’s Change of Mind
A judge may correct an illegal sentence or
one based on miscalculations at any time.
- Issues can be raised at sentencing or w/in 15 days of sentence.
- Court can reduce or modify a sentence w/in 60 days after the sentencing or after receiving an appellate court mandate.
PRE-TRIAL PROCEDURE AND RESOLUTION WITHOUT TRIAL:
Default Judgments:
Default
When a party from whom affirmative relief is sought (e.g., the Δ) fails to respond to the pleading, it is said to be in “default.”
- If Δ has simply not done anything, clerk of the court will enter the default upon an appropriate motion.
- If Δ party has appeared in some fashion but not substantively taken on the relevant pleadings (e.g., a party has filed a notice of appearance but then not answered or moved to dismiss), the judge will enter the default.
- However, in this latter case the rules require that notice be given to the defendant of the pendency of the motion for default.
PRIVILEGES AND PUBLIC POLICY EXCEPTIONS:
Public Policy Exclusions of Evidence:
Rape Shield Statute
Protects victims of rape and sexual battery from having their conduct or reputation brought in against them
- FL: Applies in criminal cases:
- Prior consensual sexual activity between the victim and a person other than the Δ are inadmissible unless the evidence may prove the Δ was not the source of:
- Injury or disease
- pregnancy; or
- Semen;
- Prior consensual sexual activity between the victim and a person other than the Δ are inadmissible unless the evidence may prove the Δ was not the source of:
- FL: No 14-day notice requirement
- FL: Prior Consensual Activity of the victim: The evidence of other consensual acts of the victim may be brought up to show a pattern of conduct or behavior on the part of the victim, but these other acts must be so similar to the conduct or behavior in the present case that it becomes relevant to the issue of consent.
HEARSAY, PART 2:
Hearsay Exceptions when declarant’s availability as a witness is immaterial:
Statements of Then-Existing Condition
FL: Stricter than the federal approach
Requirement that the judge keep out a statement of then-existing condition if the judge thinks that the statement was made under circumstances that indicate a lack of trustworthiness
- Ex: An individual says “I feel great” but the person is bleeding to death. The circumstances surrounding the statement indicate it is untrustworthy.
- Ex: Individual calls into work and says they are sick when they are actually out of town on a ski vacation and at the slopes when they call in. The people who heard him make the statement hear him laughing, whooping it up, and partying. The circumstances surrounding the statement indicate it is untrustworthy.
Florida Distinction:
Liability re: State Government Immunity?
- State of Florida LIABLE for damages caused by an employee’s negligent or wrongful act/omission acting w/in the scope of his employment.
- Gov’t employee NOT personally LIABLE for acts/omissions that occur w/in scope of employment, UNLESS in bad faith, with malicious purpose, or with a wanton and willful disregard of human rights, safety, or purpose.
OTHER PROVISIONS IN CIVIL PRACTICE:
Medical Malpractice Claims:
Arbitration of Damages:
A party is not required to accept the proposal for binding arbitration as to damages. However, there are consequences when the proposal is not accepted.
- If the defendant rejects the plaintiff’s offer, the limitations on damages we discussed are applied and the claimant may recover a portion of its attorneys’ fees based on the jury award.
- If the claimant refuses the defendant’s offer, the plaintiff’s recovery will be limited to the net economic damages and non-economic damages not to exceed $350,000.
PRIVILEGES AND PUBLIC POLICY EXCEPTIONS:
Public Policy Exclusions of Evidence:
Statements of Sympathy
FL: Statements of sympathy are inadmissible. But, statements of fault made in conjunction with or in addition to such statements will be admissible.
- Similar to FRE “Offer to Pay Medical Expenses”
- Very Tricky Area and easy to test
FORMATION OF CORPORATIONS:
Tax Rate & Reporting
- After an exemption of $25,000 of income, Florida corporations pay an income tax of 5.5% to Florida.
- They may also pay federal income tax.
- Florida corporations must file annual report with the Department of State.
- If they don’t, they may be dissolved
DISCOVERY DEVICES, CONTINUED; DISCOVERY DISPUTES:
Requests for Admission
- Takes matters out of contention at trial
- An admission is dispositive.
- May only be used against another party
- Can deal with matters of fact or matters of law
- A common use of such request is with respect to the authenticity of documents.
- If a party does not respond within 30 days (45 if request served with complaint), then the request will be deemed admitted by that party.
RIGHTS AND DUTIES OF PARTNERS:
Partnership Accounting
- Background: Partners in a partnership are deemed to have capital accounts. Capital accounts: accounts partnership keeps for each partner, reflecting money that partners have contributed, gains that they’ve received but haven’t had distributed yet, and losses that have been assessed to them.
- A partner cannot demand a distribution of partnership gains.
Florida Distinction:
Medical Malpractice:
Personal injury/wrongful death action arising from medical malpractice may only be filed, if?
Personal injury/wrongful death action arising from medical malpractice may NOT be filed, unless:
REASONABLE INVESTIGATION conducted to determine
GF grounds for a negligence claim.
- Good faith shown if claimant received a written opinion from expert stating appearance of medical negligence.
- CAP on AMOUNT of DAMAGES for pain & suffering in medical malpractice cases against both practitioners & non-practitioners.
Florida Distinction:
Torts:
Economic Loss Rule?
Judicially-created doctrine limits circumstances under which a tort action may be brought when the only damages suffered are economic.
- Generally, parties in contractual privity are prevented from bringing tort actions to recover solely economic damages.
- Florida, however, now limits the application of the economic loss rule only to cases involving PRODUCTS LIABILITY.
Florida Distinction:
Exoneration of Liens Abolished?
Florida abolished this doctrine and
REQUIRES any property encumbrances to be paid at the expense of the estate residue only when the will so specifies.
- CL exoneration of liens doctrine: if a testator makes a specific devise of real property that is subject to an encumbrance, such as a mortgage or a lien, the devisee is entitled to have the land “exonerated” by payment of the encumbrance from the remaining assets in the testator’s estate. Many states have abolished this doctrine. In such states, the property passes subject to the encumbrance unless the will specifically requires payment of the encumbrance.
SERVICE OF PROCESS:
Personal Service
-
Physically delivering the required process to ∆
- Delivery can occur wherever ∆ is located; FL law requires that an employer let a process server into even private areas of a business to serve process.
-
One can accomplish personal service w/o actual physical delivery:
- By leaving required process
- (1) at ∆’s usual place of abode;
- (2) w/ any person residing therein who is 15 years of age or older, AND
- (3) must inform person of contents of what you are giving them.
- By leaving required process
Advertisements:
General Requirements
- name (an atty responsible for ad) & address
- Filing Requirements/Copies
- Filed w/ Bar for evaluation of compliance at least 20 days prior to 1st dissemination.
- May run ad w/o discipline if Bar does not respond w/in 15 days.
- Atty must maintain copies of and records regarding ads for 3 years after last dissemination.
Mandatory Withdrawal:
When MUST a lawyer withdraw from the representation of a client?
- Continuing representation will result in violation of the RPC or other law;
- Lawyer’s impairment, physical or mental, materially alters his or her ability to represent the client;
- Lawyer is fired by the client;
- Client persists in a criminal or fraudulent course of action; &
- Lawyer’s services have been used to commit a crime or fraud.
Florida Distinction:
Doctrine of Worthier Title?
Florida statutorily abolished the Doctrine of Worthier Title.
Words describing beneficiaries as “heirs, heirs at law, next of kin, distributees, relatives, family” or of similar import:
DOES NOT create revisionary interest in Transferor.
Changes to the Constitution:
How may Legislature amend Constitution?
- May propose amendments to any part of the constitution via joint resolution of both legislative houses
- The resolution must be agreed to by 3/5 of the members of both houses.
PLEADINGS:
Supplementing or Amending a Pleading:
Supplementing
A supplemental pleading does not change what has been done, but rather adds additional info re: events that took place after the filing of the initial pleading.
PRE-TRIAL PROCEDURE AND RESOLUTION WITHOUT TRIAL:
Involuntary Dismissal
- This is a means for an opposing party (generally a Δ) to force a dismissal of a claim or of the action. The rule technically could be used for any reason, including a failure by a plaintiff to establish a case.
- Most often, however, involuntary dismissal rule is used when the other party has failed to comply with a rule or court order.
- If an involuntary dismissal is granted, the judgment is generally with prejudice and on the merits.
Florida Distinction:
Constructive Adverse Possession re: other nonpossessed lots?
- If a property is divided into lots &
- a person adversely possesses one lot,
he does not obtain title by constructive adverse possession to any other lots within the same tract.
Florida Distinction:
STATUTORY RAPE
- Consent is not a defense b/c victim is too young to consent.
- 3 types of statutory rape:
- Unlawful sexual activity with certain minors:Defendant must be 24 or older & there must be sexual activity with someone who is 16 or 17 years old
- Lewd and lascivious offenses upon or in the presence of minors: Minor must be younger than 16 of age; The degree of the offense depends on the age of the perpetrator - If over 18 and child is between 12 and 16 years old, it is a second degree felony. (If the child is under 12 it is a sexual battery, a first degree felony.)
- Contributing to the delinquency of a child: A child under age of 16 is impregnated by someone 21 years of age or older
Florida Distinction:
JUVENILE DELINQUENCY, PART 3: ADJUDICATION; JUVENILES IN ADULT COURT:
Adjudication
Adjudication Hearing
-
Must be within 90 days of
- Date of service on summons attached to petition
- Juvenile being taken into custody, OR
- Hearing is a trial: Court determines whether the offense has been proven (NOT a determination that the juvenile is “guilty”)
Defenses:
-
Incompetence: Assessed at time of trial
- Detention limited to 2 years
-
Insanity: Assessed at time of the crime
- Notice required 10 days before hearing