(DOWNLOAD) "Caufield V. Cantele" by Florida Supreme Court " eBook PDF Kindle ePub Free
eBook details
- Title: Caufield V. Cantele
- Author : Florida Supreme Court
- Release Date : January 19, 2002
- Genre: Law,Books,Professional & Technical,
- Pages : * pages
- Size : 59 KB
Description
We have for review the Fifth District Court of Appeal's opinion in Caufield v. Cantele, 745 So. 2d 431 (Fla. 5th DCA 1999), which certified conflict with Green Tree Vendor Services Corp. v. Lisi, 732 So. 2d 422 (Fla. 1st DCA 1999); Oakwood Plaza, L.P. v. D.O.C. Optics Corp., 708 So. 2d 959 (Fla. 4th DCA), review denied, 725 So. 2d 1107 (Fla. 1998); O.A.G. Corp. v. Britamco Underwriters Inc., 707 So. 2d 785 (Fla. 3d DCA 1998); Kelly v. Tworoger, 705 So. 2d 670 (Fla. 4th DCA 1998); and Barry A. Cohen, P.A. v. LaTorre, 595 So. 2d 1076 (Fla. 2d DCA 1992), on the issue of whether an order concerning attorney's fees is an appealable order. We have jurisdiction. See art. V, § 3(b)(4), Fla. Const. We approve the decision below in part and quash it in part, and specifically hold: (1) plenary appeal is the proper method for a district court to review a trial court's determination of attorney's fees and costs after a voluntary dismissal; (2) the contractual or statutory basis of a claim for attorney's fees does not need to be specifically pled and failure to specifically plead the basis for fees does not result in a waiver of the claim; *fn1 and (3) a suit for damages for fraudulent misrepresentation concerning property purchased pursuant to a contract may constitute litigation "arising out of" the contract where the parties have intended such litigation to be covered by an attorney's fees provision included in the contract. Therefore, we remand this case for proceedings consistent with our holdings.