Transcript Judge Barton 9.24 AM Aug 15 2007

8/13/2019 Transcript Judge Barton 9.24 AM Aug 15 2007

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Page 1IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE THIRTEENTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT

IN AND FOR HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY FLORIDA

>

NEIL J . GILLESPIEP l a i n t i f f

CASE NO.: . 05-CA-7205vsBARKER, RODEMS & COOKP.A. a Flo r i dacorpora t i on ; WILLIAM J .COOK

Defendants.- - - - - - - - - - - - - >

TRANSCRIPT OF: HEARINGBEFORE: THE HONORABLE JAMES M. BARTON, I IDATE: August 15 2007PLACE: Hil l sborough County Cour thouseIn Chambers

800 Eas t Twiggs S t r ee tTampa Flor ida

TIME: 9:24 a.m. to 10:04 a .m.REPORTED BY: Michele CoburnNotary Publ ic

Sta te o f Flor ida a t Large

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Page 21 APPEARANCES:23 ROBERT W. BAUER Esquire

The Law Off ice of Robert W. Bauer P.A.4 Sui te 200E2518 W 13th S t r ee t5 Gainesv i l l e F lo r ida 32609

6 Appeared on beha l f of P l a i n t i f f78 RYAN C. RODEMS Esquire

Barker Rodems Cook P.A.9 400 North Ashley DriveTampa Flor ida 33602

1011 Appeared on beha l f of Defendants1213141516 Cer t i f i c a t e of Repor te r Page 331718192021222324

5

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Page 31 Transcr ip t of proceedings on August 15, 2007,2 commencing a t 9:24 a.m. , a t the Hillsborough County3 Courthouse, In Chambers, 800 East Twiggs St ree t , Tampa,4 Flor ida , before Michele Coburn, Notary Publ ic , Sta te of5 Flor ida a t Large.

THE COURT We're here in Gi l l esp ie versus7 Barker , Rodems Cook, P.A. This i s the p l a i n t i f f ' s8 motion to withdraw volunta ry dismissa l or ,9 a l t e rna t ive ly , to amend answer to inc lude counter10 complaint , which I guess i s another way to go.11 There were some of these older cases c i t ed12 involving volunta ry di smissa l s . The Second Di s t r i c t13 in pa r t i c u l a r had taken a pre t t y harsh l i ne back in14 the ea r l y to mid- '80s saying, you know,15 volunta ry dismissa l i s a vol i t iona l act16 dives t s the cour t of j u r i sd i c t i on to do17 except maybe award fees and cos t s . And18 it by mis take , well , too bad.

Notice ofand itanythingi they do

19 But the Supreme Court f i na l l y because some20 of the o the r d i s t r i c t s had f e l t otherwise . And21 f ina l ly in Mi l l e r versus Fortune Insurance Company,22 a t 484 So.2d 1221, the Flor ida Supreme Court sa id ,23 you know, 1.540 i s designed to r e c t i f y mistakes .24 And i something i s t ru ly a mistake, even a not ice25 of volunta ry dismissa l , we' re going to l e t the

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Page 41 p l a i n t i f f t r y to conv ince the Cour t t ha t it was one2 o f those mis takes t h a t shou ld be co r rec ted .3 So to me, the ques t i on here i s whether the4 a l l e g a t i o n of t he motion t h a t Mr. G i l l e s p i e a t the5 t ime was r ep re sen t ing h im s e l f and d i d n ' t r e a l l y6 unders tand the l e g a l s i g n i f i c a n c e of - - I t h ink the7 i mp l i ca t i on i s he may have thought t ha t , Hey, if he8 dismissed whatever he dismissed , t hen t h a t would9 b a s i c a l l y wipe ou t the whole c a s e , which, o f

10 course , as we know in the l ega l pro fess i on , itd o e s n ' t .

12 And it s my unde r s t a nd ing t ha t the defense does3 want to m a in ta in its counte rc la im?

14 MR RODEMS: Yes, Your Honor.15 THE COURT: Well , I mean, somet imes in o the r16 s e t t i n g s when t h e r e ' s a n o t i c e of vo l un t a ry17 d i smi ssa l - - and t h i s happened a l o t in coun ty cour t18 because p l a i n t i f f s Judge, I 'm t i r e d o f t h i s .19 I ll j u s t v o lu n t a r i l y dismiss my case , and I ll20 say , Well , you can do t ha t . But you unders t and the21 o the r s i d e has f i l e d a c oun te r c l a im and t h a t ' s still22 on the t a b l e .23 And t hen the defendan t a l o t o f t imes w i l l say ,24 Okay. Well , if t h e y ' r e d i smi ss i ng t h e i r s , w e ' l l5 dismiss ours . Everybody has b e t t e r t h i ngs to do and

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Page 5so let's move on wi th our l i v e s . L e t ' s dismiss

2 eve ry t h i ng .3 But t h a t ' s up to t he p a r t i e s in each case and4 t h a t ' s why I pose t h i s ques t i on be fo re I make - and5 of course , the ru l e i s s p e c i f i c a l l y t ha t a p l a i n t i f f6 c a n ' t dismiss an a c t i o n when t h e r e ' s a counte rc la im7 pending un l ess the defendan t says , Yeah - exac t ly8 what I ' v e o u t l i n e d - Judge, they d i smiss , t he i r9 case , w e ' l l dismiss our c oun te r c l a im and t ha t w i l l10 be it.11 So t h a t ' s why I was asking .12 MR RODEMS: Well , j u s t so t h a t t he r e c o rd i s

3 c l e a r , you know, if t h i s motion to withdraw the14 compla in t i s den ied , then we w i l l dismiss our15 counte rc la im because we r e a l l y d o n ' t have an16 i n t e r e s t in prolonging t h i s case . We do have some17 ou t s t and i ng o rde r s r e ga rd ing a t t o r n e y ' s fees18 en t i t l emen t , bu t we h a v e n ' t addressed the amount.19 We c e r t a i n l y would want to l i qu i da t e those .2 THE COURT: T h a t ' s a sepa ra t e i s sue - 21 MR RODEMS: Yes, s i r .22 THE COURT: - - which the Cour t r e t a i n s23 j u r i s d i c t i o n to de te rmine .24 MR RODEMS: Yes, s i r .

THE COURT: So I d o n ' t know what the



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Page 61 p l a i n t i f f ' s p o s i t i o n now i s r ega rd le s s o f the2 counte rc la im o r no t . Judge, we want and I 'm3 mouthing perhaps what the p l a i n t i f f might say - We4 want our case r e i n s t a t e d .

So I d o n ' t know what the p l a i n t i f f ' s t r u e I6 mean, a t one po in t , obvious ly , Mr. G i l l e s p i e j u s t7 wanted t o ge t r i d of eve ry t h i ng .8 MR BAUER: Your Honor, a t t h i s t ime the9 p l a i n t i f f wants t h e i r case r e i n s t a t ed . We be l i eve

10 the ru l e r equ i r e s because a c oun te r c l a im has been11 f i l e d t ha t fo r t h e r e to have been an orde r done in12 the case , for the fo r the ac t ion to have - o r13 excuse me for the c l i e n t ' s c la im to be dismissed ,14 he withdraws t h a t p r i o r to the Cour t ru l i n g on t ha t .15 I be l i eve h e ' s e n t i t l e d to withdraw any motions16 pr i o r to the Cour t ru l i n g on them if a cour t o rde r17 i s r equ i red . And I 'm su re from p a s t exper ience the18 Cour t has looked a t the case law t ha t I c i t e d in my19 memorandum.20 I d id want to c l a r i f y one case t ha t I c i t e d in21 the case . I be l i eve I c i t e d it a littl s t rong ly ,22 and it was the case23 THE COURT: So the p l a i n t i f f has changed h i s24 mind?

5 MR BAUER: Yes, Your Honor.

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Page 7THE COURT: He wants to p ress forward no mat t e r

2 what the defendant does?3 MR BAUER: We have a F i f t h DCA case t ha t4 c l e a r l y s t a t e s t ha t an a t tempt to f i l e a d i smis sa l5 where a c oun te r c l a im i s pending i s not va l i d . And6 t ha t would be - 7 THE COURT: But the p l a i n t i f f can always - - I8 mean, we've a l l read what Mr. G i l l e s p i e wrote . And9 a c tu a l l y

10 MR BAUER: Yes, Your Honor.11 In Publ ix Super Market - - o r Rogers versus12 Publ ix Super Market , c i t e d a t 575 So.2d 21413 THE COURT: I mean, what the p l a i n t i f f d i d was14 not dismiss the ac t ion . The p l a i n t i f f s - - the15 p l a i n t i f f moved for an orde r o f vo l un t a ry d i smis sa l16 under the ru le t h a t ' s now be ing d i scussed . And so17 he d i d n ' t t ake a vo l un t a ry d ismis sa l . He j u s t moved18 the Court - - I don ' t know i it was me a t t ha t19 po in t . I fo rge t when I i nhe r i t ed t h i s case . But in20 any event I t h ink befo re an orde r was ever21 en t e red o r a hear ing held, because it was on ly a22 week and a day l a t e r t ha t the p l a i n t i f f withdrew h is23 motion, which anybody can do. Right?24 MR RODEMS: Actua l ly , Your Honor, j u s t to

co r rec t the record , he f i l e d t ha t motion , bu t then

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Page 8he subsequent ly f i l e d a not i ce of volun ta ry

2 di smissa l . And if I can give you some background.3 THE COURT: Okay. Well , t h a t ' s okay.

MR RODEMS: Okay.5 THE COURT: So I guess the ques t ion i s - - he6 a c t u a l l y f i l e d it on the same day.7 MR RODEMS: Yes, s i r .8 THE COURT: It s one t h ing to say t h a t , " I 'm a9 p l a i n t i f f and I 'm going to dismiss the ac t ion . And

10 by d i smis s ing the a c t i on t h a t I , the p l a i n t i f f ,11 f i l e d , then gee, I thought t h a t would dismiss12 every th ing , even t he counte rc la im."

3 But obvious ly , Mr. G i l l e s p i e knew more than14 t h a t because he exp re s s ly s t a t e s , both i n h i s no t i ce15 of vo lun ta ry dismissa l and i n h i s motion , t h a t he16 unders tands t h a t the counte rc la im was going to17 remain fo r ad jud ica t ion . So you c a n ' t r e a l l y say he18 d i d n ' t unders tand what he was doing. I mean, he may19 have made a bad dec i s ion .2 So to me, t he re are a couple o f ques t ions . One21 i s , does t h i s - - because you can withdraw a motion,22 which he did on February the 15 th . The ques t ion i s ,23 does t h i s no t i ce of volun ta ry d i smissa l have any24 e f f i c a c y a t a l l ?5 And you sa id you have a case t h a t says t ha t ?

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Page 91 MR BAUER: Yes Your Honor. I had t h i s .2 In the case I presen t ed to the Cour t and I m3 g e t t i n g a copy for oppos ing counsel as wel l - 4 Publ ix a t t empted to f i l e a r e p l e v i n a c t i o n aga ins t5 anothe r p a r t y . T h e r e s a whole s lew o f fac t s in it.6 It s qu i t e messed up wi th every th ing .7 U l t im a te ly what it bo i l s down to i s , Publ ix8 a t t empted to dismiss the a c t i o n and t hey f i l e d a9 no t i ce d i smi ssa l in the a c t i o n what it appears to

10 be.11 The cour t found t h a t r ega rd le s s o f t ha t12 e f f o r t and I have it h igh l igh ted . Regard less o f13 the e f f o r t , the amended compla in t still s tood14 because the a t t empt to dismiss was no t e f f e c t i v e15 when it was f i l e d under Rule 1.420 when a16 counte rc la im still s tood .17 It appears to me from the case law t h a t Rule18 1.420 cannot be used to dismiss a pa r ty , any p a r ty .19 You have to use Rule 1 . if I m n o t mis taken , I20 t h i nk it s 1.30 , bu t I m not sure on t ha t , Your21 Honor.22 But t h e r e s a c l e a r Rule of C i v i l Procedure23 t h a t s r equ i red fo r d i s m is s ing a p a r t y . And t h a t s24 what Mr. G i l l e s p i e would have had to use to have25 d i smissed h i s p a r t i c u l a r c la im.

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Page 101 I d o n t be l i eve t ha t in s p e c i f i c a l l y c i t i n g2 Rule 1.420 t ha t he can dismiss an ac t ion . Even3 if - - even assuming t ha t he has dismissed it, t h e i r4 counte rc la im i s still s t and i ng . We a re e n t i t l e d5 whi le it s s t and i ng to f i l e a motion for a6 counte rc la im, to amend our answer to h is7 counte rc la im to inc lude a count our se lves . The8 Rules o f C iv i l Procedure al low t ha t .9 There s been - - t h e r e s been s ta tements t ha t

10 our c la im w i l l be bar red by the s t a t u t e o fl i m i t a t i ons . However -

12 THE COURT: Well let s deal f i r s t with whether13 t h i s s ta tement by the F i f t h D i s t r i c t if t h e r e s14 any coun te rva i l i ng au thor i ty .15 Do you have anyth ing?16 MR RODEMS: Yes Judge.17 Fi r s t o f a l l , l e t me address the i s sue o f18 Mr. G i l l e s p i e c i t i n g the wrong - - o r a l l eged ly19 c i t i n g the wrong ru l e .20 In the case o f Evans versus Hineman21 168 So.2d 183 - - and t h i s i s a Second D i s t r i c t case .22 Let me j u s t hand t ha t to you - - the cour t23 THE COURT: Were these ru le s even in ex i s t ence24 a t t ha t t ime.

5 MR RODEMS: They were but they were numbered



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Page 111 something d i f f e r e n t l y .2 But bas ica l ly , you have a s i t ua t i on where the re3 was a defau l t order en te red and then t he par ty4 suf fe r ing the defau l t moved to se t as ide t he5 defau l t , and the cour t gran ted it. And then the6 pa r ty who received the de f au l t wanted to chal lenge7 t ha t .8 And the f i r s t argument was, the ru l e in e f fec t9 a t t he t ime regarding r e l i e f from a mistake was

10 1 .38(b) . The f i r s t argument was, t he pa r ty movingto se t as ide de f au l t cou l dn ' t use it because it

12 hadn ' t passed.13 And the second th ing i s t ha t the p l a i n t i f f14 d i dn ' t even invoke the ru l e , and t h a t ' s the15 important poin t here .16 The cour t sa id , r e ly ing on federa l law, t ha t17 nomenclature i s unimpor tan t . Since nomenclature i s18 unimpor tant , t he moving papers may be t r e a t e d as a19 motion under 60(b) , the federa l ru l e in t he case20 tha t they were re ly ing on.21 And t he Second DC sa id , The fa i lu re of the22 p l a i n t i f f s to denominate or make re fe rence to23 Rule 1.38(b) does not deprive them of t h e i r r igh t to24 r e ly on it.

And the re are a whole l i ne of cases , Judge -



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Page 121 THE COURT: And t h a t s the precursor to2 Rule 1.540. Right?3 MR RODEMS: Yes s i r .4 But t h e r e s a whole s lew o f cases t ha t t a l k5 about the concept t ha t if someone mis labe ls a motion6 o r c i t e s the wrong ru le , t ha t d o e s n t bar them from7 br inging t h e i r motion forward because the Court8 should look a t what the i n t e n t of the pa r ty was and9 what the subs tance of the motion i s and not the

10 l abe l . Okay.11 THE COURT: So12 MR RODEMS: So my po in t i s , i s whether he13 c i t e d Rule 1.420 o r 1.250 if we look a t the no t i ce14 o f dismissa l and I hope I d i d n t give you my only15 copy. But if we look a t the no t ice of d i smis sa l ,16 it s c l ea r t ha t Mr. G i l l e s p i e in the subs tance o f17 his no t i ce o f d i smis sa l s t a t e s t ha t he dismisses18 t h i s ac t ion without pre jud ice pursuant to Rule 1.42019 and defendan t s counterc la im can remain for20 ad jud ica t ion .21 So i n o the r words Mr. G i l l e s p i e in tended to22 dismiss h is claims but unders tood t ha t the23 counterc la im would remain pending .24 So the f i r s t i s sue t ha t I d l i k e to address on

5 t ha t i s Mr. Bauer br ings i s t ha t Mr. G i l le s p i e s



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Page 131 inadver ten t c i t i ng of 1.420 does not mean t ha t hi s2 not ice of dismissa l i s inva l id .3 THE COURT: Why do you say it was inadver ten t?4 I mean, it seems to me t ha t he did exac t ly what he5 thought he wanted to do a t the t ime.6 MR RODEMS: Oh well , no. No.7 The word inadver ten t means the f ac t t ha t he8 may have c i t e d the wrong ru le . Ins tead of 1.420,9 perhaps he should have c i t ed 1.250.

10 My poin t i s , i s t ha t regard less of which ru le11 he should have c i ted , if we look a t the substance of12 hi s motion, he fu l l y in tended - - no inadver ten t13 he fu l l y in tended to dismiss his cla im.14 THE COURT: Why i s t h i s ana lys i s any d i f f e re n t ?15 Because it looks to me l i ke you are t r e a t i ng a16 not ice under 1.250(b) as you would as if it were17 f i l e d under 1 .420 and a l l the except ions as wel l .18 MR RODEMS: I wholehear ted ly agree . But I19 d i dn ' t r a i s e t ha t point ; he did . Mr. Bauer did . He20 sa id , "Hey, Mr. Gi l l esp ie , you f i l e d it under the21 wrong ru le . So t he re fore , it doesn ' t count . And22 t h a t ' s not the law. I 'm j u s t po in t ing t ha t out .23 agree with you t ha t it doesn ' t mat te r which ru l e he

c i t ed it under.5 THE COURT: It s going to get back to , how do


I

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Page 14you ge t around the F i f t h D i s t r i c t c a se t ha t says

2 t ha t - - you know, he has to do it by motion and3 orde r . He withdrew the motion and h i s no t i ce o f4 vo lun ta ry d i smi ssa l i s no good. He's got to do it5 with an orde r .6 MR RODEMS: Well , the law in Randal l Ea s t e rn7 Ambulance Service , I nc . , versus Elena, which i s a8 Supreme Cour t case , c l e a r l y holds t h a t the p l a i n t i f f9 a t any t ime may dismiss t h e i r ac t ion o r t h e i r

10 c la ims . The r i gh t to dismiss o n e ' s own l awsui t11 dur ing the course o f tri l i s guaranteed .12 THE COURT: Except was t he re a counte rc la im in, 3 t h i s case? I mean, nobody i s d i spu t ing t h i s14 p r in c ip l e o f law. But w e ' r e honing in on when15 t h e r e ' s a counte rc la im pending, what can a p l a i n t i f f16 do?17 MR RODEMS: Well , l e t me see the case t h a t18 Mr. Bauer i s c i t i n g .19 Okay. Your Honor, if y o u ' l l go to the language20 o f 1 .420(a ) (2) , it says t h i s i s under the heading21 Voluntary d i smi ssa l by orde r o f cour t if22 coun t e rc l a i m . And t hen it says , Except as23 prov ided in Subdiv is ion (a) (1) o f t h i s ru l e , an24 ac t ion s h a l l not be dismissed a t a p a r t y ' s i n s t ance

except on orde r o f t he cour t and on such te rms and



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Page 15cond i t i ons as the cour t deems p r o p e r .

2 THE COURT: And t h a t ' s what he was t r y i n g to3 do. He says , I 'm d i smi ss i ng t h i s a c t i o n .4 MR RODEMS: Right .5 But Mr. G i l l e s p i e used the word ac t i on when6 he meant c la ims . He c l e a r l y meant t h a t because he7 sa id , Hey, wai t a second. I unders tand t h a t the8 counte rc la ims can remain fo r a d j u d i c a t i o n .9 So i Mr. G i l l e s p i e t r i e d to dismiss the e n t i r e

10 ac t ion , Rule 1 .420(a ) (2) app l i e s to pre ve n t t hec l e rk from i n a d v e r t e n t l y d i s m is s ing the e n t i r e

12 ac t ion , no t to pre ve n t a person from d i s m is s ing13 t h e i r own i nd iv idua l c la ims .14 And the prophy lac t i c reason for t h i s i s what15 you po i n t ed ou t . I f Mr. G i l l e s p i e wants to dismiss16 h i s c la ims, he should dismiss them. I f he f i l e s a17 d i smi ssa l o f the a c t i o n and the c l e rk c loses the18 f i l e , t hen the defendan t i s l e f t with coming back to19 cour t and saying , Hold on j u s t a second. I had20 coun t e rc l a i ms .21 So the Publ ix case , to the ex t en t it r e l i e s on22 1.420 (a) (2) , i s r e f e r r i ng to the f a c t t h a t the23 e n t i r e ac t ion cou ld no t be dismissed , not the24 c oun te r c l a im s .25 And what I would sugges t to the Cour t i s , i

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Page 16t h e r e ' s a c o n t r a r y reading to Publ ix , it s ex tend ing

2 beyond 1.420 a) 2) and it s i n c o r r e c t .3 Mr. G i l l e s p i e has the r i g h t to dismiss h i s4 c la ims a t any t ime he wishes . He does no t have the5 r i gh t , if t h e r e ' s a counte rc la im, to dismiss the6 ac t ion , and t h a t ' s the d i f f e r e n c e .7 So if Mr. G i l l e s p i e was seek ing to dismiss the8 ac t ion , he would need a cour t orde r . And of course ,9 had he come i n t o Judge Isom a t the t ime and sa id ,

10 I wish to dismiss the a c t i o n , she would have11 denied the motion if we opposed it because o f our12 c oun te r c l a im s .13 The t h i ng I ' d po in t out , Your Honor, i s t ha t14 t h i s c l e a r l y was no t a mis take by Mr. G i l l e s p i e . It15 was a t a c t i c a l move on h i s p a r t . At the t ime t h a t16 he d i d a l l o f t h i s , Judge Isom had j u s t en t e red an17 orde r f i nd i ng t ha t he had to pay a t t o r n e y ' s fees o r18 was r e spons i b l e - - o r denying him a motion to19 dismiss and he was unhappy wi th Judge I som ' s ru l ing .20 In fac t , dur ing the ru l i n g he moved to21 d i s q u a l i fy her on t he r e c o rd and she sa id , You ' re22 going to have to f i l e an a p p r o p r i a t e mot ion , and we23 cance led the proceed ings t h a t day because o f h i s

s ta tement .So he goes back to h i s house and f i l e s the

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Page 171 motion . Judge Isom convenes a t e lephone confe rence ,2 and Mr. G i l l e s p i e fo l lows t ha t t e lephone confe rence3 with the n o t i c e o f vo lun ta ry d ismis sa l .4 So aga in , Your Honor, a pa r ty under 1.250 can5 dismiss t h e i r cla ims a t any t ime. Dropping p a r t i e s :6 P a r t i e s may be dropped by an adverse pa r ty in the7 manner provided fo r vo lun ta ry d i sm is sa l , sub jec t t o8 the except ion s t a t e d in t ha t ru l e .9 The except ion , o f course , i s , you can drop a

10 pa r ty , bu t you c a n ' t dismiss the ac t ion . Tha t ' s a l l11 it s saying . So the Publ ix case i s j u s t not on12 po in t . The l anguage , whatever it i s and whatever13 the c ircumstances in t ha t case, were not c l ea r .14 THE COURT: Well , h e ' s not merely dropping a15 pa r ty l i ke a p a r ty i n a m u l t i -p a r ty compla in t where16 you drop a pa r ty , bu t your compla in t remains pending17 aga ins t remaining p a r t i e s . He s t r y in g to dismiss18 h is ac t ion o r h is compla in t . So where ' s - 19 MR RODEMS: Well , I unders tand t ha t .20 THE COURT: So t h a t ' s not - I disagree with21 your ana lys i s the re .22 MR RODEMS: Well , l e t me see if I can exp l a i n23 it as I see it.24 There ' s a reason t ha t 1.250 e x i s t s .25 THE COURT: I agree . Because a l o t o f t imes we

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Page 18see s i t u a t i o n s , as I sa id , where a p l a i n t i f f w i l l

2 sue m ul t ip l e p a r t i e s and fo r one r eason o r another ,3 a l l the - okay. That defendan t . I ' v e lumped them4 a l l t oge the r . But fo r example I thought t h a t5 John Smith owned the motor veh ic l e , bu t it t u rn s out6 he d i d n ' t . So I 'm dropping him. But my - I can do7 t h a t u n i l a t e r a l l y bu t , obvious ly , the r e s t o f my8 case remains pending aga in s t t he remaining p a r t i e s .9 MR RODEMS: Sure .

10 THE COURT: Tha t ' s where you drop p a r t i e s , not11 dismiss a l aw su i t .12 MR RODEMS: Okay. But an a c t i on r e f e r s to a l l13 t he mat te r s pending be fo re the cour t .14 THE COURT: C or rec t .15 MR RODEMS: I f t he p l a i n t i f f has f i l e d a16 one-count , one-defendant c la im, t h a t i s the ac t ion .17 I f t he - i the p l a i n t i f f has f i l e d aga in s t two18 defendants wi th two d i f f e r e n t c la ims , then he has19 m u l t i p l e c la ims . I f he wishes to drop t he c la ims20 aga in s t one pa r ty , he would do so pursuan t to 1 .250 .21 When a coun te rc l a im i s f i l e d , t he a c t i on t hen22 becomes t he p l a i n t i f f ' s c la ims and t he de fendan t ' s23 coun t e r c l a ims . And in t h a t c i rcums tance i the24 p l a i n t i f f wishes to drop h i s c la ims , m is l abe l ing it25 as dropping t he a c t i on doe s n ' t change t he na ture o f

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Page 191 the beas t . He was dropping hi s c la ims .

Under the t i g h t a na l y s i s of which r u l e you3 should use arguably 1.250 i s the p roper r u l e to use4 when you r e d i smis s ing your c la ims o r i nd iv idua l5 p a r t i e s . And t h a t would be app rop r i a t e when t h e r e s6 an ac t ion .7 When you r e under 1 .420 however you cannot8 dismiss the ac t ion without the order o f the c ou r t .9 You can dismiss your c la ims aga ins t the p a r t i e s and

10 al low the counte rc la im to proceed . Otherwise we11 c r e a t e a s i t u a t i o n where t he r u l e d o e s n t make any12 sense .13 I f you have t he r i g h t to v o l u n t a r i l y dismiss14 your cla ims when you ve on ly brought them yourse l f ,15 why would you lose t h a t r i g h t when a counte rc la im16 has been f i l ed?17 The only reason you would l o se the r i g h t to18 dismiss t he a c t i on when a coun te rc l a im i s f i l e d i s19 because you r e a f f e c t i n g o t he r p a r t i e s r i g h t s .20 Mr. G i l l e s p i e chose to dismiss only hi s c la ims .21 The f ac t t h a t he l abe led it d i smis s ing the a c t i on22 d o e s n t change the na ture o f it He chose to do it23 under 1.420. His e r ro r was it should have been24 under 1.250. But t he bot tom l i n e i s , once he

dismissed h i s c la ims , the case law i s c l e a r t h a t the

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Page 201 c our t l o ses j u r i s d i c t i o n on ly if t h e r e ' s a mis take .2 And as you 've sa id , Your Honor, t h e r e ' s no t a3 mistake he re . He unders tood what he was do ing . He4 was d i s m is s ing h i s c la ims , a l though he l abe l ed it anS ac t i on , and he was i n t end i ng fo r the counte rc la im to6 be al lowed to proceed and he, unfo r t una t e l y , c i t e d7 1 .420 .8 But if we l ook a t what was c l e a r l y done in the9 case , he in tended to dismiss h i s c la ims . He

10 i n t ended to a l low the d e f e n d a n t ' s a c t i o n to proceedover the d e f e n d a n t ' s c la ims to proceed .

12 So a t t h i s po i n t t he re i s no t e chn ica l reason13 fo r him to withdraw it There has been no mis take14 or e r r o r . It was a t a c t i c a l dec i s i on on h i s p a r tlS because t he l i t i g a t i o n wasn ' t going wel l . Perhaps16 he wanted to c los e of f h i s fee en t i t l emen t o r17 perhaps he j u s t wanted to extend an o l i v e branch to18 the cour t , hav ing prev i ous l y moved to recuse Judge19 Nie l sen and t hen moved to recuse Judge Isom, and had20 been sub j ec t ed t o s e v e r a l o r d e r s , and a l s o was21 fac ing , Your Honor, a mot ion fo r sanc t i ons fo r not22 complying wi th the d i s c ove ry o r d e r s .23 I mean, when he th rew in the towel , he wanted24 to be done with t h i s . And, you know, aga in t h e r e ' s

no bas i s to a l low him a t t h i s l a t e r da te t o undo

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Page 21what he ' s done.

2 THE COURT: All r i gh t . Well, because of ,3 guess , a l o t o f t h ings , the motion for sanc t i ons was4 never cons idered . t could well be t h a t ' s still on5 the t ab l e .6 MR BAUER: Tha t ' s been withdrawn, I be l i eve ,7 Your Honor. t hasn ' t been - - I ' ve been advised by8 counsel t ha t they a re withdrawing the - 9 MR RODEMS: Tha t ' s a d i f f e ren t motion . The

10 motion for sanc t ions I was r e f e r r i ng to happened to11 be because o f h is f a i l u re to comply with discovery .12 He subsequent ly did comply with discovery .13 MR BAUER: And t h a t ' s been withdrawn.14 THE COURT: In any event , I d i sag ree wi th15 ana lys i s on bo th s ides to some ex ten t . Again, my16 view i s , e spec i a l l y without any case law, t h i s i s17 not a s e t t i ng where Rule o f Civ i l Procedure 1 .25018 app l ie s . This i s not an a t tempt to drop a pa r ty o r19 even pa r t i e s .20 I guess t he re still a re t e chn i c a l l y two21 pa r t i e s , two defendants - - t he re would be anyway22 Cook ind iv idua l ly and the law f irm?23 MR RODEMS: Yes, s i r .24 THE COURT: Right .

5 Again, if he would have sa id , "I 'm dropping the



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Page 22law f i rm, bu t I still want to sue Cook, o r v ice

2 versa , I can unders tand l ooking a t 1 .250 . But3 t h a t s not what i s going on he re . These f a c t s a re a4 little b i t d i f f e r e n t than under t he Fi f t h D i s t r i c t5 case a t 575 So.2d 214. But neve r the l e s s , it s a l l6 we've go t .7 So I m f ind ing t h a t under t h i s s i t u a t i o n the8 p l a i n t i f f could no t u n i l a t e r a l l y dismiss h i s9 compla int un le s s he got an orde r o f cou r t , and he10 d i d n t ge t one . He withdrew hi s motion t h a t t h i s

no t i ce o f vo lun ta ry d i sm i s sa l t h a t t he p l a i n t i f f12 f i l e d on February 7, 07 , i s a n u l l i t y . So I would13 gran t t h i s motion on t h a t b a s i s .14 I d i sag ree with t he movant t h a t t he r e i s such a15 t h ing un le s s it s in t he r u l e as a coun t e r compla int16 to a coun t e r compla in t . I f you l ook a t what17 p lead ings a re a l lowed in t he St a t e of Flo r ida ,18 t h e r e s a compla in t , a counterc la im, a t h i r d - p a r t y19 compla int , a c ross c la im, but no, as it s been20 termed, coun te r - coun te r compla in t .21 So I would make a f ind ing o f law - - a22 conclus ion o f law t h a t t h a t i s not poss ib l e in t he23 Sta t e of Flo r ida un le s s the Rules o f Civ i l Procedure24 a re amended, which I t h ink we've got enough

p lead ings a l lowed fo r in t h i s s t a t e .



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Page 231 So t h a t being sa id , if we could , in the littl2 b i t o f t ime we have l e f t , f igu re ou t where a l l you3 want to go from here .4 MR BAUER: I b e l i e v e t h e r e i s a t ha t5 because we ve been dea l i ng with t h i s and I d i d n t6 want to spend my c l i e n t s money on l ook ing a t the7 r e s t of the p leadings , we needed to determine8 whether or no t we had a case .9 There has been a motion f i l e d by my c l i e n t o f

10 when he was pro se to al low an amendment to i nc lude11 pun i t i ve damages t h a t he s t a t e s t ha t t h e r e s been12 enough ev idence on the record .13 I m n o t sure t h a t t h a t s the case . I need to14 review t ha t and determine whether or not t h a t motion15 needs to be p u l l e d o r supplemented with o t h e r16 a f f i d a v i t s o r whatever t h a t s necessa ry to do t h a t17 and determine whether o r no t t h a t18 THE COURT: What s the t he o ry o f t he now19 none o f t hese p le a d ings so f a r a re yours , a re they?20 MR BAUER: No, s i r . The on ly t h i ng t h a t s21 been mine i s the memorandum o f law to suppor t - 22 THE COURT: Right .23 MR BAUER: the vo l un t a ry d i smis sa l .24 THE COURT: So f a r what i s the p l a i n t i f f s25 theory aga ins t the de fendants?


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Page 24MR BAUER: The t he o ry aga ins t the de fendants

2 i s f raud and breach o f c o n t r a c t and mal prac t i ce , a re3 the t h e o r i e s .4 MR RODEMS: No. T h e r e s no c la im fo r5 mal prac t i ce .6 THE COURT: I s it hard to say in your view? I7 mean you looked a t it. Well w h a t s been the b a s i s8 of whatever the l ega l cause o f a c t i o n i s ?9 MR BAUER: I t h i nk we have a - we have a

10 s i t u a t i o n where w h a t s happened i s , t h e r e was acon t r ac t t h a t c e r t a i n a t t o r n e y s fees would be pa id

12 for . It s my unders tanding - and I was not t he re13 to see what happened. It s t h a t my c l i e n t s t a t e s14 t ha t when he s igned the agreement fo r the - t he re15 was a cont ingency- fee s i t u a t i o n in a c l a s s - ac t i on16 l awsui t s t a t i n g what the a t t o r n e y s fees were going17 to be.18 There was some se t t l emen t n e g o t i a t i o n s wi th the19 defendant which - excuse me - with the defendan t20 in t ha t case t ha t my c l i e n t was not presen t fo r . He21 carne to the unders tanding t ha t t he re had been a22 ru l ing t h a t the Cour t had awarded c e r t a i n a t t o r n e y s23 fees and t ha t he - and t h i s i s what it was and he24 had to s ign the d i s t r i b u t i o n agreement .25 He a l l e g e s t h a t he was l ed to t ha t



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Page 25unders tand ing by the defendan ts . And t h a t was not

2 the case . t was a s e t t l e d n e g o t i a t i o n . He3 b e l i e v e s t h a t the defendants n e g o t i a t e d it fo r t h e i r4 so l e b e n e f i t to ge t 50,000 in a t t o rn ey ' s f ees where5 he was g e t t i n g a r ecovery o f something l i k e 1,000 o r6 3,000.7 THE COURT: What was the b a s i s o f the c l a s s8 a c t i o n , do you know?9 MR RODEMS: Yes, Your Honor. The b a s i s of the

10 c l a s s a c t i o n was a Truth In Lending Act c la im.Mr. Gi l l e s p i e was us ing the s e r v i c e s o f a payday

12 l oan company. We a l l e g e the payday l oan company3 v i o l a t e d the Truth In Lending Act . The Truth In

14 Lending Act i s a f ee - sh i f t i n g s t a t u t e .15 At t he conc lus ion of the n e g o t i a t i o n s , which16 Mr. Gi l l e s p i e p a r t i c i p a t ed i n , Your Honor, the17 defendant agreed to pay to Mr. Gi l l e s p i e 2,000 ,18 which was the TILA damages a v a i l a b l e under t he TILA19 s t a t u t e . Because of the c la im fo r a cour t -awarded20 a t t o r n e y ' s f ee , the defendant n e g o t i a t e d and s e t t l e d21 wi th the law f i rm fo r 50,000 in a t t o rn ey ' s fees .22 Mr. Gi l l e s p i e was advised o f t h i s , s igned the23 c lo s in g s ta tement , unders tood who was paying h i s24 a t t o r n e y ' s fees . Mr. Gi l l e s p i e d id not have to pay

fo r a penny o f h i s fees . He accep ted t he money and



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Page 261 two years l a t e r comes back with t h i s no t ion t h a t2 somehow o r o the r we were supposed to sha re the3 a t t o r n e y s fees with him.4 He f i l e d t h r ee Bar gr ievances a g a i n s t my5 p a r tn e r . He f i l e d a breach -o f - con t r ac t ac t ion and a6 f raud c la im aga ins t us . We have a motion fo r7 judgment on the p le a d ings pending be fo re t he Cour t8 t ha t was pending be fo re a l l o f t h i s9 THE COURT: On the p le a d ings ?10 MR RODEMS: Motion for judgment on the11 p l ead i ngs .12 And Your Honor y o u r e going to be when you13 ge t a chance to look a t the compla in t t h a t14 Mr. G i l l e s p i e f i l ed , you asked him i he was15 u n c e r t a i n about what was going on. T h e r e s no16 unce r t a in ty the re .17 Mr. G i l l e s p i e f i l e d an e xha us t ive compla in t18 with numerous a l l e g a t i o n s two c la ims , not19 t h r ee - two c la ims : Breach o f c o n t r a c t and f raud ,20 no l ega l mal prac t i ce - and in doing so a t t ached21 the c l o s i n g s t a t e m e n t , the c o n t r a c t and v i r t u a l l y22 every o t h e r document ou t t he re on the case .23 Those documents o f course , a re p a r t of the24 p le a d ings fo r t he purposes o f cons ide ra t ion . And we25 be l i eve t ha t when you examine the compla in t and the



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Page 27a t t achment s to it, y o u r e going to reach the

2 conc lus ion , as we d id , t h a t Mr. G i l l e s p i e has no3 c la im whatsoever and judgment on the p le a d ings i s4 going to be appropr i a t e .5 THE COURT: I mean, it i s an 05 case . I mean,6 it s not the o ld e s t case on the docke t .7 But if you say it s ready to go, why d o n t8 you-a l l coord i na t e a hea r i ng t ime on t h a t and any9 o the r motions t h a t a re on the t ab l e? And w e l l go

10 from the re .MR BAUER: And if I may c l a r i f y , I was no t

12 a t t e m pt ing to mis lead the Court . The Cour t asked3 what was the p l a i n t i f f s theory . I i n t e rp r e t e d t h a t

14 as to - because I v e come on board , e ve ry th ing15 h a s n t been c l a r i f i e d . I do be l i eve t ha t the16 p l a i n t i f f has a r t i c u l a t e d to me t ha t he wishes to do17 t ha t , and w e l l need to de a l wi th t ha t .18 Those a re our t h e o r i e s t h a t a re going to be19 a v a i l a b l e now t h a t our case i s still a l i v e t ha t20 we can amend our compla in t .21 THE COURT: So have you f i gu red ou t kind o f22 what h i s damages w i l l be? I s it a l l o r p a r t o f the23 a t t o r n e y s fees? I mean, d i d he t h i nk he would ge t24 a t t o r n e y s fees o r a d d i t i o n a l damages??5 MR RODEMS: His c la im fo r damages i s about



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Page 286,200.

THE COURT: What now?MR. RODEMS: His claim for damages i s about

6,200 under the breach-of -con t rac t theory.MR. BAUER: They are . But t h e r e s a lso the

at tempt for puni t ive damages.THE COURT: Well, forge t t ha t for a minute. We

need to f igure out if t h i s i s a c i r c u i t - c ou r t case .I f you could kind of - - I know you re j u s t

r e l a t i ve l y new i n t o the case . I f you can kind of gothrough these th ings and see , you know - - i f thebreach damages are - - i s t ha t what he put in there?

MR. RODEMS: Yes, s i r .THE COURT: 6,200?MR. RODEMS: Approximately.THE COURT: Okay. What about the fraud

damages?MR. RODEMS: His a l lega t ions of fraud are

exac t ly the same as the cont rac t . And, you know,the fraud, he s saying, i s the breach of thecont rac t . Tha t s addressed in our motion.

THE COURT: So if t h e r e s a j u r i sd i c t i ona li s sue too, I mean, t h a t s the f i r s t th ing I have toaddress . And then if the re i s , then it s going togo to county cour t .



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Page 29I mean, I hope you 've t a l k e d to him and maybe

2 t o ld him t h a t even assuming t h a t somehow t hey3 weren ' t supposed to ge t $50,000 in a t t o r n e y ' s fees ,4 I t h i nk they t h e y ' d be in b ig t r oub le , along wi th5 him, if t he re was any agreement to sha re a t t o r n e y ' s6 fees wi th a non-lawyer . That i s e t h i c a l l y not7 pe rm i t t e d , and I assume you 've t o l d him t ha t .8 So I 'm c ur ious as to what a d d i t i o n a l damage to9 ge t above the $15,000 t h r e sho ld exc luding , in my

10 view, any c la im for fees , c o s t s and even p u n i t i v edamages.

12 MR BAUER: I w i l l address - if the Court13 would l i ke , I ll address t h a t in a memorandum, if14 t h a t ' s what the Court i s d i r ec t i ng .15 THE COURT: Well , it s my - based on what I ' v e16 j u s t been t o l d and maybe - I mean, if you have17 something l i ke r i gh t now, you can say , Well , h e r e ' s18 t h i s one element o f damage t h a t ' s worth $100,00019 a lone , Judge, or a t l e a s t 20- , in good f a i t h .20 Again , you d o n ' t have to show it with mathemat ica l21 ce r t a i n t y . But it s going to be someth ing you can22 c la im in good f a i t h .23 MR BAUER: Tru th fu l ly , Your Honor, I ' v e been24 t r y i n g to f i g h t to keep t h i s case a l i ve . I d o n ' t25 have t h a t has been -


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Page 30THE COURT: T h a t ' s why t h i s i s kind o f a case

2 management. I mean, we hear a judgment - motion3 fo r judgment on t he p l ead ings i s going to be s e t .4 But if you can do t h a t , maybe ge t a little e x t r a5 t ime. Because the first s t ep , based on what you 've6 j u s t t o l d me, i s to see if it s going to remain in7 c i r c u i t c o u r t .8 MR RODEMS: Well , l e t me o f f e r t h i s , Your9 Honor. Based on Mr. G i l l e s p i e ' s compla in t , it

10 be longs in c i r c u i t c o u r t . His a l l e g a t i o n s a re t h a tt h e r e ' s in excess o f $15,000 in damages.

12 THE COURT: While normal ly t h a t i s enough, if13 somebody cha l l enges t h a t , whether it s t he p l a i n t i f f14 d i r e c t l y o r if it even comes to the j u d g e ' s15 a t t e n t i o n t h a t you know, each count i s a16 s t and -a lone count . You c a n ' t glop them t o g e th e r and17 say, Well , if you add Counts I and I I damages up,18 t hen you ge t 15 ,000 .19 And aga in , you d o n ' t have to even make a20 pr ima- fac ie ca se . But t h e r e ' s got to be some21 good- fa i th showing t h a t the p l a i n t i f f ' s b e s t - c a s e22 recove ry wi l l ne t a t l e a s t $15,000 .01 . And if not ,23 t hen t h a t needs to be un le s s it s some kind of24 s t a t u t o r y a c t i o n t h a t , by s t a t u t e , has to go in25 c i r c u i t cou r t r ega rd less o f the j u r i s d i c t i o n a l



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Page 31amount. T h a t s not what I unders tand .

2 MR RODEMS: I d o n t be l i eve t h a t s the case .3 But c l e a r ly we have not chal l enged the c i r c u i t4 c o u r t s j u r i s d i c t io n over t h i s mat t e r on the bas i s5 o f the damages being l e s s than 15 000 because the6 compla in t - 7 THE COURT: How about the counte rc la im?8 MR BAUER: The counterc la im could e a s i l y be - 9 THE COURT: How much have you f igured?

10 MR RODEMS: Well our damages under the11 counte rc la im a re e a s i l y in excess o f 15 000.12 THE COURT: Okay. Well t ha t , in and o f13 i t s e l f - - t ha t br i ngs it back to c i r c u i t cour t .14 MR RODEMS: To be hones t , we re a l r eady here .15 We would pr e f e r t ha t the - 16 THE COURT: So s e t t ha t motion coord ina te the17 t ime. And if you r e going to have something e l s e ,18 f igure out how much hear ing t ime you r e going to19 need before you get an ac tua l da te . Okay?20 MR RODEMS: And who i s respons ib le for21 dr a f t i ng the orde r?22 THE COURT: Who pr eva i l s . Put it in the bas i s

I m ru l ing on and make it c l ea r .24 MR BAUER: I ll c i t e the case law you

a r t i c u l a t e d .


23


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First-Choice Reporting Services, Inc.www.fIrstchoicereporting.com

Page 321 THE COURT: No counterc la im. And it s not in2 my view, a 1.250 .3 MR BAUER: Yes.4 THE COURT: All r i gh t . Thank you.5 MR RODEMS: Thank you for your t ime, Judge.

THE COURT: Sure.7 Proceedings concluded a t 10:04 a .m.)89

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Transcript Judge Barton 9.24 AM Aug 15 2007

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Transcript of Transcript Judge Barton 9.24 AM Aug 15 2007