PAULA VANN GOINGS, APPELLANT,
v.
WEST FLORIDA HOSPITAL A CORPORATION LICENSED TO DO BUSINESS IN THE STATE OF FLORIDA, AND PENSACOLA HOME AND SAVINGS ASSOCIATION, A CORPORATION LICENSED TO DO BUSINESS IN THE STATE OF FLORIDA, APPELLEES

Fla. 1st DCA | 1986-10-02
No. BL-250
ERVIN and BARFIELD, JJ., concur.
504 So. 2d 1254 Florida District Court of Appeal, First District (1986) Positive Treatment
Cited by 2 cases

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Synopsis

Paula Vann Goings appealed a summary judgment in favor of West Florida Hospital in her false arrest and malicious prosecution suit arising from criminal charges filed after she dishonored a check. The court reversed, finding disputed questions of fact regarding probable cause that precluded summary judgment.


Holding

The court reversed the summary judgment, holding that disputed questions of fact regarding probable cause and whether the hospital provided all available information to the state attorney's office precluded summary judgment and required the issue be presented to the trier of fact.


Headnotes

[1] A statutory grant of immunity for reporting a worthless check does not apply if the reporting party fails to provide all available information relating to the incident to…

[2] Summary judgment is improper when disputed questions of fact exist regarding the existence of probable cause for criminal prosecution.

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Key Quotes

“Probable cause has been defined as "a reasonable ground of suspicion, supported by the circumstances, that the person accused is guilty of the offense charged." Where it would appear to a "cautious man" that further investigation is justified before instituting a proceeding, liability may attach for failure to do so, especially where the information is readily obtainable, or where the accused points out the sources of the information.”

Establishes the legal standard for probable cause and when liability attaches for malicious prosecution

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Facts & Procedural History

Appellant Goings wrote a check to West Florida Hospital that was dishonored. The hospital turned the check over to the state attorney's office for pro…

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Opinion of the Court
WIGGINTON, Judge.

WIGGINTON, Judge.

Appellant appeals the summary final judgment entered in favor of appellee hospital in her suit against the hospital for false arrest and malicious prosecution which arose from the filing of criminal charges against her as a result of the dishonor of a check she had made payable to the hospital. We reverse.

In appellant’s initial case before us, Goings v. West Florida Hospital, 461 So. 2d 979 (Fla. 1st DCA 1984), this Court reversed a final order dismissing appellant’s complaint against the hospital on the ground that the immunity from civil liability provided under section 832.07(l)(a), Florida Statutes (1983) (which is granted to any party who holds a worthless check and gives notice in a substantially similar form to that provided in the statute), was not available to the hospital since appellant’s complaint alleged that, in turning the dishonored check over to the state attorney’s office for prosecution, the hospital did not submit to the state attorney’s office all other available information relating to the incident, as required by the statute.

Following that decision, the hospital moved for summary judgment on appellant’s complaint in the trial court, asserting that the undisputed evidence shows that it had adequate probable cause to request prosecution of appellant under the circumstances alleged in the complaint. Although there is no dispute over the fact that the hospital complied with the notice provisions of section 832.07, disputed questions of fact relating to the probable cause issue which are sufficient to defeat a motion for summary judgment abound within the complaint filed by appellant and the affidavits and depositions filed by the parties. For example, as recognized in this Court’s above-referenced opinion in Goings, a disputed question of fact exists as to whether the hospital turned over all available information to the state attorney’s office in pursuing criminal prosecution of appellant and thereby, as this Court held, was unable to avail itself of the immunity afforded by section 832.07. Other disputed questions of fact exist as to the hospital’s knowledge of appellant’s attempt to redeem her dishonored check by immediately sending payment upon receipt of her 832.07 notice from the hospital. Compare this Court’s decision in Harris v. Lewis State Bank, 482 So. 2d 1378, 1382 (Fla. 1st DCA 1986), in which the court declared:

Probable cause has been defined as “a reasonable ground of suspicion, supported by the circumstances, that the person accused is guilty of the offense charged.” [Footnote omitted.] Where it would appear to a “cautious man” that further investigation is justified before instituting a proceeding, liability may attach for failure to do so, especially where the information is readily obtainable, or where the accused points out the sources of the information. [Footnote omitted.] A lack of probable cause may be established by proof that a criminal proceeding was instituted on facts that could as well be explained innocently. [Footnote omitted.]

As a result of the disputed issues of fact which remain unresolved, the question of probable cause should be presented to the trier of fact and was improperly determined on summary judgment.

REVERSED.

ERVIN and BARFIELD, JJ., concur.


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Citator

Cited By

  • McCRANEY v. Barberi, 677 So. 2d 355 (Fla. 1st DCA 1996)
    …plaintiff McCraney, it creates an issue of material fact whether Barberi truthfully advised the state attorney’s office that the full amount of the check, plus an additional bank charge, had been paid by McCraney. See, Goings v. West Florida Hosp., 504 So. 2d 1254, 1255 (Fla. 1st DCA 1986). Further, an issue of material fact remains concerning whether the assistant state attorney would have elected to prosecute McCraney if the state attorney’s office had known that the full amount of the worthless check, plus…

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