DIVINE DESIGNS SALON, INC. A/K/A DIVINE DESIGNS SALON & SPA
v.
ARDEN THOMPSON

Fla. 2d DCA | 2023-02-10
No. 21-1140
Florida District Court of Appeal, Second District (2023)

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Synopsis

This case involved a dispute over a restrictive covenant and trade secrets. The appellate court affirmed most of the lower court's decision but reversed and remanded for a recalculation of damages due to a factual error regarding the timing of an injunction.


Holding

The court held that the circuit court made a factual error in calculating damages by using the wrong date for the temporary injunction. The court affirmed the rejection of the trade secrets claim and the denial of permanent injunctive relief.


Headnotes

[1] When a trial court calculates damages for breach of contract based on an erroneous factual premise regarding the date of a material event, the appellate court must revers…

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Key Quotes

“We affirm the final judgment in all respects and without further comment except as to one point.”

Indicates the court's general agreement with the lower court's decision, with a specific exception.

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Facts & Procedural History

Divine Designs Salon sued Arden Thompson for breaching a restrictive covenant and misappropriating trade secrets. After a bench trial, the circuit cou…

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Opinion of the Court

Appeal from the Circuit Court for Hillsborough County; Darren D. Farfante, Judge. Brent A. Gordon, of The Gordon Law Firm P.A., Tampa; and Robin Trupp, of Curry Law Group, P.A., Brandon, for Appellant/Cross-Appellee. Richard A. Harrison of Richard A. Harrison, P.A., Tampa, for Appellee/Cross-Appellant. ROTHSTEIN-YOUAKIM, Judge. Divine Designs Salon, Inc., sued Arden Thompson for breach of a restrictive covenant and misappropriation of trade secrets. After a bench trial, the circuit court found in favor of Divine Designs on the breach claim only, and it awarded Divine Designs $4,553.89.1 The judgment award of $4,553.89 was calculated in part on the assumption that only six months had elapsed between Thompson's first breach of the restrictive covenant (April 18, 2018) and the circuit court's entry of the temporary injunction. But the circuit court was mistaken about when it had entered the temporary injunction: although the court vaguely refers to "mid-November 2018," the undisputed record shows that the injunction was not entered until February 28, 2019. We therefore reverse for the circuit court to correct this error, to recalculate damages using the formula set forth on pages 9– 10 of the court's May 22, 2020, posttrial order, and to enter an amended judgment so reflecting. Cf. Pahokee Hous. Auth., Inc. v.

S. Fla. Sanitation Co., 478 So. 2d 1107, 1108 (Fla. 4th DCA 1985) (reversing and remanding for recalculation of damages).

Affirmed in part; reversed in part; remanded with instructions. LaROSE and SMITH, JJ., Concur. Opinion subject to revision prior to official publication.

Footnotes
1 After finding that 1 Divine Designs wholly failed to adduce any evidence to support its trade secrets claim and failed even to clearly articulate the basis for that claim when Thompson moved for an involuntary dismissal. Thompson had complied with a previously entered temporary injunction and concluding that a permanent injunction would not be warranted based on the underlying business interests supporting the restrictive covenant, the circuit court refused to grant permanent injunctive relief. On appeal, Divine Designs argues that the money judgment is inadequate because the circuit court failed to follow the letter of the liquidated damages provision. Divine Designs also challenges the circuit court's rejection of its trade secrets claim. Thompson cross-appeals on various issues. We affirm the final judgment in all respects and without further comment except as to one point.

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