THE STATE OF FLORIDA, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION, APPELLANT,
v.
OSCAR ECHEVERRI, AS PERSONAL REPRESENTATIVE OF THE ESTATE OF CARLOS A. ECHEVERRI, DECEASED, FOR THE USE AND BENEFIT OF SAID ESTATE AND FOR THE USE AND BENEFIT OF OSCAR ECHEVERRI, THE SURVIVING FATHER AND MARIA VICTORIA MARQUEZ, THE SURVIVING MOTHER, CAPELETTI BROTHERS, INC., MARKS BROTHERS COMPANY AND BEISWENGER, HOCH & ASSOCIATES, APPELLEES

Fla. 3d DCA | 1999-07-14
No. 98-1095
Before SCHWARTZ, C.J., and COPE and GREEN, JJ.
736 So. 2d 791 Florida District Court of Appeal, Third District (1999) Positive Treatment
Cited by 3 cases

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Synopsis

The Florida Department of Transportation appealed the dismissal of its cross-claims for indemnity and contribution against a general contractor and architect based on a statute of repose for construction defects. The court affirmed the dismissal, holding that the statute of repose applies to all actions founded on design, planning, or construction of real property improvements, regardless of whether they are initial claims or cross-claims.


Holding

The statute of repose applies to all actions founded on design, planning, or construction of improvements to real property, including cross-claims for indemnity and contribution, and the statute does not violate the Florida Constitution.


Headnotes

[1] A statute of repose for actions founded on the design, planning, or construction of an improvement to real property applies to claims for indemnity and contribution.

[2] The statute of repose for actions founded on the design, planning, or construction of an improvement to real property is constitutional.

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Key Quotes

“An action founded on the design, planning, or construction of an improvement to real property, with the time running from the date of actual possession by the owner, ... or the date of completion or termination of the contract between the professional engineer, registered architect, or licensed contractor and his or her employer, whichever date is latest.... In any event, the action must be commenced within 15 years after the date of actual possession by the owner, the date of the issuance of a certificate of occupancy ... or the date of completion or termination of the contract between the professional engineer, registered architect, or licensed contractor and his or her employer, whichever date is latest.”

The statute of repose provision that bars actions founded on design, planning, or construction of real property improvements

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Facts & Procedural History

In 1996, Oscar Echeverri sued the Department of Transportation for wrongful death resulting from a 1995 accident on a state road exit ramp allegedly n…

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Opinion of the Court
SCHWARTZ, Chief Judge.

SCHWARTZ, Chief Judge.

In 1996, Echeverri sued the Department of Transportation, Capeletti Brothers, Inc., and Beiswenger, Hoch & Assocs. for a wrongful death sustained in a 1995 accident on a state road exit ramp allegedly negligently maintained by. the D.O.T. Construction on the roadway had begun in the early 1960’s and was completed in 1966. The D.O.T. asserted cross-claims for indemnity, and for joint-tortfeasor-type contribution against Capeletti, the general contractor, and Beiswenger, the designer-architect, based on claims they negligently performed their respective work on the project. The trial judge dismissed the complaint as to those defendants and, in the orders now under review, the cross- claims with prejudice on the ground that they were barred by the statute of repose contained in section 95.11(3)(c), Florida Statutes (1995). It provides:

An action founded on the design, planning, or construction of an improvement to real property, with the time running from the date of actual possession by the owner, ... or the date of completion or termination of the contract between the professional engineer, registered architect, or licensed contractor and his or her employer, whichever date is latest.... In any event, the action must be commenced within 15 years after the date of actual possession by the owner, the date of the issuance of a certificate of occupancy ... or the date of completion or termination of the contract between the professional engineer, registered architect, or licensed contractor and his or her employer, whichever date is latest.

§ 95.11(3)(e), Fla. Stat. (1995)(emphasis added).

The trial court also ruled that Capeletti and Beiswenger would not appear on the verdict form as Fabre parties for any apportionment of damages in the ensuing trial which would thus involve the D.O.T. as the sole defendant. The D.O.T. now seeks review of these rulings.

The D.O.T. argues that its cross-claims were improperly dismissed under the statute because, it says, the statute does not apply to actions for indemnity1 and contribution, as opposed to an initial claim for damages. Even assuming the very arguable question that the point was properly preserved below, we reject the contention as contrary to the plain language of the statute which clearly applies to all actions “founded on the design, planning, or construction of an improvement to real property.” The appellant’s alternate contention that, if applicable, the statute of repose is unconstitutional, is likewise without merit. See Sabal Chase Homeowners Ass’n, Inc. v. Walt Disney World Co., 726 So. 2d 796 (Fla. 3d DCA 1999); American Liberty Ins. Co. v. West & Conyers, Architects & Engineers, 491 So. 2d 573 (Fla. 2d DCA 1986).

Insofar as the appellant challenges the Fabre ruling below, we dismiss the appeal as unauthorizedly taken from an interlocutory order which is not subject to review under any of the provisions of Florida Rule of Appellate Procedure 9.130. See Stufflebean v. Ohio Cas. Ins. Co., 645 So. 2d 136 (Fla. 4th DCA 1994); R D & G Leasing, Inc. v. Stebnicki, 626 So. 2d 1002 (Fla. 3d DCA 1993).

Affirmed in part, dismissed in part.

. We note that, in any case, a claim for indemnity does not lie under these circumstances as a matter of law. See Houdaille Industries, Inc. v. Edwards, 374 So. 2d 490 (Fla.1979); 12 Fla. Jur.2d Contribution § 34 (1998).


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Citator

Cited By

  • Va. Ins. Reciprocal v. Frank C. Walker, Jr., M.D., 765 So. 2d 229 (Fla. 1st DCA 2000)
    …within one year of the date of [*232] the settlement in which the claimant has agreed to make payment on the common liability. However, this statute does not always control the timeliness of a contribution action. For example, in State v. Echeverri, 736 So. 2d 791 (Fla. 3d DCA 1999), the court held that a contribution action based on an alleged defective design in construction was barred by the statute of repose for actions founded on the design or construction of buildings, even though the action was timely…
  • Am. Auto. Ins. Co. v. FDH Infrastructure Servs., LLC, 47 Fla. L. Weekly D1930 (Fla. 3d DCA 2023)
    …nt with its plain language, the latter statute has been universally construed as extending to “any” and “all” actions “founded on the design, planning, or construction of an improvement to real property.” See State, Dep’t of Transp. v. Echeverri, 736 So. 2d 791, 792 (Fla. 3d DCA 1999) (“[Section 95.11(3)(c)] applies to all actions ‘founded on the design, planning, or construction of an improvement to real property.’”); Dubin v. Dow Corning Corp., 478 So. 2d 71, 72 (Fla. 2d DCA 1985) (“We read this language…

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