WASHINGTON FEDERAL SAVINGS AND LOAN ASSOCIATION OF MIAMI BEACH, APPELLANT,
v.
STATE OF FLORIDA EX REL. FRANCIS X. BRADLEY, AND HARRIET BRADLEY, HIS WIFE, ET AL., APPELLEES
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Washington Federal Savings and Loan Association appealed a prohibition order that had restrained a deficiency action in civil court. The Florida District Court of Appeal reversed, holding that the circuit court lacked jurisdiction to issue a writ of prohibition against the civil court of record because the judiciary amendment of 1957 eliminated the circuit court's appellate and supervisory authority over civil courts of record.
The circuit court lacked jurisdiction to issue a writ of prohibition against the civil court of record because the 1957 judiciary amendment eliminated the circuit court's appellate and supervisory authority over civil courts of record. Additionally, prohibition was not an authorized writ in aid of the circuit court's jurisdiction because the circuit court had no further jurisdiction to exercise in the foreclosure suit after the final decree was entered without reserving jurisdiction for a deficiency decree.
“Since the amendment of the judiciary article which became effective July 1, 1957, the circuit court has had no appellate or supervisory jurisdiction over the civil court of record.”
Establishes the constitutional basis for the court's holding that the circuit court lacked authority to issue prohibition
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Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligenceWashington Federal Savings and Loan Association foreclosed a mortgage on property owned by Bradley. The foreclosure complaint did not seek a deficienc…
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This is an appeal from a judgment in prohibition making absolute a rule nisi issued out of the circuit court in Dade County restraining progress of a law action in the civil court of record in that county.
Washington Federal Savings and Loan Association of Miami Beach had foreclosed a mortgage. The foreclosure complaint did not pray for a deficiency decree. The final decree of foreclosure did not reserve jurisdiction generally or expressly for the purpose of entering a deficiency decree.1 Foreclosure sale resulted in a deficiency amount. No application for a deficiency decree was made in the equity suit. Instead, the mortgagee filed the action in the civil court of record to recover the deficiency amount.
The mortgagor Bradley and the other foreclosure defendants filed in the original foreclosure proceeding a petition for writ of prohibition directed against the civil court of record and one of its judges and the mortgagee. Rule nisi in prohibition was issued and subsequently made absolute, the grounds stated being that the civil court of record was (1) “attempting to act without jurisdiction” and (2) interfering with “the exercise of jurisdiction in the circuit court.”
Prohibition may be directed to a lower court over which the higher court has appellate and supervisory jurisdiction. Appeals from the civil court of record proceed to the district court of appeal, and in certain instances to the Supreme Court. Art. V, §§ 4(2) and 5(3), Fla.Const., 26 F.S.A. Since the amendment of the judiciary article which became effective July 1, 1957, the circuit court has had no appellate or supervisory jurisdiction over the civil court of record. Art V, § 6(3), Fla.Const., 26 F.S.A. For that reason the circuit court was without jurisdiction to issue a writ of prohibition to prohibit action of the civil court of record. See State ex rel. Dato v. Himes, 135 Fla. 203, 184 So. 648.
Nor was the prohibition order an authorized writ in aid of the circuit court’s jurisdiction in the foreclosure suit. Under constitutional authority granted to circuit courts to make “all writs necessary or proper to the complete exercise of their jurisdiction” (Art. V, § 6(3), Fla.Const., 26 F.S.A.), a writ of prohibition could be used to restrain proceedings in another court to which otherwise prohibition would not lie, provided it was necessary or proper to the exercise of jurisdiction of the court issuing the writ. Here there was no further jurisdiction to be exercised by the circuit court in the foreclosure suit which could be the subject of interference by the action in the civil court of record. This is so because no deficiency decree was prayed for or sought in the foreclosure suit; jurisdiction for it was not reserved, and upon the decree becoming final under those circumstances the equity court’s jurisdiction with reference to the matter was ended.2
For the reasons stated, the judgment in prohibition is reversed with directions to the circuit court to dismiss the petition without prejudice.
Reversed.
Cases With Similar Vibessemantic neighbors from the corpus
Citator
Cited By
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Johnston v. State of Fla. ex rel. Willie A. Carter, 213 So. 2d 435 (Fla. 1st DCA 1968)…circuit court, the latter was without jurisdiction to issue the peremptory writ. State ex rel. Florida Real Estate Commission v. Anderson, 164 So. 2d 265 (Fla.App.2d 1964); Washington Federal Savings and Loan of Miami Beach v. State ex rel. Bradley, 155 So. 2d 393 (Fla.App.3d 1963); and State ex rel. Sentinel Star Company v. Lambeth, 192 So. 2d 518 (Fla.App.4th 1966). In State ex rel. Gerstein v. Schulz, 180 So. 2d 367 (Fla.App.3d 1965), the above rule was stated thusly at page 368: “In certain prior decisio…
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State of Fla. ex rel. George G. Robinson, Sr. v. Nelson, 212 So. 2d 827 (Fla. 1st DCA 1968)…estion without prejudice. RAWLS, Acting C. J., and JOHNSON and SPECTOR, JJ., concur. . State ex rel. Jennings v. Frederick, 137 Fla. 773, 189 So. 1 (1939). . Washington Federal Savings and Loan Association of Miami Beach v. State ex rel. Bradley, 155 So. 2d 393 (Fla.App.3d, 1963).…
Authorities Cited
- Vida Blanche Cole v. Heidt, 124 Fla. 264 (Fla. 1936)
- State v. Himes, 135 Fla. 203 (Fla. 1938)
- Katz v. Koolish, 142 So. 2d 759 (Fla. 3d DCA 1962)