SHELLEY CARRIER, AS THE PERSONAL REPRESENTATIVE OF THE ESTATE OF DORIS HADCOCK
v.
JOYCE MILLER, INDIVIDUALLY AND IN HER OFFICIAL CAPACITY AS AN EMPLOYEE OF DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN AND FAMILIES

Fla. 1st DCA | 2025-02-05
No. 1D2023-2458
2025 FL 847 Florida District Court of Appeal, First District (2025) Positive Treatment
Cited by 1 case

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Synopsis

Shelley Carrier, as personal representative of Doris Hadock's estate, appealed the dismissal of her complaint against state Department of Children and Families employees and the department itself. The court dismissed the appeal regarding the individual employees as untimely and affirmed the dismissals against DCF on statute of limitations and failure to state a claim grounds.


Holding

The appeal of the September 2022 order as to Miller and Rachel was dismissed as untimely because it constituted a partial final order that disposed of an entire case against those parties and was not appealed within 30 days. The orders dismissing claims against DCF were affirmed because the original complaint claims were barred by the statute of limitations and the amended complaint allegations did not state a claim for private cause of action.


Headnotes

[1] A partial final order that disposes of all claims against an individual defendant is immediately appealable and must be appealed within 30 days, even when other claims re…

[2] Leave to amend a complaint should be denied when the amended complaint cannot state a cause of action as a matter of law.

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Key Quotes

“if a partial final judgment totally disposes of an entire case as to any party, it must be appealed within 30 days of rendition”

Establishes the jurisdictional requirement for timely appeal of partial final orders against individual defendants

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Facts & Procedural History

Shelley Carrier brought suit as personal representative of Doris Hadock's estate against Joyce Miller and Angela Rachel, individually and in their off…

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Opinion of the Court

FIRST DISTRICT COURT OF APPEAL

STATE OF FLORIDA _____________________________

No. 1D2023-2458 _____________________________

SHELLEY CARRIER, as the Personal Representative of the Estate of Doris Hadcock,

Appellant,

v. JOYCE MILLER, individually and in her official capacity as an employee of Department of Children and Families, ANGELA RACHEL, individually and in her official capacity as an employee of Department of Children and Families, and DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN AND FAMILIES,

Appellees.

_____________________________

On appeal from the Circuit Court for Leon County. J. Lee Marsh, Judge.

February 5, 2025 PER CURIAM.

2

Shelley Carrier, as personal representative of Doris Hadock’s estate, seeks review of two orders that resulted in the dismissal with prejudice of her complaint and her amended complaint. We DISMISS as untimely the appeal of the September 2022 order as it applied to Joyce Miller and Angela Rachel because it was a partial final order that dismissed all claims against Miller and Rachel with prejudice. See Fla. R. App. P. 9.110(k) (explaining that “[i]f a partial final judgment totally disposes of an entire case as to any party, it must be appealed within 30 days of rendition”); Davis v. State, 336 So. 3d 366 (Fla. 1st DCA 2022) (dismissing an appeal for lack of jurisdiction where the notice of appeal was not timely filed); CJS Sols. Grp., LLC v. Simmons, 248 So. 3d 291 (Fla. 1st DCA 2018) (holding that an order disposing of an entire case against a party is immediately appealable even if other claims remain pending against other parties). We AFFIRM the September 2022 and August 2023 orders dismissing with prejudice Carrier’s claims against the Department of Children and Families (DCF). The claims in the original complaint against DCF were barred by the statute of limitations, which was never tolled. See §§ 95.11(3), (7); 95.031; 95.051(1)(d), (i), Fla. Stat. (2021). And the allegations in the amended complaint against DCF did not state a claim for a private cause of action. See Lewis v. Morgan, 79 So. 3d 926, 930 (Fla. 1st DCA 2012) (holding that a plaintiff is not entitled to leave to amend a complaint when the plaintiff will not be able to state a cause of action). DISMISSED, and AFFIRMED.

ROWE, RAY, and M.K. THOMAS, JJ., concur.

_____________________________ Not final until disposition of any timely and authorized motion under Fla. R. App. P. 9.330 or 9.331.

_____________________________

3

J. Ronald Denman, Grant W. Kindrick, Victoria M. McLaughlin and Lawrence O. Held of Bleakley Bavol Denman & Grace, Tampa, for Appellant. Jeffrey S. Weiss and Erin J. O’Leary of Garganese, Weiss, D’Agresta & Salzman, P.A., Orlando, for Appellees.


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Citator

Cited By

  • Carrier v. Miller (Fla. 1st DCA 2025)
    …all claims against Miller and Rachel with prejudice. See Fla. R. App. P. 9.110(k) (explaining that “[i]f a partial final judgment totally disposes of an entire case as to any party, it must be appealed within 30 days of rendition”); Davis v. State, 336 So. 3d 366 (Fla. 1st DCA 2022) (dismissing an appeal for lack of jurisdiction where the notice of appeal was not timely filed); CJS Sols. Grp., LLC v. Simmons, 248 So. 3d 291 (Fla. 1st DCA 2018) (holding that an order disposing of an entire case against a part…

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