ROBERT A. RAUTBORD AND ROBERT L. BLUM, APPELLANTS,
v.
INDUSTRIAL AVENUE REALTIES, LTD., A CORPORATION OF THE PROVINCE OF ONTARIO, CANADA, APPELLEE

Fla. 3d DCA | 1978-03-21
No. 77-460
Before HENDRY, NATHAN and KE-HOE, JJ.
356 So. 2d 1289 Florida District Court of Appeal, Third District (1978) Positive Treatment
Cited by 3 cases

AI-generated. These summaries, headnotes, and key points are machine-generated and may contain errors or omissions. Always verify against the full opinion text below. Not legal advice.

Synopsis

Appellants challenge a summary judgment that construed two promissory notes and a security agreement to permit the appellee to prepay a $400,000 note with a $250,000 discount without first satisfying a $1,800,000 note. The court reversed, finding genuine issues of material fact precluded summary judgment.


Holding

The court held that genuine issues of material fact existed regarding the meaning of the discount provisions and that the trial court erred in granting summary judgment and dismissing appellants' counterclaim.


Headnotes

[1] A summary final judgment is improper when material issues of fact remain to be determined.

[2] On appeal from a summary final judgment, the appellate court must view the record in the light most favorable to the appellant.

Previewing 2 of 5 headnotes on this case. FLexlaw’s editorially structured points of law — every proposition, pinpointed — are reserved for members.

Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligence

Key Quotes

“On appeal from a summary final judgment, the appellant is entitled to have the record viewed in a light most favorable to him with every reasonable inference of fact and intendment of testimony being indulged in his favor and against the movant for summary judgment.”

Establishes the standard of review for summary judgment appeals and the burden on the moving party.

Previewing 1 of 3 key quotes on this case — the court’s exact language, pinpointed for members.

Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligence

Facts & Procedural History

Appellants and appellee executed two promissory notes ($1,800,000 and $400,000) and a security agreement in connection with the purchase and sale of B…

The full statement of facts, procedural history, and disposition for this case are member content.

Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligence

© FLexlaw, Inc. — AI-generated enrichments are proprietary. All rights reserved.


Opinion of the Court
PER CURIAM.

[*1290] PER CURIAM.

Appellants/defendants appeal a summary final judgment entered in favor of appel-lee/plaintiff, which construed the obligations of the parties under a security agreement and two promissory notes. We reverse.

The two notes, which we identify as note number one and number two, were made in connection with a transaction involving the purchase and sale of certain real property, to-wit: Belle Plaza Apartments, and were in the amounts of $1,800,000 and $400,000, respectively. The issue involved in the litigation in the trial court was whether or not promissory note number two could be prepaid without the necessity of prior full satisfaction of note number one.

It was appellee’s view that under the terms of the notes, it could prepay the $400,000 and receive a discount in the amount of $250,000 without having to first pay the $1,800,000 note. In accordance with this view, appellee tendered payment in the amount of $150,000 to appellants. The tender was, however, refused and an action for declaratory judgment was thereafter instituted by appellee. The complaint sought a judicial determination of the various provisions of the security agreement and notes favorable to appellee’s contention. Appellants subsequently answered the complaint and interposed a counterclaim.

A pretrial conference was held by the court in preparation for a non-jury trial. The court, after discussing the issues with counsel for the parties and upon consideration of the various pleadings and exhibits, on its own motion, dismissed appellants’ counterclaim and granted a summary final judgment in favor of appellee on its complaint for declaratory judgment. In so ruling, the court held that appellee was entitled to discount the $400,000 second note without the necessity of prepayment in full of note number one, in the principal amount of $1,800,000. It is from the summary final judgment that appellants have appealed.

It is appellants’ contention that the pleadings, depositions, admissions and exhibits demonstrate that there are issues of fact yet to be decided precluding the entrance of summary judgment. In addition, appellants contend that the court erred in dismissing appellants’ counterclaim. We find merit in these contentions.

There was conflicting testimony before the court as to the meaning of the provision relating to the discount in the note and security agreement. Appellee was evidently in some doubt as to its rights under the notes and security agreement when it brought action for declaratory judgment. Appellants’ answer and counterclaim put in issue the material allegations of the complaint.

On appeal from a summary final judgment, the appellant is entitled to have the record viewed in a light most favorable to him with every reasonable inference of fact and intendment of testimony being indulged in his favor and against the movant for summary judgment. Robinson v. City of Miami, 177 So. 2d 718 (Fla. 3d DCA 1965); Westinghouse Electric Supply Company v. Midway Shopping Mall, Inc., 277 So. 2d 809 (Fla. 3d DCA 1973). The burden is thereupon placed upon the movant to conclusively show the non-existence of genuine issues of material fact. Brandeis v. Felcher, 211 So. 2d 606 (Fla. 3d DCA 1968).

We have carefully considered the record on appeal and have concluded that there were material issues of fact to be determined and that appellee was not entitled to a summary judgment. In addition, appellee was not entitled to a dismissal of appellants’ counterclaim. Therefore, for the reasons stated, the summary final judgment is reversed and the cause remanded for further consideration of the issues raised in the complaint and counterclaim.

Reversed and remanded for further proceedings.


Cases With Similar Vibessemantic neighbors from the corpus


Citator

Cited By

  • Pierce v. Progressive Am. Ins. Co., 582 So. 2d 712 (Fla. 5th DCA 1991)
    …e, Jr. v. Walt Disney World Co., 350 So. 2d 814 (Fla. 4th DCA 1977); Metropolitan Dade County Transit Authority v. Espinosa, 344 So. 2d 1290 (Fla. 3d DCA), cert. denied, 352 So. 2d 173 (Fla.1977). . See Rautbord v. Industrial Avenue Realties, Ltd., 356 So. 2d 1289 (Fla. 3d DCA 1978).…
  • Putnam v. Eaton Constr. Co., 535 So. 2d 615 (Fla. 5th DCA 1988)
    …ors, Inc. (Reteneller’s employers and owners of the pursuit vehicle). We must view the record and all inferences in a light most favorable to the appellants. Landers v. Milton, 370 So. 2d 368 (Fla.1979); Rautbord v. Industrial Avenue Realties, Ltd., 356 So. 2d 1289, 1290 (Fla. 3d DCA 1978); Purifoy v. Burlingame, 313 So. 2d 424 (Fla. 1st DCA 1975). Here, there appears to be sufficient controverted facts and circum [*617] stances to merit submission of the case to a jury. Burroughs Corporation v. American Drugg…
  • Central States v. Fla. Soc'y OF Pathologists, 824 So. 2d 935 (Fla. 5th DCA 2002)
    …ion to pay a professional component fee, the lower court erred in entering judgment for the pathologists on this issue. Reading the record in the light most favorable to the non-moving party, see Rautbord v. Industrial Avenue Realties, [*941] Ltd., 356 So. 2d 1289 (Fla. 3d DCA 1978), the pathologists have not shown themselves entitled to judgment on either issue, or to an injunction. Accordingly, the final summary judgment is REVERSED. SAWAYA and PALMER, JJ„ concur. . In Fasig, a previous appeal in this ca…

Authorities Cited

Full citator, related cases, and AI research tools

Open in FLexlaw