Attorneys -- Discipline -- Failure to act with
reasonable diligence and promptness in representing a client -- Conduct that is
prejudicial to the administration of justice -- Referee's findings that, in responding
to a notice of resentencing hearing by filing a “Motion to Continue
Resentencing Hearing and Notice of Unavailability” to attend without indicating
whether the state agreed to the continuance, submitting a copy directly to the
presiding judge, or setting the motion for a hearing, and then choosing simply
not to attend the hearing when it occurred as scheduled, attorney was guilty of
violating Bar Rules, are approved -- Recommended punishment of public reprimand
is disapproved in favor of public reprimand and ten days' suspension -- No
merit to attorney's argument centered on the claim that the judge improperly
scheduled the hearing -- Hearing had not been continued and attorney was
required to appear on his client's behalf
THE FLORIDA BAR, Complainant, vs. DANIEL MARK COHEN,
Respondent. Supreme Court of Florida.
Attorney's fees -- Appellate -- Frivolous appeal of
trial court order imposing sanctions for fraud on court
JOHANNA FADDIS, Appellant, vs. THE CITY OF HOMESTEAD,
et al., Appellees. 3rd District.
Child support -- Paternity testing -- It was a
departure from the essential requirements of law to require parties to submit
to paternity testing in a proceeding to establish child support obligation
where father did not place child's paternity in controversy and good cause for
paternity testing was not established
FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF REVENUE by and on behalf of CIARA
GAIL CORBITT, Petitioner, v. KYLE PATRICK ALLETAG, Respondent. 1st District.
Civil procedure -- Discovery -- Non-party accountant --
Accountant-client privilege -- Production of documents from accountant without
first determining their privileged status through in camera review -- Where
objection is made to issuance of subpoena duces tecum to accountant, deposition
is no longer the only method available to obtain production of documents --
Court can rule on objections, and has discretion to fashion a process to deal
with production of documents -- Petition for writ of certiorari seeking to
prevent production of privileged documents is denied as moot, as court has
provided a method for protection of privileged documents
VALERIE A. LYONS INDIVIDUALLY AND AS CO-TRUSTEE AND
BENEFICIARY OF THE RICHARD C. LYONS AND NORMA W. LYONS 1998 DYNASTY TRUST;
NORMA W. LYONS INDIVIDUALLY AND AS MANAGING PARTNER AND THE GENERAL PARTNER(S)
OF LYONS FAMILY LIMITED PARTNERSHIP; and LYONS FAMILY LIMITED PARTNERSHIP,
Petitioners, v. SANFORD D. LYONS INDIVIDUALLY AND AS CO-TRUSTEE OF THE RICHARD
C. LYONS AND NORMA W. LYONS 1998 DYNASTY TRUST; TIMOTHY R. LYONS INDIVIDUALLY
AND AS PURPORTED CO- TRUSTEE OF THE RICHARD C. LYONS AND NORMA W. LYONS 1998
DYNASTY TRUST; THE RICHARD C. LYONS AND NORMA W. LYONS 1998 DYNASTY TRUST;
DOROTHY A. LYONS-HEFFNER; JOHN C. LYONS; and JOHN C. LYONS AND CAROL ANN
WILLIAMS LYONS AS CO-TRUSTEES OF THE JOHN C. LYONS TRUST SEPTEMBER 2, 1988,
Respondents. 4th District.
Contempt -- Dissolution of marriage -- Failure to pay
family support arrearages -- Competent, substantial evidence supported trial
court's findings that former husband failed to make support payments as
required despite apparent ability to do so -- Record does not disclose
calculations and evidence establishing commencement of arrearages, total unpaid
balance, and computation of purge amount, and amount awarded exceeded the
amount calculable on the record before appellate court and the amount
recoverable based on former wife's pleadings -- Remand for further proceedings
to substantiate net amount of any arrearage and purge requirement and to
provide specific evidence supporting finding that former husband has present
ability to pay purge amount
PATRICK WINTON, Appellant, vs. CANDICE SAFFER,
Appellee. 3rd District.
Contracts -- Construction -- Third-party complaint by
contractor who had been sued for defective construction of home against
subcontractor, alleging that subcontractor had breached oral contract with
contractor to install interior drywall in home by failing to properly install
drywall -- Although one paragraph of complaint stated that subcontractor
“performed its drywall work pursuant to the oral agreement,” other paragraphs
sufficiently alleged that subcontractor breached contract by failing to
properly install drywall -- Error to dismiss complaint with prejudice
RAY COUDRIET BUILDERS, INC., Appellant, v. R.K. EDWARDS,
INC., et al., Appellees. 5th District.
Dissolution of marriage -- Alimony -- Modification --
Marital settlement agreement -- Trial court erred in ruling that mere presence
of male tenant in former wife's residence amounted to “cohabitation with a
male” within meaning of parties' marital settlement agreement, which provided
for termination of alimony obligation in event wife cohabited with a male --
Finding of cohabitation requires more than mere presence of another person
under payee spouse's roof -- Remand with instructions to enter amended order
denying former husband's supplemental petition on the merits, to vacate finding
that husband's obligation to pay alimony and to maintain life insurance as
security for alimony terminated automatically on date male tenant began living
in wife's house, and to vacate portion of order directing wife to repay alimony
payments received after male became tenant -- Competent, substantial evidence
supported trial court's findings that former wife was not engaged in a
“supportive relationship” within meaning of statute and that there was no
substantial, permanent change in circumstances of the parties that would
support a reduction or termination of alimony obligation
DARLENE D. ATKINSON, Appellant/Cross-Appellee, v.
RONALD L. ATKINSON, Appellee/Cross-Appellant. 2nd District.
Dissolution of marriage -- Child custody --
Modification -- Trial court abused discretion by transferring custody of
children to former wife where former wife failed to plead and prove substantial
change in circumstances since last custody determination -- It was also
improper to modify custody at a hearing that was not noticed for a modification
proceeding
JEROME L. BAKER, Appellant, v. SABRINA J. BAKER A/K/A
SABRINA GRAY, Appellee. 5th District.
Dissolution of marriage -- Child custody -- Trial court
did not err in finding that modification of timesharing was warranted by change
in circumstances and best interest of children -- Child support -- Income -- In
calculating mother's child support obligation, trial court improperly factored
in father's payment of alimony where father failed to make the alimony payments
-- Alimony -- Imputed income -- In denying former husband's request to modify
alimony, trial court improperly imputed income to former husband without
delineating the basis for the imputed income
ELIZABETH CHAMBERLAIN, Appellant, v. JOHN DOUGLAS
EISINGER, Appellee. 4th District.
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