Opinion

Nicholas v. Miami Burglar Alarm Co.

  • 297 So. 2d 49
  • 1974 Fla. App. LEXIS 9027
Court
District Court of Appeal of Florida
Filed
Jun 26, 1974
Status
Published
Author
Pearson
On the bench
Carroll, Haverfield, Pearson
Cited by
4 cases
Authority
More cited than 83.8%

The opinion

PEARSON, Judge.

This is the second appearance of this cause before this court. The plaintiff is appellant here as he was in the first appearance. See Nicholas v. Miami Burgler Alarm Co., Fla.App.1972, 266 So.2d 64 . The first appeal was from a judgment sustaining appellee’s motion to dismiss all four counts of appellant’s complaint. We remanded the cause with the following directions :

“Therefore, based on the foregoing cases and authorities, we hold that the trial court correctly granted appellee’s motion to dismiss the first, second, and third counts of the complaint, but erroneously held as a matter of law that the damages claimed in the fourth count were insufficient to meet the jurisdiction of the circuit court.

“Affirmed in part, reversed in part, and remanded.”

The present appeal is from a final judgment for the defendant entered pursuant to a directed verdict upon the fourth count of the complaint. The motion for directed verdict was made and granted at the conclusion of plaintiff’s case. We affirm.

It is apparent that appellant proceeded in the trial court upon remand only on the theory that he should be entitled to recover for the burglary or a portion *50 thereof and have punitive damages in addition. Our prior opinion had held that as a matter of law that there could he no recovery for the damages sustained in the burglary. At the trial upon remand, the appellant offered no evidence of any other recoverable damages, therefore, the trial court correctly directed a verdict for the defendant. See McLain v. Pensacola Coach Corporation, 152 Fla. 876 , 13 So.2d 221 (1943). In addition, our review of this record convinces us that appellant failed to establish gross negligence or wilful disregard of a duty by the defendant. Such action is necessary for the establishment of punitive damages. See Griffith v. Shamrock Village, Inc., Fla.1957, 94 So.2d 854 .

Affirmed.

This is a copy of a public record, reproduced as it was published. It is not legal advice, and it may not be the version a court would rely on. Check the official source before you cite it.

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