Hartford Ins. Co. v. Miller, 681 So. 2d 301 (Fla. 3d DCA 1996). · Go Syfert
Hartford Ins. Co. v. Miller, 681 So. 2d 301 (Fla. 3d DCA 1996). Cases Citing This Book View Copy Cite
12 citation events (6 in the last 25 years) across 4 distinct courts.
Strongest positive: Royal Palm Village Residents, Inc. v. Slider (flmd, 2021-09-29)
Top citers, strongest first. 6 distinct citers. How cited ↗
cited Cited as authority (rule) Royal Palm Village Residents, Inc. v. Slider
M.D. Fla. · 2021 · confidence medium
Co. of the Midwest v. Miller, 681 So. 2d 301, 302 (Fla. 3d DCA 1996) (quoting Foreman v. E.F.
discussed Cited as authority (rule) Bahrakis v. Zimmerman
M.D. Fla. · 2020 · confidence medium
Co. of the Midwest v. Miller, 681 So. 2d 301, 302 (Fla. 3d DCA 1996)(stating that defendants are entitled to attorneys’ fees under § 772.104 when the civil RICO counts asserted against them were dismissed with prejudice).
cited Cited as authority (rule) Burgese v. Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc.
D.N.J. · 2015 · confidence medium
Co. of the Midwest v. Miller, 681 So.2d 301, 302 (Fla.App.3d Dist.1996) (quoting Foreman v. E.F.
cited Cited as authority (rule) RLS BUS. VENTURES v. Second Chance Wholesale, Inc.
Fla. Dist. Ct. App. · 2001 · confidence medium
Co. of the Midwest v. Miller, 681 So.2d 301, 302 (Fla. 3d DCA 1996).
cited Cited as authority (rule) Johnson v. Telesat Cablevision
11th Cir. · 1998 · confidence medium
Co. of the Midwest v. Miller, 681 So.2d 301, 302 (Fla. 3d DCA 1996) (internal quotation marks and citations omitted).
cited Cited as authority (rule) Johnson Enterprises of Jacksonville, Inc. v. FPL Group, Inc.
11th Cir. · 1998 · confidence medium
Co. of the Midwest v. Miller, 681 So.2d 301, 302 (Fla. 3d DCA 1996) (internal quotation marks and citations omitted).
Retrieving the full opinion text from the archive…
HARTFORD INSURANCE COMPANY OF THE MIDWEST
v.
Carol E. MILLER
No. 95-3242.
District Court of Appeal of Florida, Third District.
Oct 2, 1996.
681 So. 2d 301
Conroy, Simberg & Lewis and Hinda Klein, Hollywood, for appellant., Dennis G. King, Miami, for appellee.
Barkdull, Gersten, Nesbitt.
Cited by 6 opinions  |  Published
BARKDULL, Judge.

The Plaintiff/Appellee Miller filed suit against Defendant/Appellant Hartford Insurance Company seeking damages for Hartford’s alleged breach of contract for failure to pay claims resulting from hurricane damage, bodily injury and burglary. Hartford answered the breach of contract counts and also filed a counterclaim based upon Florida Statute section 772.102, Florida’s civil RICO statute. Hartford predicated the RICO counterclaim on the allegations that Miller filed four separate insurance claims and that these allegedly fraudulent claims constituted a “pattern of criminal activity” as required by the statute.

Following extensive discovery, the trial court granted Miller’s motion for summary judgment on the RICO counterclaim, stating that:

There just is no evidence here and this is not the kind of case, in my opinion, that the statute envisioned which should be a RICO case and therefore there is no question in my mind that the motion for summary judgment is granted.

The final summary judgment was affirmed by this court. Hartford, Insurance Co. v. Miller, Case No. 95-976, 677 So.2d 847 (Fla. 3d DCA May 29, 1996). After entry of the summary judgment, Miller moved for attorney’s fees pursuant to Florida Statute sections 772.104, 627.428 and 57.105. The trial court found that Miller was entitled to fees under section 772.104 and granted same, which order is the subject of the instant appeal.

Florida Statute section 772.104 (1995) states that the defendant shall be entitled to reasonable attorney’s fees upon a finding that the claimant raised a (civil RICO) claim which was without substantial fact or legal support. This standard has been held to be much less strict than that contained in Florida Statute section 57.105(1) and consequently it is not necessary that the court find a “complete absence of a justiciable issue of either law of fact.” Foreman v. E.F. Hutton & Co., 568 So.2d 531, 532 (Fla. 3d DCA 1990). The trial court must only find that the claim lacked “substantial fact or legal support.” Id. The legislature apparently enacted this less stringent standard to discourage frivolous Rico claims or claims brought for the purpose of intimidation because the stigma and burden of defending such claims is so great.

In cases of this nature, the district courts have consistently held that defendants are entitled to fees under section 772.104 where civil RICO counts were dismissed with prejudice or a verdict was directed in the defendant’s favor. See e.g. Skubal v. Cooley, 650 So.2d 169 (Fla. 4th DCA 1995); Marcus v. Miller, 663 So.2d 1340 (Fla. 4th DCA 1995); Friedman v. Lauderdale Medical Equipment Service, Inc., 591 So.2d 328 (Fla. 4th DCA 1992); Ciaramello v. D’Ambra, 613 So.2d 1324 (Fla. 2d DCA 1991), review denied 599 So.2d 654 (Fla.1992); Foreman v. E.F. Hutton & Co., 568 So.2d 531 (Fla. 3d DCA 1990). In addition, it is clear that a defendant may still be entitled to fees on the RICO count even if the plaintiff ultimately prevails on other counts. See Skubal at 169 (plaintiffs ultimately prevailed on the fraud count); Friedman at 328 (jury found for plaintiffs on the conspiracy count).

We find that the facts of this case support the trial court’s ruling that there was no substantial factual or legal support for this claim. This was a fairly simple case in which an insured filed several fraudulent insurance claims. The fact that she colluded with a personal acquaintance on the personal injury claim does not establish an enterprise for the[*303] purposes of the statute. Boyd v. State, 578 So.2d 718 (Fla. 3d DCA 1991), review denied 581 So.2d 1310 (Fla.l991)(“Consistent with legislative intent, the case law is uniform that to prove that an enterprise exists, more is required than a mere showing of an association of criminals.”). Neither is it dispositive that Hartford ultimately prevailed on the fraud counts. See Skubal, Friedman supra.

To sum up, we agree with the trial judge that there was no substantial factual or legal support for the claim and that this was exactly the type of RICO claim that the legislature intended to discourage by section 772.104, Florida Statutes (1995). We therefore affirm.

Affirmed.