Third District Court of Appeal
State of Florida
Opinion filed April 21, 2021.
Not final until disposition of timely filed motion for rehearing.
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No. 3D19-1232
Lower Tribunal No. 14-10782
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Continental Motors, Inc.,
Appellant,
vs.
Carly Johnson, etc.,
Appellee.
An Appeal from the Circuit Court for Miami-Dade County, Peter R.
Lopez, Judge.
Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner and Douglas E. Winter (Washington,
DC); Wicker Smith O'Hara McCoy & Ford, P.A., and Alyssa M. Reiter (Fort
Lauderdale); Skinner Law Group and Laurie A. Salita (Malvern, PA);
Bowman and Brooke LLP and Wendy F. Lumish, for appellant.
Podhurst Orseck, P.A., and Joel D. Eaton, Ricardo M. Martinez-Cid
and Lea P. Bucciero, for appellee.
Before LOGUE, LINDSEY and LOBREE, JJ.
PER CURIAM.
The assessment of a fine for failure to comply with an order compelling
discovery “must be predicated upon a finding of contempt.” Channel
Components, Inc. v. Am. II Elecs., Inc.,
915 So. 2d 1278, 1283 (Fla. 2d DCA
2005). Because the sanctions order in this case explicitly finds that the
attorneys’ failure to comply “was not willful, deliberate and contumacious,”
we reverse the portion of the order imposing the fine. As to all other issues
on appeal, we affirm without further discussion.
Affirmed, in part, and reversed, in part.
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