Acquisition Trust Company, LLC v. Laurel Pinebrook, LLC ( 2017 )

NOT FINAL UNTIL TIME EXPIRES TO FILE REHEARING
MOTION AND, IF FILED, DETERMINED
IN THE DISTRICT COURT OF APPEAL
OF FLORIDA
SECOND DISTRICT
ACQUISITION TRUST COMPANY, LLC, )
)
Appellant, )
)
v. ) Case No. 2D16-3325
)
LAUREL PINEBROOK, LLC, and )
REAL SUB, LLC, and PUBLIX SUPER )
MARKETS, INC., )
)
Appellees. )
)
Opinion filed July 7, 2017.
Appeal from the Circuit Court for Sarasota
County; Rochelle Curley, Judge.
Alex P. Rosenthal and Amanda Jassem
Jones of Rosenthal Law Group, Weston,
for Appellant.
Hunter G. Norton and Steven J. Chase of
Shumaker, Loop & Kendrick, LLP,
Sarasota, for Appellee Laurel Pinebrook,
LLC.
Kristin Hatcher-Bolin and Mark N. Miller of
GrayRobinson, P.A., Lakeland, for
Appellees Real Sub, LLC and Publix Super
Markets, Inc.
LUCAS, Judge.
This case concerns a dispute over a purchase and sale agreement of
commercial property, which was subject to a prior, recorded right of first refusal.
Challenging the manner in which that right of first refusal was exercised, the frustrated
prospective purchaser of the property, Acquisition Trust Company, LLC ("Acquisition
Trust"), filed a complaint in the circuit court of Sarasota County alleging rescission,
specific performance, and breach of contract. The circuit court dismissed Acquisition
Trust's complaint with prejudice.1 Appellees concede that the circuit court's dismissals
with prejudice was improper since Acquisition Trust had never been afforded an
opportunity to amend its complaint. We agree. See Strader v. Carpenters Crest
Owners Ass'n, Inc., 968 So. 2d 621, 622 (Fla. 2d DCA 2007) ("Generally, a trial court
must allow a litigant the opportunity to amend a complaint before dismissing its suit with
prejudice unless it is clear that the pleading cannot be amended so as to state a cause
of action." (quoting Albrecht v. Bd. of Trs. of Internal Improvement Tr. Fund, 481 So. 2d
555, 556 (Fla. 2d DCA 1986)); Kapley v. Borchers, 714 So. 2d 1217, 1218 (Fla. 2d DCA
1998) ("A dismissal with prejudice should not be ordered without giving the party
offering the pleading an opportunity to amend unless it appears that the privilege to
amend has been abused or it is clear that the pleading cannot be amended to state a
1
Appellees argued in their motions to dismiss that Acquisition Trust had no
standing to dispute how their transaction for the sale of the subject property was
consummated once Publix Supermarkets, Inc., gave notice that it would exercise its
right of first refusal over the property. At the conclusion of the hearing on the motion to
dismiss, the circuit court took the matter under advisement and then issued the orders
now on appeal, orders which were silent as to any basis or rationale for the dismissals
of Acquisition Trust's complaint.
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cause of action."). Accordingly, we reverse the orders of the circuit court and remand
this case for further proceedings consistent with this opinion.
Our reversal necessarily affords Acquisition Trust the opportunity to file an
amended complaint, a pleading that, it appears from the record and the representations
made to us during oral argument, will likely be filed and will likely differ in some respects
from the dismissed complaint. And obviously, we have no way of knowing in advance
the manner in which Appellees will choose to respond to such an amended pleading
when or if it is served. The parties urge us to nevertheless render an opinion on the
merits of the substantive legal controversy that was argued in the prior motion to
dismiss the original complaint. In this case, though, we must respectfully decline their
invitation. Cf. State v. Barati, 150 So. 3d 810, 813 (Fla. 1st DCA 2014) ("Under the
Florida Constitution, only the Florida Supreme Court has the jurisdiction to issue
advisory opinions." (first citing art. V, § 3(b)(10), Fla. Const.; and then citing Fla. House
of Representatives v. League of Women Voters, 118 So. 3d 198, 207 (Fla. 2013)). We
express no opinion, then, on the substantive issues raised below and in this appeal but
must leave that to the parties and the circuit court to develop more fully following
remand.
Reversed and remanded.
MORRIS, J., and CASE, JAMES R., ASSOCIATE SENIOR JUDGE, Concur.
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