RICHARD FIELDS and D. BOSWORTH, LLC v. ROBERT TOUSSIE and MICHAEL TOUSSIE ( 2020 )


Menu:
  •         DISTRICT COURT OF APPEAL OF THE STATE OF FLORIDA
    FOURTH DISTRICT
    RICHARD FIELDS and D. BOSWORTH, LLC,
    Appellants,
    v.
    ROBERT TOUSSIE, MICHAEL TOUSSIE and COASTAL
    DEVELOPMENT, LLC,
    Appellees.
    Nos. 4D19-1610 & 4D19-1612
    [May 6, 2020]
    Consolidated appeal from the Circuit Court for the Seventeenth Judicial
    Circuit, Broward County; John B. Bowman, Judge; L.T. Case No. 18-
    002364.
    Michael W. Moskowitz and Scott M. Zaslav of Moskowitz, Mandell,
    Salim & Simonwitz, P.A., Fort Lauderdale, for appellants.
    Alex P. Rosenthal and Amanda Jassem Jones of Rosenthal Law Group,
    Weston, for Appellee Robert Toussie.
    PER CURIAM.
    Appellants Coastal Development, LLC (“Coastal”) and Richard Fields
    (“Fields”) appeal the trial court’s orders issuing a writ of bodily attachment
    against Fields and finding Fields, Coastal, and D. Bosworth, LLC in
    contempt of court for failure to provide discovery. We affirm on all issues.
    Although Fields alleges the trial court abused its discretion by imposing
    incarceration as a civil contempt sanction and issuing a writ of bodily
    attachment against him without a second hearing, a second pre-
    incarceration hearing is generally not required when a trial court orders
    incarceration for past noncompliance. See Hipschman v. Cochran, 
    683 So. 2d
    209, 212 (Fla. 4th DCA 1996). It may be necessary, however, “where
    the contempt order specifies compliance extra-judicially, i.e., by
    performance outside the auspices of the court or its adjuncts.”
    Id. at 212-
    13. In this case, while the court did allow the appellee to file an ex parte
    affidavit of noncompliance to obtain the issuance of the writ, Fields’ past
    noncompliance was not in dispute, admitting as much in his brief.
    Therefore, a second hearing was unnecessary.
    Affirmed.
    WARNER, KLINGENSMITH and KUNTZ JJ. concur.
    *        *          *
    Not final until disposition of timely filed motion for rehearing.
    2
    

Document Info

Docket Number: 19-1610

Filed Date: 5/6/2020

Precedential Status: Precedential

Modified Date: 5/6/2020