Boren v. Rogers

• Decision Date: 02 February 2018
• Docket Number: Case No. 5D17–3004
• Citation: 243 So.3d 448
• Parties: Ann BOREN f/k/a Ann Boren Carney, Petitioner, v. Thomas ROGERS, Esquire, as Purported Trustee of the Elaine Mullins Living Trust, Evelyn Vega Rivera and Estate of Elaine Mullins, Respondents.
• Court: Florida District Court of Appeals

243 So.3d 448

Ann BOREN f/k/a Ann Boren Carney, Petitioner,

v.Thomas ROGERS, Esquire, as Purported Trustee of the Elaine Mullins Living Trust, Evelyn Vega Rivera and Estate of Elaine Mullins, Respondents.

Case No. 5D17–3004

District Court of Appeal of Florida, Fifth District.

Opinion filed February 2, 2018

Jordan R. Hammer, Anya M. Van Veen and Jeffrey H. Skatoff, of Clark Skatoff PA, Palm Beach Gardens, for Petitioner.

J. Stephen Pullum, of Pullum & Pullum, P.A., Lake Mary, and Denise VanNess, of VanNess & VanNess, P.A., Crystal River, for Respondent, Thomas Rogers, Esquire.

No Appearance for Other Respondents.

LAMBERT, J.

Petitioner, Ann Boren, seeks a writ of certiorari to quash a protective order that precluded production of all documents requested by Boren in her initial discovery request. For the following reasons, we grant the writ.

Boren filed an amended complaint seeking to void a 2014 trust and a 2013 trust executed by Elaine Mullins. Boren alleged that for many years prior to Mullins' death in December 2014, Mullins had maintained a longstanding estate plan whereby her assets would pass to certain family members, including Boren, upon her death. Boren further alleged that the respondent, Evelyn Rivera,¹ who is not a family member, befriended Mullins late in her life, when Mullins was in failing health and suffering from cognitive deficits, and unduly influenced Mullins to execute these two trusts at a time Mullins lacked the capacity to do so. As a result, Boren alleged, Rivera became the substantial beneficiary under these two trusts, and but for these trusts, Boren would be a trust beneficiary under Mullins' earlier trusts.

Co–Respondent, Thomas Rogers, the named trustee of the 2014 and 2013 trusts and also the attorney who prepared the trust documents, answered the amended complaint. In addition to denying the material allegations of the complaint, Rogers defended that Boren also lacked standing to void the trusts under the doctrine of dependent relative revocation² because the trust was initially created in 1992 and "was amended and/or restated in 1996, 2000, 2002, 2005, 2007, 2013, and 2014," and Rogers therefore asserted that Boren must first show that she would have been a beneficiary under an earlier trust before she would be entitled to receive a copy of the most recent trust documents.

Boren then filed a first request for production of documents pursuant to Florida Rule of Civil Procedure 1.350. Boren requested that Rogers produce copies of all trust documents prepared by Rogers, his law firm, or by anyone else for Mullins' signature from January 1, 1992, to date,³ together with copies of all notes, memoranda, or other documents created or maintained by Rogers relative to both the trust documents and communications to and from Mullins regarding the preparation or execution of the trust documents and other estate planning documents. Boren also asked for copies of any and all communications between Rivera and Rogers or his law firm regarding Mullins. Finally, Boren requested copies of any and all documents related to payment of legal fees to Rogers for services rendered on behalf of Mullins.

Rogers moved for a protective order as to all requested documents on four grounds. Rogers first argued that before obtaining production of the documents, Boren must overcome the presumption that Mullins' 1988 will that Boren seeks to administer in a separate probate proceeding is lost or destroyed.⁴ Second, Rogers asserted that Boren's request was overbroad because it asked for documents from a period of twenty-two to thirty years. Third, Rogers contended that the requested documents are irrelevant to the amended complaint and, thus, he should not have to produce them because: (1) Boren does not allege the specific trust for which she claims that she is a beneficiary and, (2) without having possession of the original 1988 will, Boren must first overcome the presumption that this will was destroyed by Mullins. Fourth, Rogers stated that to the extent that the requested documents contain Mullins' "private financial information," those documents are protected by the constitutional right of privacy. See Art. I, § 23, Fla. Const.

The trial court held a hearing on the motion for protective order and, in its first order, directed that Rogers provide the trust instruments from 1992–2007 to the court for an in-camera review. The documents were submitted to the court under seal. Following its review, the court entered a subsequent order finding that Boren was "not entitled to a review of those documents" and granted the...