Paley v. Cocoa Masonry, Inc., No. 82-1181

CourtCourt of Appeal of Florida (US)
Writing for the CourtDANAHY; GRIMES, A.C.J., and RYDER
Citation433 So.2d 70
PartiesSidney H. PALEY and Allen Tucker, Appellants, v. COCOA MASONRY, INC., Roy Paul, James T. Paul, Cocoa Masonry of Pinellas County, Inc., Cocoa Masonry of Orange County, Inc., and Cocoa, Inc., Appellees.
Docket NumberNo. 82-1181
Decision Date22 June 1983

Page 70

433 So.2d 70
Sidney H. PALEY and Allen Tucker, Appellants,
v.
COCOA MASONRY, INC., Roy Paul, James T. Paul, Cocoa Masonry
of Pinellas County, Inc., Cocoa Masonry of Orange
County, Inc., and Cocoa, Inc., Appellees.
No. 82-1181.
District Court of Appeal of Florida,
Second District.
June 22, 1983.

Barry J. McCaughey of McCaughey, Knaust & Evans, St. Petersburg, for appellants.

Seymour A. Gordon of Gay & Gordon, St. Petersburg, for appellees.

DANAHY, Judge.

The appellees (Cocoa Masonry) entered into a construction contract with Paltuco Caribbean of Florida, Inc. (Paltuco). The contract contained the following provision:

Neither party to this contract shall assign same or sublet it as a whole without the written consent of the other nor shall [Cocoa Masonry] assign any monies due or to become due to [it] hereunder without the previous written consent of [Paltuco].

The appellants brought these actions for breach of contract and equitable relief claiming that Cocoa Masonry was guilty of a breach of contract, and asserting that they are assignees of Paltuco's claims against Cocoa Masonry under the contract. The trial judge held the assignment by Paltuco to the appellants invalid under the provision of the contract quoted above, and dismissed the actions with prejudice. This appeal followed.

We disagree with the trial judge's ruling on the validity of the assignment, and reverse. Recently, our sister court had occasion to point out that a clause which forbids the assignment of a party's "rights" under a contract does not preclude the assignment of an accrued claim for damages arising from its breach. Cordis Corp. v. Sonics International, Inc., 427 So.2d 782 (Fla. 3d DCA 1983). The clause involved in the Cordis case provided that the rights of the distributor shall not be assigned or transferred without the written consent of the other party to the contract. It seems to us that this language is even stronger than the contract language involved in our case, which refers to an assignment "of the contract."

In any event, we entirely agree with the decision in the Cordis case and rely on that case in reaching our decision here that the assignment from Paltuco to the appellants was valid. As the court observed in Cordis, the prohibition of a contract against assignment is against an assignment

Page 71

of rights and privileges under the contract. That prohibition does not prohibit the assignment of a claim for damages on account of breach of...

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5 practice notes
  • SME Indus., Inc. v. Thompson, Ventulett, Stainback & Assocs., No. 990869.
    • United States
    • Utah Supreme Court
    • June 26, 2001
    ...854 F.2d 1223, 1234 (10th Cir.1988); Rosecrans v. William S. Lozier, Inc., 142 F.2d 118, 124 (8th Cir.1944); Paley v. Cocoa Masonry, Inc., 433 So.2d 70, 70-71 (Fla.Dist.Ct.App.1983); Grady v. Commers Interiors, Inc., 268 N.W.2d 823, 825 (S.D.1978); Ford v. Robertson, 739 S.W.2d 3, 5 (Tenn.C......
  • U.S. Industries, Inc. v. Touche Ross & Co., Nos. 84-1564
    • United States
    • United States Courts of Appeals. United States Court of Appeals (10th Circuit)
    • August 22, 1988
    ...arising from its breach." Cordis Corp. v. Sonics Int'l, Inc., 427 So.2d 782, 783 (Fla.App.1983). See also Paley v. Cocoa Masonry, Inc., 433 So.2d 70, 70 (Fla.App.1983) Page 1235 Moreover, despite defendants' assertions to the contrary, we do not believe that the entire assignment provision ......
  • Spa Creek Servs., LLC v. S.W. Cole, Inc., Case No. 5D15–3520
    • United States
    • Court of Appeal of Florida (US)
    • October 27, 2017
    ...39, 43 (Fla. 3d DCA 2016) ; Aldana v. Colonial Palms Plaza, Ltd., 591 So.2d 953, 955 (Fla. 3d DCA 1991) ; Paley v. Cocoa Masonry, Inc., 433 So.2d 70, 70–71 (Fla. 2d DCA 1983) ("[T]he prohibition of a contract against assignment is against an assignment of rights and privileges under the con......
  • H&J Contracting, Inc. v. Jacobs Eng'g Grp., Inc., CASE NO. 15-61462-CIV-COHN/SELTZER
    • United States
    • United States District Courts. 11th Circuit. United States District Courts. 11th Circuit. Southern District of Florida
    • October 28, 2015
    ...does not, without more, prohibit the assignment of a claim for damages on account of a breach of contract. Paley v. Cocoa Masonry, Inc., 433 So.2d 70, 71 (Fla. 2d DCA 1983), citingSure Cordis Corp. v. Sonics International, Inc., 427 So.2d 782, 783 (Fla. 3d DCA 1983). "The law draws a distin......
  • Request a trial to view additional results
5 cases
  • U.S. Industries, Inc. v. Touche Ross & Co., Nos. 84-1564
    • United States
    • United States Courts of Appeals. United States Court of Appeals (10th Circuit)
    • August 22, 1988
    ...from its breach." Cordis Corp. v. Sonics Int'l, Inc., 427 So.2d 782, 783 (Fla.App.1983). See also Paley v. Cocoa Masonry, Inc., 433 So.2d 70, 70 (Fla.App.1983) Page 1235 Moreover, despite defendants' assertions to the contrary, we do not believe that the entire assignment provision on ......
  • SME Indus., Inc. v. Thompson, Ventulett, Stainback & Assocs., No. 990869.
    • United States
    • Utah Supreme Court
    • June 26, 2001
    ...854 F.2d 1223, 1234 (10th Cir.1988); Rosecrans v. William S. Lozier, Inc., 142 F.2d 118, 124 (8th Cir.1944); Paley v. Cocoa Masonry, Inc., 433 So.2d 70, 70-71 (Fla.Dist.Ct.App.1983); Grady v. Commers Interiors, Inc., 268 N.W.2d 823, 825 (S.D.1978); Ford v. Robertson, 739 S.W.2d 3, 5 (Tenn.C......
  • Spa Creek Servs., LLC v. S.W. Cole, Inc., Case No. 5D15–3520
    • United States
    • Court of Appeal of Florida (US)
    • October 27, 2017
    ...39, 43 (Fla. 3d DCA 2016) ; Aldana v. Colonial Palms Plaza, Ltd., 591 So.2d 953, 955 (Fla. 3d DCA 1991) ; Paley v. Cocoa Masonry, Inc., 433 So.2d 70, 70–71 (Fla. 2d DCA 1983) ("[T]he prohibition of a contract against assignment is against an assignment of rights and privileges under th......
  • H&J Contracting, Inc. v. Jacobs Eng'g Grp., Inc., CASE NO. 15-61462-CIV-COHN/SELTZER
    • United States
    • United States District Courts. 11th Circuit. United States District Courts. 11th Circuit. Southern District of Florida
    • October 28, 2015
    ...does not, without more, prohibit the assignment of a claim for damages on account of a breach of contract. Paley v. Cocoa Masonry, Inc., 433 So.2d 70, 71 (Fla. 2d DCA 1983), citingSure Cordis Corp. v. Sonics International, Inc., 427 So.2d 782, 783 (Fla. 3d DCA 1983). "The law draws a d......
  • Request a trial to view additional results

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