Ribak v. Centex Real Estate Corp.

• Court: Florida District Court of Appeals
• Writing for the Court: SHAHOOD; STONE, C.J., and POLEN
• Citation: Ribak v. Centex Real Estate Corp., 702 So.2d 1316 (Fla. App. 1997)
• Decision Date: 19 November 1997
• Docket Number: No. 96-3466,96-3466
• Parties: 22 Fla. L. Weekly D2634 Michael and Susan RIBAK, Harlan and Laurie Singer, Dana and Peggy Champa, Charles and Jean Cox, Pearl Erenstein, Peter and Theresa Irwin, Ronald and Dorene Kaplan, Joseph and Catherine Nochella, Eldon and Paula Wonacott, Joel and Carol Jacobsen, Ross and Geraldine Dieffenbacher, Hernando and Sylvia Lopez, John and Pauline Cerasani, Stacey and Brenda Goodson, Tomas and Carol Steg, Roobik and Barbara Hartoonian, Louis and Marion Sica, and Richard and Sandy Gold, Appellants, v. CENTEX REAL ESTATE CORPORATION, et al., Appellees.

Page 1316

702 So.2d 1316

22 Fla. L. Weekly D2634

Michael and Susan RIBAK, Harlan and Laurie Singer, Dana and Peggy Champa, Charles and Jean Cox, Pearl Erenstein, Peter and Theresa Irwin, Ronald and Dorene Kaplan, Joseph and Catherine Nochella, Eldon and Paula Wonacott, Joel and Carol Jacobsen, Ross and Geraldine Dieffenbacher, Hernando and Sylvia Lopez, John and Pauline Cerasani, Stacey and Brenda Goodson, Tomas and Carol Steg, Roobik and Barbara Hartoonian, Louis and Marion Sica, and Richard and Sandy Gold, Appellants, v. CENTEX REAL ESTATE CORPORATION, et al., Appellees.

No. 96-3466.

District Court of Appeal of Florida Fourth District.

Nov. 19, 1997.

Rehearing, Rehearing En Banc

and Certification Denied

Jan. 16, 1998.

George P. Ord of George P. Ord, P.A., and Gene D. Lipscher of Alley, Maass, Rogers & Lindsay, P.A., Palm Beach, for appellants.

Elliot H. Scherker of Greenberg Traurig Hoffman Lipoff Rosen & Quentel, P.A., Miami, and Mark F. Bideau and Elizabeth A. Rogers of Greenberg Traurig Hoffman Lipoff Rosen & Quentel, P.A., West Palm Beach, for appellees.

SHAHOOD, Judge.

Appellants seek review of the trial court's order granting partial final summary judgment against eighteen of the twenty-two residential home buyers in their action for fraud, conspiracy, negligent supervision, breach of duty to disclose material facts, negligent misrepresentation, and violation of the Florida Land Sales Practices Act against the developer/sellers.

Having reviewed the entire record, we affirm the trial court's order granting partial final summary judgment as to Centex Corporation, CTX Mortgage Company, Metropolitan Title & Guaranty Company, and Jeff Agar, individually. There were no allegations by appellants that any representations were made by these appellees nor does the complaint set forth sufficient allegations to give rise to a duty to disclose as to these appellees.

We reverse and remand, however, the order granting partial final summary judgment in favor of Centex Real Estate Corporation, Selma Wilson, individually, and Sandra Lasoff, individually.

Rule 1.510(c) of the Florida Rules of Civil Procedure governs the use of summary judgments. This rule mandates that a party moving for summary judgment must conclusively show the absence of any genuine issue of material fact and obligates the trial court to draw every possible inference in favor of the party against whom a summary judgment is sought. See Moore v. Morris, 475 So.2d 666 (Fla.1985). If the evidence raises any issues of material fact, if it is conflicting, if it will permit different reasonable inferences, or if it tends to prove the issues, it should be submitted to the jury as a question of fact to be determined by the jury. Id. at 668.

McDonald v. Florida Dep't of Transp., 655 So.2d 1164, 1167-68 (Fla. 4th DCA 1995).

In reviewing a trial court's decision to grant a motion for summary judgment, the appellate court "must draw every possible inference in favor of the party against whom summary judgment is granted." DuBois v. Amestoy, 652 So.2d 919, 920 (Fla. 4th DCA 1995)(citing Williams v. Bevis, 509 So.2d 1304, 1306 (Fla. 1st DCA 1987)).

In this case, the twenty-two residential home buyers brought suit against the developer/seller for fraud, conspiracy, negligent supervision, breach of duty to disclose material facts, negligent misrepresentation, and violation of the Florida Land Sales Practices Act for conditions located off their property that affected their property. Appellants alleged that adjacent to the southern boundary of the property is a plant which treats both fresh or potable water and wastewater. Appellants further alleged that certain representations and statements were made by Selma Wilson and Sandra Lasoff individually and on behalf of Centex Real Estate Corporation that was the basis of their cause of action.

The question resolved by the trial court in this case was whether the statements and representations made by those appellees that the facility was a "water treatment plant," as opposed to a statement that a facility was a "water treatment and wastewater treatment plant" (emphasis added), constitutes a material misrepresentation. We find that the issue of materiality was one for a jury. McDonald, 655 So.2d at 1168.

In this case, the trial court in ostensibly following Johnson v. Davis, 480 So.2d 625 (Fla.1985), found that Johnson did not impose on a seller of property the obligation to disclose conditions which are off the property itself, and further did not impose a duty to disclose conditions which are open and obvious. The trial court specifically declined to follow Strawn v. Canuso, 140 N.J. 43, 657 A.2d 420 (1995), finding that "that case involved an extreme set of facts involving a toxic landfill and further finding that it is not consistent with the law of this State."

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