Mary E. Foreman v. Thomas James
CourtDistrict Court of Appeal of Florida
Date FiledJuly 15, 2020
Docket3D20-0334
StatusPublished
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Full Opinion
Third District Court of Appeal
State of Florida
Opinion filed July 15, 2020.
Not final until disposition of timely filed motion for rehearing.
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No. 3D20-334
Lower Tribunal No. 09-10502
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Mary E. Foreman,
Petitioner,
vs.
Thomas James,
Respondent.
A Writ of Certiorari to the Circuit Court for Miami-Dade County, Scott M.
Bernstein, Judge.
Nancy A. Hass, P.A., and Nancy A. Hass (Fort Lauderdale), for petitioner.
Thomas James, in proper person.
Before EMAS, C.J., and SCALES and GORDO, JJ.
PER CURIAM.
Petitioner Mary E. Foreman has filed a petition seeking certiorari review of
two trial court orders: an order finding Foreman in indirect civil contempt of court
and ordering Foreman’s incarceration with a purge amount of $40,000; and a final
judgment against Foreman and in favor of Respondent Thomas James’ attorneys, in
the amount of $50,000 in attorney’s fees and costs.
We quash both orders. We quash the order of indirect civil contempt because
this court, in a related appeal (3D19-1802), reversed the underlying order; it was
Foreman’s alleged refusal to comply with that underlying order that resulted in the
trial court’s indirect contempt order. As a result of the vacatur of that underlying
order, this contempt order is no longer enforceable. See Foreman v. James, 45 Fla.
L. Weekly D1095 (Fla. 3d DCA May 6, 2020).
We also quash the final judgment awarding attorney’s fees and costs 1 as those
fees and costs directly relate, in substantial part, to the contempt order which we
have quashed.
1
It is also worth noting that this final judgment fails to contain any factual findings
on need and ability to pay, see Rosen v. Rosen, 696 So. 2d 697, 699 (Fla.1997);
Perez v. Perez, 100 So. 3d 769, 771 (Fla. 2d DCA 2012) (holding that after
considering factors on need and ability to pay, trial court “must make specific factual
findings . . . supporting its determination of entitlement to an award of attorney's
fees”); Perrin v. Perrin, 795 So. 2d 1023, 1024 (Fla. 2d DCA 2001)(providing: “[A]
trial court cannot decide the issue of attorney’s fees without findings as to one
spouse’s ability to pay fees and the other spouse’s need to have fees paid”). The
final judgment also fails to contain any findings regarding reasonable hourly rates,
number of hours and amount of fees reasonably expected to be incurred. See Ortiz
v. Ortiz, 227 So. 3d 730, 732 (Fla. 3d DCA 2017); Sunday v. Sunday, 610 So. 2d
2
Petition granted. Order and final judgment quashed. The cause is remanded
to the trial court for further proceedings consistent with this opinion.
62 (Fla. 3d DCA 1992); Gilliland v. Gilliland, 266 So. 3d 866, 869 (Fla. 5th DCA
2019; Ghay v. Ghay, 954 So. 2d 1186 (Fla. 2d DCA 2007).
3