H GREG AUTO POMPANO, INC. v. WILLIAM RASKIN
CourtDistrict Court of Appeal of Florida
Date FiledMarch 25, 2020
Docket3D20-0240
StatusPublished
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Full Opinion
Third District Court of Appeal
State of Florida
Opinion filed March 25, 2020.
Not final until disposition of timely filed motion for rehearing.
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No. 3D20-0240
Lower Tribunal No. 18-30482
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H Greg Auto Pompano, Inc., H Greg Miami, Inc.,
H Greg Investments, Inc., H Gregory 1, Inc.,
and H Gregory, LLC,
Appellants,
vs.
William Raskin, Mark Knight,
Hosea Murray, and Womesh Saywak,
Appellees.
An Appeal from the Circuit Court for Miami-Dade County, Martin Zilber,
Judge.
Birnbaum, Lippman & Gregoire, PLLC, and Nancy W. Gregoire (Ft.
Lauderdale), for appellants.
Law Offices of Kramer & Klingsberg, and George W. Kramer, and Debra D.
Klingsberg (Delray Beach), for appellees.
Before LINDSEY, HENDON, and MILLER, JJ.
PER CURIAM.
ON MOTION FOR REVIEW OF STAY ORDER
Appellants H Greg Auto Pompano, Inc.; H Greg Miami, Inc.; H Greg
Investments, Inc.; H Gregory 1, Inc.; and H Gregory, LLC seek review, pursuant to
Florida Rule of Appellate Procedure 9.310(f), of an order denying their motion to
stay the proceedings below pending resolution of their appeal from an order denying
their motion to compel arbitration. Because the trial court did not abuse its
discretion, we affirm the denial of the motion to stay.
Pursuant to section 682.03, Florida Statutes (2019), a stay is required while a
motion to compel arbitration is pending, but the statutory language does not mandate
a stay after a motion to compel has been denied and that denial is on appeal. See
Open MRI of Okeechobee, LLC v. Aldana, 969 So. 2d 589, 590 (Fla. 4th DCA
2007). We note that this approach differs from that taken in some federal courts
under the Federal Arbitration Act where, following โan appeal from the denial of a
motion to compel arbitration, the district court should stay the litigation so long as
the appeal is non-frivolous.โ Blinco v. Green Tree Servs., LLC, 366 F.3d 1249,
1253 (11th Cir. 2004). Florida courts have so far declined to adopt this approach,
and therefore, we are unable to conclude the trial court abused its discretion. See
Open MRI, 969 So. 2d at 590 (declining to adopt the rationale in Blinco).
Affirmed.
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