James Howard Miller v. Elizabeth Ann Green
CourtDistrict Court of Appeal of Florida
Date FiledAugust 6, 2021
Docket2D20-3090
StatusPublished
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Full Opinion
DISTRICT COURT OF APPEAL OF FLORIDA
SECOND DISTRICT
JAMES HOWARD MILLER,
Appellant,
v.
ELIZABETH ANN GREEN,
Appellee.
No. 2D20-3090
August 6, 2021
Appeal pursuant to Fla. R. App. P. 9.130 from the Circuit Court
for Sarasota County; Kimberly C. Bonner, Judge.
James Howard Miller, pro se.
Angela D. Flaherty of Flaherty Law Firm, Sarasota, for Appellee.
PER CURIAM.
James Howard Miller challenges various orders rendered in
the underlying paternity action. As Elizabeth Ann Green correctly
concedes, the trial court erred in failing to hold a hearing on Miller's
timely and legally sufficient motion to contest the notice of
delinquent child support payment.1 See ยง 61.14(6)(d), Fla. Stat.
(2020) ("The court shall hear the obligor's motion to contest the
impending judgment within 15 days after the date of filing of the
motion." (emphasis added)); see also ยง 61.14(6)(c) (stating that a
motion to contest must be filed within fifteen days after service of
the notice of delinquency and can only raise the ground "of a
mistake of fact regarding an error in whether a delinquency exists,
in the amount of the delinquency, or in the identity of the obligor").
As to Miller's remaining challenges, we affirm without
comment the orders denying his motion to vacate timesharing
restrictions and his motion for temporary attorney's fees. We treat
his notice of appeal of the order denying his motion for appointment
of a guardian ad litem as a petition for writ of certiorari, see Fla. R.
App. P. 9.040(c), and deny the same.
Affirmed in part; reversed in part; remanded.
1 This court has jurisdiction to review the trial court's order
denying Miller's motion to contest. See Fla. R. App. P.
9.030(b)(1)(A). Under section 61.14(6)(d), Florida Statutes (2020),
the amount of delinquency stated in the notice and all other
amounts due "become a final judgment by operation of law" upon
the trial court's denial of a motion to contest the impending
judgment.
2
Petition denied.
MORRIS, C.J., and SILBERMAN and ROTHSTEIN-YOUAKIM, JJ.,
Concur.
Opinion subject to revision prior to official publication.
3