Thomas Waldron, Jr. v. Trican, L L C
CourtDistrict Court of Appeal of Florida
Date FiledMarch 13, 2020
Docket2D18-2320
StatusPublished
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Full Opinion
NOT FINAL UNTIL TIME EXPIRES TO FILE REHEARING
MOTION AND, IF FILED, DETERMINED
IN THE DISTRICT COURT OF APPEAL
OF FLORIDA
SECOND DISTRICT
THOMAS WALDRON JR., )
)
Appellant, )
)
v. ) Case No. 2D18-2320
)
NEW ALTERNATIVES CONSULTING, )
LLC; GARY WEST; DEEP BLUE )
ENTERPRISES, LLC; TRICAN, LLC; )
DONNA DEVIVO; DOMINICK DEVIVO; )
and THOMAS S. WALDRON SR., )
)
Appellees. )
)
Opinion filed March 13, 2020.
Appeal from the Circuit Court for Pinellas
County; Keith Meyer, Judge.
Francis B. Marjorie of The Marjorie Firm
Ltd., Irving, Texas; and Jonathan Jacobs of
Jacobs Law Firm, PLLC, Winter Park
(withdrew after briefing); Edgar Gonzalez,
Miami (substituted as counsel of record), for
Appellant.
Christopher B. Hopkins, Mary F. April, and
Maureen Martinez of McDonald Hopkins
LLC, West Palm Beach, for Appellees New
Alternatives Consulting, LLC, Gary West,
and Deep Blue Enterprises, LLC.
No appearance for remaining Appellees.
BLACK, Judge.
Thomas Waldron Jr. challenges the final default judgment entered against
him and Thomas Waldron Sr., raising three issues on appeal. We affirm without
comment all issues save one. As New Alternatives, LLC, Gary West, and Deep Blue
Enterprises, LLC, properly concede,1 the trial court erred in awarding unliquidated
damages in the absence of notice and an evidentiary hearing on same. See Fla. R. Civ.
P. 1.440(c); Paramo v. Floyd, 154 So. 3d 477, 478 (Fla. 2d DCA 2015) (concluding that
the trial court erred in awarding the appellees unliquidated damages in the absence of
an evidentiary hearing); Sarasota Estate & Jewelry Buyers, Inc. v. Joseph Gad, Inc., 25
So. 3d 619, 621 (Fla. 2d DCA 2009) ("[I]t is fundamental error for the court to award
unliquidated damages without providing the required notice and without requiring proof
of damages." (citing Cellular Warehouse, Inc. v. GH Cellular, LLC, 957 So. 2d 662, 666
(Fla. 3d DCA 2007))). We therefore reverse the final default judgment to the extent that
it awarded unliquidated damages and remand for a properly noticed evidentiary hearing.
The final default judgment is otherwise affirmed.
Affirmed in part, reversed in part, and remanded with instructions.
SILBERMAN and LaROSE, JJ., Concur.
1The remaining appellees did not participate in this appeal.
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