Divine Designs Salon, Inc. A/K/A Divine Designs Salon & Spa v. Arden Thompson
CourtDistrict Court of Appeal of Florida
Date FiledFebruary 10, 2023
Docket2D21-1140
StatusPublished
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Full Opinion
DISTRICT COURT OF APPEAL OF FLORIDA
SECOND DISTRICT
DIVINE DESIGNS SALON, INC., a/k/a
DIVINE DESIGNS SALON & SPA,
Appellant/Cross-Appellee,
v.
ARDEN THOMPSON f/k/a
ARDEN CLAYTON,
Appellee/Cross-Appellant.
No. 2D21-1140
February 10, 2023
Appeal from the Circuit Court for Hillsborough County; Darren D.
Farfante, Judge.
Brent A. Gordon, of The Gordon Law Firm P.A., Tampa; and Robin
Trupp, of Curry Law Group, P.A., Brandon, for Appellant/Cross-Appellee.
Richard A. Harrison of Richard A. Harrison, P.A., Tampa, for
Appellee/Cross-Appellant.
ROTHSTEIN-YOUAKIM, Judge.
Divine Designs Salon, Inc., sued Arden Thompson for breach of a
restrictive covenant and misappropriation of trade secrets. After a bench
trial, the circuit court found in favor of Divine Designs on the breach
claim only, and it awarded Divine Designs $4,553.89.1 After finding that
1 Divine Designs wholly failed to adduce any evidence to support its
trade secrets claim and failed even to clearly articulate the basis for that
claim when Thompson moved for an involuntary dismissal.
Thompson had complied with a previously entered temporary injunction
and concluding that a permanent injunction would not be warranted
based on the underlying business interests supporting the restrictive
covenant, the circuit court refused to grant permanent injunctive relief.
On appeal, Divine Designs argues that the money judgment is
inadequate because the circuit court failed to follow the letter of the
liquidated damages provision. Divine Designs also challenges the circuit
court's rejection of its trade secrets claim. Thompson cross-appeals on
various issues.
We affirm the final judgment in all respects and without further
comment except as to one point. The judgment award of $4,553.89 was
calculated in part on the assumption that only six months had elapsed
between Thompson's first breach of the restrictive covenant (April 18,
2018) and the circuit court's entry of the temporary injunction. But the
circuit court was mistaken about when it had entered the temporary
injunction: although the court vaguely refers to "mid-November 2018,"
the undisputed record shows that the injunction was not entered until
February 28, 2019. We therefore reverse for the circuit court to correct
this error, to recalculate damages using the formula set forth on pages 9–
10 of the court's May 22, 2020, posttrial order, and to enter an amended
judgment so reflecting. Cf. Pahokee Hous. Auth., Inc. v. S. Fla. Sanitation
Co., 478 So. 2d 1107, 1108 (Fla. 4th DCA 1985) (reversing and
remanding for recalculation of damages).
Affirmed in part; reversed in part; remanded with instructions.
LaROSE and SMITH, JJ., Concur.
Opinion subject to revision prior to official publication.
2