Case ID: so2d_475/html/0258-01.html
Source: Caselaw Access Project
Author: {"author": "RYDER, Chief Judge.", "license": "Public Domain", "url": "https://static.case.law/"}
Date Created: 2024-08-24T03:29:51.129683

ST. REGIS PAPER COMPANY, a New York corporation, d/b/a St. Regis, d/b/a Southern Culvert, Appellant, v. Clifton D. WILLIAMS, Individually, Appellee.
    No. 85-41.
    District Court of Appeal of Florida, Second District.
    Aug. 9, 1985.
    Rehearing Denied Sept. 16, 1985.
    
      V. James Dickson and Randee Carson of Jacobs, Robbins, Gaynor, Burton, Hampp, Burns, Bronstein & Shasteen, P.A., St. Pe-tersburg, for appellant.
    H. Eugene Johnson, Tampa, for appellee.
   RYDER, Chief Judge.

St. Regis appeals a trial court’s order which granted Williams’ motion for summary final judgment and motion for attorney’s fees under section 57.105, Florida Statutes (1983). We affirm the portion of the order which granted summary judgment, but reverse the award of attorney’s fees.

Under section 57.105, an award of attorney’s fees is proper only where the action is so clearly devoid of merit both in law and fact as to be completely untenable. Wall v. Department of Transportation, 455 So.2d 1138 (Fla. 2d DCA 1984). In this case, appellant’s claim initially had merit and, therefore, was not devoid of arguable substance. Because appellant’s complaint was not frivolous, we must reverse the award of attorney’s fees to the appellee. But see Klein v. Layne, Inc. of Florida, 453 So.2d 203 (Fla. 4th DCA 1984).

LEHAN and HALL, JJ., concur.