Case Name: William G. LANGTON, David Mulligan and Paul Gillcrist, Appellants, v. Georgiann DE CENZO, as personal representative of the Estate of Phillip De Cenzo, deceased, Appellee
Court: Florida District Court of Appeal
Jurisdiction: Florida
Decision Date: 1991-12-31
Citations: 592 So. 2d 318
Docket Number: No. 90-1884
Parties: William G. LANGTON, David Mulligan and Paul Gillcrist, Appellants, v. Georgiann DE CENZO, as personal representative of the Estate of Phillip De Cenzo, deceased, Appellee.
Judges: Before SCHWARTZ, C.J., and LEVY and GERSTEN, JJ.
Reporter: Southern Reporter, Second Series
Volume: 592
Pages: 318–319

Head Matter:
William G. LANGTON, David Mulligan and Paul Gillcrist, Appellants, v. Georgiann DE CENZO, as personal representative of the Estate of Phillip De Cenzo, deceased, Appellee.
No. 90-1884.
District Court of Appeal of Florida, Third District.
Dec. 31, 1991.
Rehearing Denied Feb. 18, 1992.
Holland & Knight and Daniel S. Pearson and Amy D. Ronner, Miami, for appellants.
Howard D. Dillman; Leesfield & Blackburn, Hicks, Anderson & Blum and Mark Hicks and Ralph 0. Anderson, Miami, for appellee.
Robert A. Butterworth, Atty. Gen. and Craig B. Willis, Asst. Atty. Gen., for State of Fla.
McCormack & Siboni & Knoblock, Miami, for Lockheed Aircraft Corp.
Herzfeld and Rubin and Edward T. O’Donnell, Miami, for Product Liability Advisory Council, Inc., as amicus curiae.
Osborne, McNatt, Shaw, O’Hara Brown & Obringer and Jack W. Shaw, Jr., Jack sonville, for Florida Defense Lawyers Ass’n, as amicus curiae.
Roy D. Wasson, Miami, for Academy of Florida Trial Lawyers, as amicus curiae.
Before SCHWARTZ, C.J., and LEVY and GERSTEN, JJ.

Opinion:
PER CURIAM.
As a matter of law, the record is insufficient to establish that the present defendants-appellants, managing officers of the decedent's corporate employer, were guilty of "gross negligence" which was a cause of the death in question so as to render them liable, notwithstanding the workers' compensation immunity defense, under the version of section 440.11, Florida Statutes (1989) in effect at the time of the accident. Hoyt v. Corbett, 559 So.2d 98 (Fla. 4th DCA 1990), review denied, 569 So.2d 1278 (Fla.1990); Merryman v. Mattheus, 529 So.2d 727 (Fla. 2d DCA 1988); see Streeter v. Sullivan, 509 So.2d 268 (Fla.1987).
Accordingly, the defendants' motion for directed verdict should have been granted. The judgment below for the plaintiff is therefore reversed and the cause remanded with directions to enter judgment for the appellants. *
Reversed.