Case Name: Jean HUNT and Robert Hooper, Jr., Appellants, v. Mary Kaye HOOPER and Hooper Trust UTD March 15, 2002, Appellees
Court: Florida District Court of Appeal
Jurisdiction: Florida
Decision Date: 2008-12-12
Citations: 996 So. 2d 940
Docket Number: No. 2D07-3162
Parties: Jean HUNT and Robert Hooper, Jr., Appellants, v. Mary Kaye HOOPER and Hooper Trust UTD March 15, 2002, Appellees.
Judges: ALTENBERND, J., Concurs specially with opinion.
Reporter: Southern Reporter, Second Series
Volume: 996
Pages: 940–942

Head Matter:
Jean HUNT and Robert Hooper, Jr., Appellants, v. Mary Kaye HOOPER and Hooper Trust UTD March 15, 2002, Appellees.
No. 2D07-3162.
District Court of Appeal of Florida, Second District.
Dec. 12, 2008.
Kimberly L. Sharpe and Charles A. Sa-markos of Johnson, Pope, Bokor, Ruppel & Burns, LLP, Clearwater, for Appellants.
John E. Slaughter, Jr., and Theo J. Ka-raphillis, Clearwater, for Appellees.

Opinion:
STRINGER, Judge.
Jean Hunt and Robert Hooper, Jr. ("the Children"), seek review of the trial court's order dismissing their action alleging undue influence and breach of fiduciary duty against Mary Kaye Hooper ("the Trustee") individually and as trustee of the Hooper Trust. The trial court dismissed the action with prejudice pursuant to section 737.203, Florida Statutes (2006), which applies the concept of forum non conveniens to actions involving trusts. The trial court found that the more appropriate forum for litigation in this case is Canada. We reverse based on our determination that section 737.203 is inapplicable because the alternative forum is a foreign country, as opposed to a state.
The Children are the adult children of Robert F. Hooper, Sr. ("the Father") who was the cotrustee of the Hooper Trust until his death in 2005. In December 2006, the Children filed a three-count complaint against the Trustee and the Hooper Trust in Pinellas County, Florida. The complaint set forth claims for undue influence (count I), breach of fiduciary duty (count II), and for an accounting (count III). The Trustee filed a motion to dismiss all three counts of the complaint on several grounds, one of which was the application of section 737.203. The Trustee claimed that Canada was the more appropriate forum for the action.
At the hearing on the Trustee's motion to dismiss, the Children agreed not to proceed with their claim for an accounting as set forth in count III but defended against the motion to dismiss as it pertained to counts I and II. The trial court granted the motion to dismiss with prejudice, finding that dismissal was proper under section 737.203 because the Trustee was domiciled in Canada, the Father and the Trustee were married in Canada and maintained their primary residence there, the Trustee did not conduct any business in Florida, all trust administration occurred in Canada, the trust property was located in Canada, and none of the beneficiaries were located in Florida.
On appeal, the Children raise several arguments against the general application of section 737.203 in this case. We find merit in the Children's argument that section 737.203 does not apply because the alternative forum is a foreign country. Section 737.203 states:
Over the objection of a party, the court shall not entertain proceedings under s. 737.201 for a trust registered, or having its principal place of administration, in another state unless all interested parties could not be bound by litigation in the courts of the state where the trust is registered or has its principal place of administration. The court may condition a stay or dismissal of a proceeding under this section on the consent of any party to jurisdiction of the state where the trust is registered or has its principal place of business, or the court may grant a continuance or enter any other appropriate order.
Under the plain language of section 737.203, "the court shall not entertain proceedings under s. 737.201 for a trust registered, or having its principal place of administration, in another state." (Emphasis added.) There is no indication in the statute that it intends its reach to be broader than its plain language suggests, and we have found no cases applying section 737.203 to trusts whose principal place of administration is a foreign country. Furthermore, we have serious concerns regarding the ability of the courts in many foreign countries to apply Florida law in construing a dispute like the one in this case.
Because we conclude that section 737.203 is inapplicable to this case, we reverse the trial court's order dismissing the Children's action against the Trustee. We note that the Trustee raised a jurisdictional argument in her motion to dismiss that the court did not rule upon. The Trustee should not be prohibited from pursuing this argument on remand. We also note that the Trustee is not precluded from raising any objections to venue upon traditional forum non conveniens grounds on remand.
Reversed and remanded.
ALTENBERND, J., Concurs specially with opinion.
CASANUEVA, J., Concurs in result only.