Case Name: Charles FISHMAN and Isabelle Fishman, Petitioners, v. Edward W. EASTON, Trustee, Respondent
Court: Florida District Court of Appeal
Jurisdiction: Florida
Decision Date: 1985-09-25
Citations: 475 So. 2d 1019
Docket Number: 85-1372
Parties: Charles FISHMAN and Isabelle Fishman, Petitioners, v. Edward W. EASTON, Trustee, Respondent.
Judges: HERSEY, C.J., and ANSTEAD and WALDEN, JJ., concur.
Reporter: Southern Reporter, Second Series
Volume: 475
Pages: 1019–1019

Head Matter:
Charles FISHMAN and Isabelle Fishman, Petitioners, v. Edward W. EASTON, Trustee, Respondent.
85-1372.
District Court of Appeal of Florida, Fourth District.
Sept. 25, 1985.
Julius W. Cohn of Cerrato, Sweeney, Cohn, Stahl & Vaccaro, Boca Raton, for petitioners.
William P. Thomas of Pomeroy, Betts & Pomeroy, Fort Lauderdale, for respondent.

Opinion:
PER CURIAM.
We treat this appeal as a petition for writ of certiorari, grant the petition, and quash the order of abatement entered by the trial court. In our view the petitioners are entitled to proceed against the trustee-owner, respondent herein, in this tort action without necessarily joining the individual beneficiaries of the trust for whom the trustee holds title. Cf. Grammer v. Roman, 174 So.2d 443 (Fla. 2d DCA 1965). We also believe the trial court erred in refusing to permit discovery of the identity of the beneficiaries. In this instance, by refusing to allow the petitioners to discover the identity of the beneficiaries from the trustee, and yet barring prosecution of the action without joinder of those beneficiaries, the trial court placed the petitioners in an impossible situation.
HERSEY, C.J., and ANSTEAD and WALDEN, JJ., concur.