Case Name: Keith MILLER and Gretchen Miller, Appellants, v. The BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON, etc., Appellee
Court: Florida District Court of Appeal
Jurisdiction: Florida
Decision Date: 2014-11-05
Citations: 149 So. 3d 1198
Docket Number: No. 4D13-3576
Parties: Keith MILLER and Gretchen Miller, Appellants, v. The BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON, etc., Appellee.
Judges: GERBER, LEVINE and KLINGENSMITH, JJ., concur.
Reporter: Southern Reporter, Third Series
Volume: 149
Pages: 1198–1199

Head Matter:
Keith MILLER and Gretchen Miller, Appellants, v. The BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON, etc., Appellee.
No. 4D13-3576.
District Court of Appeal of Florida, Fourth District.
Nov. 5, 2014.
Jeffrey Begens of Law Offices of Jeffrey Begens, P.A., Palm Beach Gardens, for appellants.
Jason F. Joseph of Gladstone Law Group, P.A., Boca Raton, for appellee.

Opinion:
PER CURIAM.
Keith and Gretchen Miller appeal a final judgment of foreclosure awarding attorney's fees to the Bank of New York Mellon. We reverse because the attorney's fees award was not supported by expert testimony. See Diwakar v. Montecito Palm Beach Condo. Ass'n, 143 So.3d 958, 960 (Fla. 4th DCA 2014) ("An award of attorney's fees must be supported by expert evidence.") (citation omitted). Testimony from only the lawyer claiming the fees is "clearly inadequate." Mullane v. Lorenz, 372 So.2d 168, 168 (Fla. 4th DCA 1979). Although "[w]e have . previously questioned the judicially-created requirement of independent expert witness testimony in establishing the reasonableness of attorney's fees," "it remains etched in our case law." Robin Roshkind, P.A. v. Machiela, 45 So.3d 480, 481 (Fla. 4th DCA 2010). See also Sea World of Fla., Inc. v. Ace Am. Ins. Cos., 28 So.3d 158, 160 (Fla. 5th DCA 2010); Palmetto Fed. Sav. & Loan Ass'n v. Day, 512 So.2d 332 (Fla. 3d DCA 1987). Accordingly, we reverse the attorney's fees award and remand for a further hearing. See Mullane, 372 So.2d at 168; Palmetto, 512 So.3d at 332-33. We affirm the other issues raised without discussion.
Affirmed in part, reversed in part, and remanded.
GERBER, LEVINE and KLINGENSMITH, JJ., concur.