Case Name: MONROE COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT/BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS, Monroe County Florida and Gallagher Bassett Insurance Service, Appellants, v. Charles RUTH, Appellee
Court: Florida District Court of Appeal
Jurisdiction: Florida
Decision Date: 1982-12-21
Citations: 424 So. 2d 905
Docket Number: No. AM-332
Parties: MONROE COUNTY SHERIFF’S DEPARTMENT/BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS, Monroe County Florida and Gallagher Bassett Insurance Service, Appellants, v. Charles RUTH, Appellee.
Judges: WIGGINTON, J., concurs.
Reporter: Southern Reporter, Second Series
Volume: 424
Pages: 905–907

Head Matter:
MONROE COUNTY SHERIFF’S DEPARTMENT/BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS, Monroe County Florida and Gallagher Bassett Insurance Service, Appellants, v. Charles RUTH, Appellee.
No. AM-332.
District Court of Appeal of Florida, First District.
Dec. 21, 1982.
Rehearing Denied Jan. 26, 1983.
Joseph V. Niemoeller of Peters, Pickle, Flynn, Niemoeller, Stieglitz & Downs, Miami, for appellants.
Ramon Malea of Malea & Prager, P.A., Miami, for appellee.

Opinion:
MILLS, Judge.
In this appeal of a workers' compensation order, the deputy did not err in permitting claimant to pose a hypothetical question to a doctor.
The deputy did err in finding that claimant's attorney was entitled to a fee and reserving jurisdiction to set the amount of the fee only.
Claimant was injured in an accident occurring on 20 July 1980. The award of an attorney's fee is controlled by Section 440.-34(3)(a), (b), (c), Florida Statutes (1981).
Claimant did not contend in either his claim or prehearing stipulations or contentions that the employer/carrier denied com-pensability or were guilty of bad faith or that he sought medical benefits only. The deputy did not find in his order that the employer/carrier denied compensability or were guilty of bad faith or that claimant sought medical benefits only.
In the absence of a contention that one of the criteria is claimed [ (a), (b), or (c) ] and proof of its existence, the deputy has no authority to hold that an attorney's fee is due claimant.
Affirmed in part and reversed in part.
WIGGINTON, J., concurs.
ERVIN, J., concurs and dissents with opinion.