Case Name: NATIONAL GYPSUM CO., Petitioner, v. TRAVELERS INDEMNITY CO., Respondent
Court: Florida Supreme Court
Jurisdiction: Florida
Decision Date: 1982-07-08
Citations: 417 So. 2d 254
Docket Number: No. 60520
Parties: NATIONAL GYPSUM CO., Petitioner, v. TRAVELERS INDEMNITY CO., Respondent.
Judges: ALDERMAN, C. J., and BOYD and OVERTON, JJ., concur.
Reporter: Southern Reporter, Second Series
Volume: 417
Pages: 254–256

Head Matter:
NATIONAL GYPSUM CO., Petitioner, v. TRAVELERS INDEMNITY CO., Respondent.
No. 60520.
Supreme Court of Florida.
July 8, 1982.
J. Robert Olian of Britton, Cohen, Kaufman, Benson & Sehantz, Miami, for petitioner.
Richard C. Milstein of August, Pohlig & Milstein, Miami, and Lionel M. Spring of Deutsch & Spring, New York City, for respondent.
Joseph C. Jacobs and Thomas M. Ervin, Jr. of Ervin, Yarn, Jacobs, Odom & Kitchen, Tallahassee, for American Ins. Ass’n, amicus curiae.

Opinion:
McDONALD, Justice.
We have for review Travelers Indemnity Co. v. National Gypsum Co., 394 So.2d 481 (Fla. 3d DCA 1981), which conflicts with Maule Industries, Inc. v. Gaines Construction Co., 157 So.2d 835 (Fla. 2d DCA 1963). We have jurisdiction and approve the result reached in Travelers.
Caminos y Estructuras, C. A., a South American company, contracted with Pavari-ni Construction Company of Puerto Rico to build a hotel and casino on Aruba, Netherlands Antilles. To protect the owner from claims, Pavarini purchased ajabor .and. material bond from. Travelers. Pavarini subcontracted for the drywall, plastering, and masonry work with Goodnow Company of Florida, Inc.
Goodnow purchased some of its supplies from National Gypsum Company on credit and paid its account month-by-month after receiving payment for completed work from Pavarini. A dispute arose between Pavari-ni and Goodnow, however, which resulted in Pavarini's refusal to make more payments to Goodnow and, eventually, in Goodnow's being thrown off the job. During this time, Goodnow failed to pay National Gypsum.
National Gv.psum sued. Goodnow for materials delivered butjiot paid for and then, a monthlater^amended its^compíalnt to Travelers~asa secondjiefendant. Gopdnow had gone out of business, and National Gypsum oE55ned-a-defauIL_judgment against' that company. The trial court granted a summary judgment against Travelers and awarded National Gypsum $105,565.00. Travelers appealed, and the district court reversed, finding that National Gypsum had failed to give written notice of the claim within 90 days of the last delivery, as required by Pavarini's bond with Travelers, to any two of (1) the owner (Caminos y Es-tructuras), (2) the principal (Pavarini), or (3) the surety (Travelers).
Writing for the majority, Judge Nesbitt articulated a broad rule that failure to comply with a condition precedent, in this ease notice, precludes recovery against a surety. Judge Hendry, in dissent, disagreed with the majority's basic holding and expressed his concern over the instant ease's impact on the general rule that an insurance carrier may absolve itself of a contractual duty only to the extent that a breach of contractual terms causes demonstrable injury to the carrier. In a special concurrence Judge Schwartz agreed with the result, but stated that he would confine the holding to only would-be beneficiaries of performance and payment bonds on building and construction contracts. We find that Judge Schwartz's special concurrence sets out the proper rule which best preserves the rights and expectations of the parties.
Both National Gypsum and Travelers rely on insurance cases dealing with prejudice to insurers to support their respective positions. We do not find those cases to be on point with the instant situation. When notice of a possible claim is not given to an insurance company, prejudice is presumed, but recovery is not pr5cIMed~tf the insured can demonstrate lack of_act.ual prejudice. H. S. Equities, Inc. v. Hartford Accident & Indemnity Co., 334 So.2d 573 (Fla.1976); Tiedtke v. Fidelity & Casualty Co., 222 So.2d 206 (Fla.1969). Cf. Brakeman v. Potomac Insurance Co., 472 Pa. 66, 371 A.2d 193 (1977) (insurer must show prejudice).
In Brakeman the Pennsylvania Supreme Court articulated several reasons for allowing recovery against an insurer despite lack of proper notice: insurance contracts are not truly consensual; they involve forfeitures; and allowing recovery is the more equitable course of action and furthers the reasonable expectations of those who purchase insurance. Id. at 76-77, 371 A.2d at 198. The same concerns are not present in the instant case. Pavarini secured the bond for the benefit of the owner; protecting materialmen, such as National Gypsum, was not the main purpose. Additionally, the construction industry is well aware of the necessity of giving timely notice, and the notice provision here appears to be fairly standard throughout the industry.
Courts are not authorized to rewrite contracts. Home Development Co. v. Bursani, 178 So.2d 113 (Fla.1965). This, however, is essentially what the trial court did. As Judge Schwartz pointed out, National Gypsum is, at best, merely a donee third-party beneficiary of the instant bond. We see no reason to allow National Gypsum to enjoy the benefits of the bond without bearing its burdens as well.
Finding that the special concurrence sets out the better rule, we approve the result reached by the third district court. Maulé Industries is disapproved to the extent of conflict with this opinion.
It is so ordered.
ALDERMAN, C. J., and BOYD and OVERTON, JJ., concur.
SUNDBERG, J., dissents with an opinion, in which ADKINS, J., concurs.
Art. V, § 3(b)(3), Fla.Const.