Case Name: W. James PICKETT, III, M.D., P.A.; and W. James Pickett, III, M.D., Appellants, v. TEQUESTA DEVELOPMENT COMPANY, et al., Appellees
Court: Florida District Court of Appeal
Jurisdiction: Florida
Decision Date: 1994-07-29
Citations: 639 So. 2d 1133
Docket Number: No. 93-2962
Parties: W. James PICKETT, III, M.D., P.A.; and W. James Pickett, III, M.D., Appellants, v. TEQUESTA DEVELOPMENT COMPANY, et al., Appellees.
Judges: HARRIS, C.J., and PETERSON and THOMPSON, JJ., concur.
Reporter: Southern Reporter, Second Series
Volume: 639
Pages: 1133–1134

Head Matter:
W. James PICKETT, III, M.D., P.A.; and W. James Pickett, III, M.D., Appellants, v. TEQUESTA DEVELOPMENT COMPANY, et al., Appellees.
No. 93-2962.
District Court of Appeal of Florida, Fifth District.
July 29, 1994.
T. Kevin Knight of Drage, de Beaubien, Knight, Simmons, Romano & Neal, Orlando, for appellants.
Jerry R. Linscott, Brenda H. Smith and Robert W. Thielhelm, Jr., of Baker & Hostet-ler, Orlando, for appellees.

Opinion:
PER CURIAM.
Appellants, plaintiffs below, appeal the award of costs and attorney's fees to appel-lees, defendants below. We reverse. The appellants' canse of action accrued prior .to the October 1, 1990 effective date of amendment to section 768.79, Florida Statutes. The pre-amendment version of that statute, providing for award of attorney's fees and costs against the plaintiff only where the plaintiff obtains a judgment against the defendants, applies to appellants. Buchanan v. Allstate Ins. Co., 629 So.2d 991 (Fla. 1st DCA 1993). Under the prior version of the statute a defendant may not obtain an award of fees if the judgment is of no liability. In the instant case, since a judgment of no liability was entered against appellants, and since the prior version of the statute applies, the award of fees and costs was improper.
We reverse the December 3, 1993 judgment assessing defendants' costs and attorney's fees against appellants.
REVERSED.
HARRIS, C.J., and PETERSON and THOMPSON, JJ., concur.