Case Name: Harvey BURTON d/b/a Investment Funding Associates, Appellant, v. Mark A. SALZBERG, Aragon, Martin, Burlington, Weil & Crockett, P.A., Clasca Enterprises, Inc., Joint venturer, and Bayshore Credit Corp., Joint venturer d/b/a/ Sunday Bay, a Florida joint venturer, Mario Rodriguez, and Peter Clasca, Appellees
Court: Florida District Court of Appeal
Jurisdiction: Florida
Decision Date: 1999-02-10
Citations: 725 So. 2d 450
Docket Number: No. 98-1317
Parties: Harvey BURTON d/b/a Investment Funding Associates, Appellant, v. Mark A. SALZBERG, Aragon, Martin, Burlington, Weil & Crockett, P.A., Clasca Enterprises, Inc., Joint venturer, and Bayshore Credit Corp., Joint venturer d/b/a/ Sunday Bay, a Florida joint venturer, Mario Rodriguez, and Peter Clasca, Appellees.
Judges: Before NESBITT, COPE and LEVY, JJ.
Reporter: Southern Reporter, Second Series
Volume: 725
Pages: 450–451

Head Matter:
Harvey BURTON d/b/a Investment Funding Associates, Appellant, v. Mark A. SALZBERG, Aragon, Martin, Burlington, Weil & Crockett, P.A., Clasca Enterprises, Inc., Joint venturer, and Bayshore Credit Corp., Joint venturer d/b/a/ Sunday Bay, a Florida joint venturer, Mario Rodriguez, and Peter Clasca, Appellees.
No. 98-1317
District Court of Appeal of Florida, Third District.
Feb. 10, 1999.
Stanley J. Bartel, Miami, for appellant.
Stephens, Lynn, Klein & McNicholas, and Philip D. Parrish, Miami, for appellees.
Before NESBITT, COPE and LEVY, JJ.

Opinion:
PER CURIAM.
Affirmed. Defamatory statements made in the course of judicial proceedings are accorded absolute privilege. The privilege arises upon the doing of any act necessarily preliminary to judicial proceedings. See Levin, Middlebrooks, Mabie, Thomas, Mayes & Mitchell v. United States Fire Ins. Co., 639 So.2d 606, 607 (Fla.1994); Ponzoli & Wassenberg, P.A. v. Zuckerman, 545 So.2d 309, 309-10 (Fla. 3d DCA 1989); Sussman v. Damian, 355 So.2d 809, 811 (Fla. 3d DCA 1977); 19 Fla. Jur.2d Defamation & Privacy § 66 (1980). We agree with the trial judge that the written statement here was made as part of existing litigation between these parties.