Case Name: FLIGHT EXPRESS, INC., Appellant, v. Dave ROBINSON and Brinson Air, Inc., Appellees
Court: Florida District Court of Appeal
Jurisdiction: Florida
Decision Date: 1999-07-14
Citations: 736 So. 2d 796
Docket Number: No. 98-2002
Parties: FLIGHT EXPRESS, INC., Appellant, v. Dave ROBINSON and Brinson Air, Inc., Appellees.
Judges: Before SCHWARTZ, C.J., and COPE and GREEN, JJ.
Reporter: Southern Reporter, Second Series
Volume: 736
Pages: 796–798

Head Matter:
FLIGHT EXPRESS, INC., Appellant, v. Dave ROBINSON and Brinson Air, Inc., Appellees.
No. 98-2002.
District Court of Appeal of Florida, Third District.
July 14, 1999.
Burd, Magathan, Lozano & Zaeherl and William G. Burd and John S. McPhee, Miami, for appellant.
Roland Gomez, Miami Lakes and John E. Korf, for appellees.
Before SCHWARTZ, C.J., and COPE and GREEN, JJ.

Opinion:
SCHWARTZ, Chief Judge.
On the main appeal, the summary judgment for the defendants Robinson and Brinson Air, Inc. is affirmed because of the manifest absence of the requisite causal relationship between the alleged breach of duty and the subsequent accident. See McCain v. Florida Power Corp., 598 So.2d 500 (Fla.1992); Pinkerton-Hays Lumber Co. Inc. v. Pope, 127 So.2d 441 (Fla.1961).
We find merit, however, in the cross-appeal, which challenges the refusal of the trial court to consider attorney's fees under section 768.79, Florida Statutes (1995) stemming from the plaintiffs failure to accept a $100.00 offer of settlement. The basis of the trial court's ruling was that the $100.00 offer was not divided as to the amounts to be contributed by each of the two defendants. This was error.
While there is good reason, based on the need to avoid further litigation over the distribution of the proceeds, to require a division of amounts to be paid to each of several offerees in a settlement proposal, see Bodek v. Gulliver Academy, Inc., 702 So.2d 1331 (Fla. 3d DCA 1997); McFarland & Son, Inc. v. Basel, 727 So.2d 266 (Fla. 5th DCA 1999), the amounts which each of several offerors contribute to the proposed settlement can make no difference to the offeree or otherwise affect its efficacy in any practical way. Thus, the lack of "apportionment" in the unaccepted offer should not, and we therefore hold that it does not, impair the ability of the defendants here to recover under section 768.79, Florida Statutes (1995). See generally, Cooper v. Brickell Bayview Real Estate, Inc., 711 So.2d 258 (Fla. 3d DCA 1998). On this basis, the order denying the application for fees under § 768.79 is vacated.
Since, as in Earnest & Stewart, Inc. v. Codina, 732 So.2d 364 (Fla. 3d DCA 1999)[24 FLW D388], the trial court did not rule on the validity of the offer in any other respect, including the threshold issue of whether it was made in good faith, see Fox v. McCaw Cellular Comm., — So.2d -, 1998 WL 870859 (Fla. 4th DCA Case No. 97-2052, opinion filed, December 9, 1998)[23 FLW D2687]; see also, Deltona House Rentals, Inc. v. Cloer, 734 So.2d 586 (Fla. 5th DCA 1999)[24 FLW D1420], the case is remanded for the trial court to make these determinations and for other appropriate proceedings.
Affirmed in part, reversed in part, and remanded.
GREEN, J., concurs.
. While revised Florida Rule of Civil Procedure 1.442(c)(3) now provides
[a] proposal may be made by or to any party or parties and by or to any combination of parties properly identified in the proposal. A joint proposal shall state the amount and terms attributable to each party, [e.s.]
the committee notes to the emphasized 1996 amendment state that the provision was enacted "to conform with Fabre v. Marin, 623 So.2d 1182 (Fla.1993)" which deals with dividing the exposure of various parties based on their respective percentages of fault. The amended rule is thus designed to obviate future conflicts as to the effect of an offer upon defendants-offerees. See Bodek, 702 So.2d at 1331. Considered in this light, the failure to follow the rule as to offerors must be considered merely a harmless technical violation which did not affect the rights of the parties. See Dines v. Florida Unemployment Appeals Comm'n, 730 So.2d 378 (Fla. 3d DCA 1999).