Case Name: Francois LAZARE, Appellant, v. Jack J. WEISS and Carolyn Weiss, Appellees
Court: Florida District Court of Appeal
Jurisdiction: Florida
Decision Date: 1983-09-13
Citations: 437 So. 2d 211
Docket Number: No. 83-308
Parties: Francois LAZARE, Appellant, v. Jack J. WEISS and Carolyn Weiss, Appellees.
Judges: Before SCHWARTZ, C.J., and DANIEL S. PEARSON and JORGENSON, JJ.
Reporter: Southern Reporter, Second Series
Volume: 437
Pages: 211–212

Head Matter:
Francois LAZARE, Appellant, v. Jack J. WEISS and Carolyn Weiss, Appellees.
No. 83-308.
District Court of Appeal of Florida, Third District.
Sept. 13, 1983.
Kenneth J. Duckworth, Miami, for appellant.
Alan J. Kluger, Miami, for appellees.
Before SCHWARTZ, C.J., and DANIEL S. PEARSON and JORGENSON, JJ.

Opinion:
PER CURIAM.
The extreme sanction of striking a defendant's answer and entering a default against him, to be imposed only in instances of the most egregious and willful misconduct, see Luca v. Largo Diversified, Inc., 396 So.2d 1228 (Fla. 2d DCA 1981); Zayres Department Stores v. Fingerhut, 383 So.2d 262 (Fla. 3d DCA 1980); Owens-Illinois, Inc. v. Lewis, 260 So.2d 221 (Fla. 1st DCA 1972), could not be imposed, as it was below, without first having afforded the defendant an opportunity to be heard on the issue of whether his failure to appear at his scheduled depositions was willful. See Kuechenberg v. Creative Interiors, Inc., 424 So.2d 145 (Fla. 4th DCA 1982); Holm v. Sun Bank/Broward, N.A., 423 So.2d 1007 (Fla. 4th DCA 1982); Owens-Illinois, Inc. v. Lewis, 260 So.2d 221. Accordingly, the judgment under review is reversed and the cause remanded for the purpose of conducting an evidentiary hearing on this issue after notice to Lazare. Should the trial court thereafter find that Lazare's failure to submit to deposition was willful, it is authorized to reinstate its order striking the answer and entering default and reinstate the judgment entered.
Reversed and remanded with directions.