Case Name: Herbert SEPNER, Trustee, Appellant, v. VILLAGE OF ROYAL PALM BEACH, a political subdivision of the State of Florida, Milfred Meyer, individually, and Barney Ditkoff, individually, Appellees
Court: Florida District Court of Appeal
Jurisdiction: Florida
Decision Date: 1984-01-25
Citations: 444 So. 2d 68
Docket Number: No. 82-2094
Parties: Herbert SEPNER, Trustee, Appellant, v. VILLAGE OF ROYAL PALM BEACH, a political subdivision of the State of Florida, Milfred Meyer, individually, and Barney Ditkoff, individually, Appellees.
Judges: GLICKSTEIN and WALDEN, JJ., concur.
Reporter: Southern Reporter, Second Series
Volume: 444
Pages: 68–69

Head Matter:
Herbert SEPNER, Trustee, Appellant, v. VILLAGE OF ROYAL PALM BEACH, a political subdivision of the State of Florida, Milfred Meyer, individually, and Barney Ditkoff, individually, Appellees.
No. 82-2094.
District Court of Appeal of Florida, Fourth District.
Jan. 25, 1984.
Richard L. Martens of Boose, Ciklin & Martens, West Palm Beach, for appellant.
Herbert P. Benn of Blank & Benn, West Palm Beach, for appellee Village of Royal Palm Beach.

Opinion:
LETTS, Judge.
We reverse this cause on the authority of Whitten v. Progressive Casualty Insurance Co., 410 So.2d 501 (Fla.1982) wherein our Supreme Court noted that entitlement to attorney's fees under Section 57.105, Florida Statutes (1979) must spring from a "complete absence of a justiciable issue of either law or fact raised by the losing party." (Id. 505) Here, we are not presented with a case involving both a complete absence of law or fact, but one with a question of standing as to this particular litigant. We note that standing was one of the problems presented in Whitten, supra and there can be no doubt but that there was originally a justiciable controversy as to this appellant's standing. As Whitten, supra, noted, "not every party that prevails in a motion . to dismiss for failure to state a cause of action . is automatically entitled to attorney's fees under Section 57.105." Id. 505-506. Moreover, we cannot conclude that this cause was a sham.
REVERSED AND REMANDED.
GLICKSTEIN and WALDEN, JJ., concur.