Case Name: Abraham WEINSTEIN a/k/a Abe Weinstein and Chava Weinstein, Appellant, v. Yoram AISENBERG, Appellee
Court: Florida District Court of Appeal
Jurisdiction: Florida
Decision Date: 2000-03-09
Citations: 758 So. 2d 705
Docket Number: No. 4D99-0279
Parties: Abraham WEINSTEIN a/k/a Abe Weinstein and Chava Weinstein, Appellant, v. Yoram AISENBERG, Appellee.
Judges: KLEIN and TAYLOR, JJ., concur.
Reporter: Southern Reporter, Second Series
Volume: 758
Pages: 705–712

Head Matter:
Abraham WEINSTEIN a/k/a Abe Weinstein and Chava Weinstein, Appellant, v. Yoram AISENBERG, Appellee.
No. 4D99-0279.
District Court of Appeal of Florida, Fourth District.
March 9, 2000.
Louise H. McMurray, Miami, and Stephens, Lynn, Klein & McNicholas, P.A., Fort Lauderdale, for appellant.
Victor K. Rones of Margulies and Rones, P.A., North Miami, and Kris E. Penzell, Miami, for appellee.

Opinion:
PER CURIAM.
Appellants, Abraham and Chava Wein-stein, appeal a non-final order temporarily enjoining their withdrawal of funds at two nonparty banks. The injunction was entered soon after the appellee, Yoram Ai-senberg, filed a verified complaint against the Weinsteins for conversion, injunctive relief, and unjust enrichment. We reverse.
Appellant, Abraham Weinstein, and ap-pellee, Yoram Aisenberg, are business partners and shareholders in a foreign corporation known as "Nitro Plastic Technologies Ltd." The corporation maintained a bank account at the Union Bank of Israel, on which both Weinstein and Aisenberg were authorized signers. Aisenberg filed a verified complaint against Weinstein and his wife, Chava, alleging that the Wein-steins withdrew $760,000 from the corporate account without Aisenberg's authorization by forging Aisenberg's signature on the withdrawal authorization form. Aisen-berg further alleged that Chava Weinstein deposited the money in newly-opened bank accounts at Nationsbank, N.A. and Washington Mutual Bank. The lower court entered an ex parte injunction prohibiting the two banks from allowing withdrawal of those monies. The Weinsteins appeal the injunction, arguing that the complaint failed to state a cause of action for injunc-tive relief in that it did not set forth a showing of irreparable harm, a clear legal right, an inadequate remedy at law, or that an injunction would serve the public interest. Additionally, appellants contend that the order imposing the injunction failed to comply with the requirements of Florida Rule of Civil Procedure 1.610 in that it did not make the necessary findings to support an order imposing an injunction and was not endorsed with the date and time it was granted.
An order granting injunctive relief lies within the sound discretion of the trial court and will be affirmed absent an abuse of discretion. Precision Tune Auto Care, Inc. v. Radcliff, 731 So.2d 744 (Fla. 4th DCA 1999); Browning-Ferris Indus, of Florida, Inc., v. Manzella, 694 So.2d 110, 112 (Fla. 4th DCA 1997). A party seeking temporary injunctive relief must demonstrate: (l)irreparable harm; (2) a clear legal right; (3) an inadequate remedy at law; and (4) that the public interest will be served. Oxford Int'l Bank and Trust, Ltd. v. Merrill, Lynch, etc., 374 So.2d 54 (Fla. 3d DCA 1979); Islandia Condominium, Inc. v. Vermut, 438 So.2d 89 (Fla. 4th DCA 1983); Contemporary Interiors v. Four Marks, Inc., 384 So.2d 734 (Fla. 4th DCA 1980). We agree with appellants that the appellee failed to meet the requirements for issuance of a temporary injunction to prevent them from withdrawing funds from the subject banks. The appellee has an adequate remedy at law, i.e., money damages. A claim for money damages does not provide a sufficient basis for injunctive relief. Hiles v. Auto Bahn Fed'n Inc., 498 So.2d 997 (Fla. 4th DCA 1986). Even where the party seeking injunctive relief alleges that the opposing party may dissipate bank assets, a judgment for money damages is adequate and injunctive relief is improper, notwithstanding the possibility that a money judgment will be uncollectible. Id. at 999.
In Lopez-Ortiz v. Centrust Sav. Bank, 546 So.2d 1126 (Fla. 3d DCA 1989), the trial court granted an ex parte injunction upon the filing by Centrust Bank of a one-count complaint alleging that Ortiz had converted funds while employed by the bank. On appeal, the court reversed the injunction freezing Ortiz's bank account and safe deposit box, because the bank had an adequate remedy at law — money damages for conversion. "An action at law does not become an equitable action simply because a request for an injunction has been made." Id. at 1127. Similarly, in Digaeteno v. Perotti, 374 So.2d 1015 (Fla. 3d DCA 1979), which was followed by this court in Cannon v. Danziger, 454 So.2d 59 (Fla. 4th DCA 1984), the court held that the trial court erred in enjoining the defendants in a suit for conversion and fraud from removing assets, since the plaintiffs had an adequate remedy at law in the form of money damages.
The order granting the temporary injunction must be reversed because the complaint failed to show lack of an- adequate remedy at law justifying issuance of an injunction. We need not, therefore, determine whether the order complied with Rule 1.610. We agree, however, with Judge Gross' concurring opinion concerning the "no adequate remedy at law" requirement for temporary injunctions in cases like this one. Accordingly, we certify the following question to the Florida Supreme Court as one of great public importance:
INCIDENT TO AN ACTION FOR CONVERSION, MAY A TRIAL COURT ISSUE AN INJUNCTION TO FREEZE ASSETS OF A DEFENDANT, WHERE THE PLAINTIFF HAS DEMONSTRATED: (1) THAT THE DEFENDANT WILL TRANSFER, DISSIPATE, OR HIDE HIS/ HER ASSETS SO AS TO RENDER A TRIAL JUDGMENT UNENFORCEABLE; (2) A CLEAR LEGAL RIGHT TO THE RELIEF REQUESTED; (3) A SUBSTANTIAL LIKELIHOOD OF SUCCESS ON THE MERITS, AND (4) THAT A TEMPORARY INJUNCTION WILL SERVE THE PUBLIC INTEREST?
REVERSED.
KLEIN and TAYLOR, JJ., concur.
GROSS, J., concurs specially with opinion.