Title: Standard Jury Instructions - Civil
Citation: N/A
Docket Number: SC03-1541
State: Florida
Issuer: Florida Supreme Court
Date: February 26, 2004

Supreme 
Court 
of 
Florida
____________
No. SC03-1541
____________
STANDARD JURY INSTRUCTIONS–CIVIL CASES (NO. 03-02).
[February 19, 2004]
CORRECTED OPINION
PER CURIAM.
The Supreme Court Committee on Standard Jury Instructions in Civil Cases
(Committee) petitions this Court to consider amendments to the Florida Standard
Jury Instructions in Civil Cases.  We have jurisdiction.  See art. V, § 2(a), Fla.
Const.
On August 29, 2003, the Committee filed a Supplemental Report (No. 03-
02), proposing changes to current civil jury instruction PD Punitive Damages. 
Prior to submitting this report to the Court, the Committee published its proposal
in the June 1, 2003 edition of The Florida Bar News.  The Committee received and
considered one comment prior to submitting its proposal to the Court.
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The proposed revision is intended to address a deficiency in the current
punitive damages instruction noted by the Fourth District Court of Appeal in
Wransky v. Dalfo, 801 So. 2d 239 (Fla. 4th DCA 2001).  The following sentence
is added to the instruction where appropriate: "[However, you may not award an
amount that would financially destroy (defendant).]"  Additionally, the Committee
has proposed an accompanying note on use and several other minor revisions to
this instruction.      
Upon consideration of the Committee's report, we hereby authorize the
publication and use of the revised instruction as set forth in the appendix attached
to this opinion.  In doing so, we express no opinion on the correctness of the
instruction and remind all interested parties that this authorization forecloses
neither requesting additional or alternative instructions nor contesting the legal
correctness of the instruction.  We further caution all interested parties that the
notes and comments associated with the instruction reflect only the opinion of the
Committee and are not necessarily indicative of the views of this Court as to their
correctness or applicability.  The instruction as set forth in the appendix shall be
effective when this opinion becomes final.  New language is indicated by
underlining, and deletions are indicated by struck-through type.
It is so ordered.
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ANSTEAD, C.J., and WELLS, PARIENTE, LEWIS, QUINCE, CANTERO, and
BELL, JJ., concur.
NOT FINAL UNTIL TIME EXPIRES TO FILE REHEARING MOTION, AND
IF FILED, DETERMINED.
Original Proceeding - Standard Jury Instructions (Civil)
Honorable Chris W. Altenbernd, Chair, Supreme Court Committee on Standard
Jury Instructions (Civil), Second District Court of Appeal, Tampa, Florida; and
Tracy Raffles Gunn, Chair, Supreme Court Reporting Committee, of Fowler,
White, Boggs, Banker, P.A., Tampa, Florida,
for Petitioner
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PD
PUNITIVE DAMAGES
PD 1 Punitive Damages — Bifurcated Procedure:
a.
First stage of bifurcated punitive damages procedure:
[Text omitted — no changes to PD 1a are proposed] 
b.
Second stage of bifurcated punitive damage procedure:
(1)
Opening instruction second stage:
The parties may now present additional evidence related to whether
punitive damages should be assessed and, if so, in what amount. You should
consider this additional evidence along with the evidence already presented,
and you should decide any disputed factual issues by the greater weight of the
evidence.
(2)
Punitive damages — determination of amount:
(a)
Causes of action arising prior to October 1, 1999
You will now determine the amount of punitive damages, if any, to be
assessed as punishment and as a deterrent to others. This amount would be in
addition to the compensatory damages you have previously awarded. In
making this determination, you should consider the following:
(1)
the nature, extent and degree of misconduct and the related
circumstances; [and]
[(2)
[the] [each] defendant's financial resources; and]*
*Refer to Note on Use 4
[(3)
(identify any other circumstance which that the jury may affect
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consider in determining the amount of punitive damages.)]*
*Refer to Note on Use 4 10
[However, you may not award an amount that would financially
destroy (defendant).]*
*Refer to Note on Use 11
You may in your discretion decline to assess punitive damages. [You
may assess punitive damages against one defendant and not the other[s] or
against more than one defendant. Punitive damages may be assessed against
different defendants in different amounts.]
(b)
Causes of action arising on or after October 1, 1999
You will now determine the amount of punitive damages, if any, to be
assessed as punishment and as a deterrent to others. This amount would be in
addition to the compensatory damages you have previously awarded. In
making this determination, you should consider the following:
(1)
the nature, extent and degree of misconduct and the related
circumstances, including the following:
!
whether the wrongful conduct was motivated solely
by unreasonable financial gain;
!
whether the unreasonably dangerous nature of the
conduct, together with the high likelihood of injury
resulting from the conduct, was actually known by
[defendant] [the managing agent, director, officer, or
other person responsible for making policy decisions on
behalf of the defendant];
!
whether, at the time of [loss] [injury] [or] [damage],
[defendant] [the managing agent, director, officer, or
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other person responsible for making policy decisions on
behalf of the defendant] had a specific intent to harm
(claimant) and the conduct of [defendant] [the
managing agent, director, officer, or other person
responsible for making policy decisions on behalf of the
defendant] did in fact harm (claimant), [and]
[(2)
[the] [each] defendant's financial resources; and]*
*Refer to Note on Use 4
[(3)
(identify any other circumstance which that the jury may affect
consider in determining the amount of punitive damages.)]*
*Refer to Note on Use 4 10
[However, you may not award an amount that would financially
destroy (defendant).]*
*Refer to Note on Use 11
You may in your discretion decline to assess punitive damages. [You
may assess punitive damages against one defendant and not the other[s] or
against more than one defendant. Punitive damages may be assessed against
different defendants in different amounts.]
(3)
Closing instruction second stage:
Your verdict on the issues raised by the punitive damages claim of
(claimant) against (defendant) must be based on the evidence that has been
received during the trial of the first phase of this case and on the evidence
that has been received in these proceedings and the law on which I have
instructed you. In reaching your verdict, you are not to be swayed from the
performance of your duty by prejudice or sympathy for or against any party.
Your verdict must be unanimous, that is, your verdict must be agreed
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to by each of you.
You will be given a form of verdict, which I shall now read to you:
When you have agreed on your verdict, the foreman or forewoman,
acting for the jury, should date and sign the verdict. You may now retire to
consider your verdict.