Title: In Re: Standard Jury Instructions in Civil Cases
Citation: N/A
Docket Number: SC18-1875
State: Florida
Issuer: Florida Supreme Court
Date: December 20, 2018

Supreme Court of Florida 
 
 
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No. SC18-1875 
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IN RE:  STANDARD JURY INSTRUCTIONS IN CIVIL CASES— 
REPORT NO. 18-03. 
 
December 20, 2018 
 
PER CURIAM. 
 
The Supreme Court Committee on Standard Jury Instructions in Civil Cases 
(Committee) has submitted proposed changes to the standard jury instructions and 
asks that the Court authorize the instructions for publication and use.  We have 
jurisdiction.  See art. V, § 2(a), Fla. Const. 
 
The Committee, following study and drafting by a subcommittee, and upon 
its own further consideration and refinement, has proposed a new set of civil jury 
instructions that cover the substantive cause of action for negligent infliction of 
emotional distress.  Specifically, the following new instructions under new Section 
420, Negligent Infliction of Emotional Distress, are proposed:  420.1 
(Introduction); 420.2 (Summary of Claims); 420.3 (Greater Weight of the 
Evidence); 420.4 (Negligence); 420.5 (Legal Cause); 420.6 (Issues on Claim); and 
 
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420.7 (Burden of Proof on Claim).  Prior to filing its report with the Court, the 
Committee published for comment its proposals in The Florida Bar News.  One 
comment was received by the Committee, which resulted in additional notes on use 
to the instructions.  The Court did not publish the Committee’s proposals. 
The negligent infliction of emotional distress instructions are in a format and 
style consistent with that approved by the Court in 2010 when the Court authorized 
for publication and use the reorganization of the civil jury instructions.  See In re 
Std. Jury Instr. in Civil Cases—Report No. 09–01 (Reorganization of Civil Jury 
Instructions), 35 So. 3d 666 (Fla. 2010).  In fact, the new instructions are either 
identical to, or largely patterned after, many of the counterpart substantive civil 
instructions under Section 400.  Having considered the Committee’s report, the 
comment submitted to the Committee, and the Committee’s response to the 
comment, we authorize the new civil jury instructions for publication and use as 
set forth in the appendix to this opinion.1  New language is indicated by 
underlining.  In authorizing the publication and use of these instructions, we 
express no opinion on their correctness and remind all interested parties that this 
authorization forecloses neither requesting additional or alternative instructions nor 
contesting the legal correctness of the instructions.  We further caution all 
                                          
 
 
1.  Minor editorial or technical changes to the proposed instructions or notes 
on use are not elaborated upon. 
 
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interested parties that any notes on use associated with the instructions 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 instructions as set forth in the 
appendix shall become effective when this opinion becomes final. 
 
It is so ordered. 
CANADY, C.J., and PARIENTE, LEWIS, QUINCE, POLSTON, LABARGA, 
and LAWSON, JJ., concur. 
 
ANY MOTION FOR REHEARING OR CLARIFICATION MUST BE FILED 
ON OR BEFORE DECEMBER 27, 2018.  A RESPONSE TO THE MOTION 
FOR REHEARING/CLARIFICATION MAY BE FILED ON OR BEFORE 
JANUARY 2, 2019.  NOT FINAL UNTIL THIS TIME PERIOD EXPIRES TO 
FILE A REHEARING/CLARIFICATION MOTION AND, IF FILED, 
DETERMINED. 
 
Original Proceeding – Supreme Court Committee on Standard Jury Instructions in 
Civil Cases 
 
Laura K. Whitmore, Chair, Tampa, Florida, Jeffrey Alan Cohen, Vice Chair and 
Subcommittee Chair, Miami, Florida, and Honorable Stephanie W. Ray, Member, 
Supreme Court Committee on Standard Jury Instructions in Civil Cases, 
Tallahassee, Florida; and Joshua E. Doyle, Executive Director, and Heather Savage 
Telfer, Bar Liaison, The Florida Bar, Tallahassee, Florida,  
 
 
for Petitioner 
 
 
 
 
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APPENDIX 
SECTION 420 — NEGLIGENT INFLICTION OF EMOTIONAL DISTRESS  
420.1 Introduction 
420.2 Summary of Claims 
420.3 Greater Weight of the Evidence 
420.4 Negligence 
420.5 Legal Cause 
420.6 Issues on Claim 
420.7 Burden of Proof on Claim 
Note on Use 
The tort of “negligent infliction of emotional distress” is recognized in 
Florida. Champion v. Gray, 478 So. 2d 17 (Fla. 1985); Zell v. Meek, 665 So. 2d 
1048 (Fla. 1995). The boundaries of this cause of action, the persons who may 
recover, and the relationships that form the basis of recovery will be established by 
the courts of this state on a case-by-case basis. Champion, at 21–22 (Alderman, J., 
concurring specially). These instructions should not be given if the plaintiff 
suffered an impact of any type. See generally Willis v. Gami Golden Glades, LLC, 
967 So. 2d 846, 850 (Fla. 2007). The essence of impact is that the “outside force or 
substance, no matter how large or small, visible or invisible, and no matter that the 
effects are not immediately deleterious, touch or enter into the plaintiff’s body.” Id. 
If there was an impact, the jury instructions given would be governed by the 
principles for the type of tort involved and the resulting damages. 
 
 
420.1  INTRODUCTION 
Members of the jury, you have now heard and received all of the 
evidence in this case. I am now going to tell you about the rules of law that you 
must use in reaching your verdict. [You will recall at the beginning of the case 
I told you that if, at the end of the case I decided that different law applies, I 
 
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would tell you so. These instructions are (slightly) different from what I gave 
you at the beginning and it is these rules of law that you must now follow.] 
When I finish telling you about the rules of law, the attorneys will present 
their final arguments and you will then retire to decide your verdict. 
 
 
420.2  SUMMARY OF CLAIMS 
The claims in this case are as follows. (Claimant) claims that (defendant) 
was negligent in (describe alleged negligence) which inflicted emotional distress 
on (claimant).  
(Defendant) denies that claim and that (describe any affirmative defenses). 
The parties must prove all claims (and defenses) by the greater weight of 
the evidence. I will now define some of the terms you will use in deciding the 
case. 
 
 
420.3  GREATER WEIGHT OF THE EVIDENCE 
“Greater weight of the evidence” means the more persuasive and 
convincing force and effect of the entire evidence in the case.