Title: In Re: Amendments to the Florida Rules of Judicial Administration - Parental Leave
Citation: N/A
Docket Number: SC18-1554
State: Florida
Issuer: Florida Supreme Court
Date: January 30, 2020

Supreme Court of Florida 
 
 
____________ 
 
No. SC18-1554 
____________ 
 
 
IN RE: AMENDMENTS TO THE FLORIDA RULES OF JUDICIAL 
ADMINISTRATION—PARENTAL LEAVE. 
 
December 19, 2019 
CORRECTED OPINION 
 
PER CURIAM. 
 
The Florida Bar’s Rules of Judicial Administration Committee (RJA 
Committee) has submitted, for the Court’s consideration, new Florida Rule of 
Judicial Administration 2.570 (Parental-Leave Continuance).  See Fla. R. Jud. 
Admin. 2.140(f)(1).  We have jurisdiction1 and adopt a modified version of the 
parental-leave continuance rule that was submitted. 
BACKGROUND 
At the Court’s request, the RJA Committee submitted a draft parental-leave 
continuance rule for the Court’s consideration.  New rule 2.570, as drafted by the 
Committee, provided that a court must grant a motion for continuance based on the 
                                          
 
 
1.  Art. V, § 2(a), Fla. Const. 
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parental leave of a lead attorney, if the motion is made within a reasonable time of 
certain events, unless another party demonstrates substantial prejudice.  The draft 
rule also provided three months as the presumptive maximum length of a 
continuance granted under the rule.  A majority of the RJA Committee opposed the 
adoption of a parental-leave continuance rule, while a minority of the Committee 
supported the adoption of the draft rule.  The Board of Governors of The Florida 
Bar also supported the adoption of the draft rule. 
Before the RJA Committee submitted the draft rule to the Court, the 
Committee received one comment opposing the rule, two comments supporting the 
rule, and one comment from the Juvenile Court Rules Committee opposing 
application of the rule in juvenile proceedings.  After the Committee submitted the 
draft new rule to the Court, the Court published the rule for comment.  The 
majority of the comments received by the Court strongly support the adoption of 
the new rule.  One attorney filed a comment opposing the adoption of a parental-
leave continuance rule.  The Department of Children and Families (DCF), the 
Statewide Guardian ad Litem Program (GAL), and the Florida Public Defender 
Association, Inc. (FPDA) filed comments opposing the application of the draft rule 
in criminal, juvenile, and dependency proceedings. 
In its response to the comments, the RJA Committee offered a revised rule 
that exempts criminal, juvenile, and involuntary civil commitment of sexually 
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violent predator cases from the requirements of the rule and provides that a motion 
for a continuance based on parental leave in those types of cases is governed by 
rule 2.545(e) (Continuances) and by any applicable rule of procedure governing 
those proceedings.  The revised rule further requires the court to use existing 
discretion to provide a reasonable accommodation when a parental-leave 
continuance is requested in an exempt proceeding.  The Board of Governors 
approved the revised rule by a vote of 36-1.  After the Court published the revised 
rule, FPDA filed a comment supporting the revised rule and DCF filed a comment 
stating it has no objection to the revised rule.  The Juvenile Court Rules Committee 
filed a comment stating the revisions to the rule are acceptable, but it objects to the 
use of the term “lead attorney” in the revised rule.  The attorney who opposed the 
original draft of the rule filed a comment opposing the revised rule.  The GAL 
opposes the revised rule because of concerns that the added language about a court 
exercising discretion to reasonably accommodate a parental-leave request could 
result in unauthorized delays in dependency cases. 
After considering the RJA Committee’s revisions to the rule, the 
Committee’s majority and minority positions, the Board of Governors’ strong 
support of a parental-leave continuance rule, and the other comments filed with the 
Court, and having heard oral argument, we adopt new rule 2.570, with several 
modifications. 
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As adopted, subdivision (a) of new rule 2.570 requires that absent a finding 
of one or more of the reasons listed in the rule, a court must grant a timely motion 
for continuance based on the parental leave of the movant’s lead attorney, due to 
the birth or adoption of a child, if the motion is made within a reasonable time after 
the later of the movant’s lead attorney learning of the basis of the continuance, or 
the setting of the proceeding(s) or the scheduling of the matter(s) for which a 
continuance is sought.  Subdivision (b) of the new rule sets forth the requirements 
for the motion.  Subdivision (c) of the rule provides the presumptive three-month 
maximum length of a continuance granted under the rule.  Subdivision (d) of the 
rule addresses the burden of proof.  Subdivision (e) of the rule addresses the 
court’s discretion to deny the motion or to grant a continuance different in scope or 
duration than requested.  That subdivision also requires the court to enter a written 
order setting forth its ruling and the specific grounds for the ruling.  Subdivision (f) 
of the rule exempts criminal, juvenile, and involuntary civil commitment of 
sexually violent predator cases from the requirements of the new rule and provides 
that a motion for a parental-leave continuance in those types of cases is governed 
by rule 2.545(e) (Continuances) and any applicable rule of procedure.  That 
subdivision further provides that in juvenile dependency and termination of 
parental rights proceedings, a motion for a parental-leave continuance is governed 
by Florida Rule of Juvenile Procedure 8.240(d) (Continuances and Extensions of 
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Time).  Finally, in light of the modifications to the RJA Committee’s revised rule, 
we have omitted the suggested committee note. 
 
Accordingly, we adopt new Florida Rule of Judicial Administration 2.570, 
as reflected in the appendix to this opinion.  The new rule shall become effective 
January 1, 2020, at 12:01 a.m.  The Court thanks the RJA Committee, the Board of 
Governors of The Florida Bar, and all those who submitted comments for assisting 
the Court in crafting the new parental-leave continuance rule. 
 
It is so ordered. 
CANADY, C.J., and POLSTON, LABARGA, LAWSON, and MUÑIZ, JJ., 
concur. 
 
THE FILING OF A MOTION FOR REHEARING SHALL NOT ALTER THE 
EFFECTIVE DATE OF THESE AMENDMENTS. 
 
Original Proceeding – Florida Rules of Judicial Administration 
 
Josephine Gagliardi, Chair, Rules of Judicial Administration, Fort Myers, Florida, 
and Eduardo I. Sánchez, Past Chair, Rules of Judicial Administration, Miami, 
Florida; and Joshua E. Doyle, Executive Director, Krys Godwin and Mikalla 
Davis, Bar Liaisons, The Florida Bar, Tallahassee, Florida, 
 
 
for Petitioner 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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Catherine Cole of Katz & Doorakian Law Firm, West Palm Beach, Florida; 
Theodore F. Greene, III, of Law Office of Theodore F. Greene, LC, Orlando, 
Florida; Glen P. Gifford, Assistant Public Defender, on behalf of Florida Public 
Defender Association, Inc., Second Judicial Circuit, Tallahassee, Florida; Tara 
Scott Lynn of Law Offices of Tara J. Scott PA, Oldsmar, Florida; Jane West of 
Jane West Law, P.L., St. Augustine, Florida; Erin L. Deady of Erin L. Deady, P.A., 
Delray Beach, Florida; Stephanie C. Zimmerman, Deputy Director and Statewide 
Director of Appeals, on behalf of Department of Children and Families – 
Children’s Legal Services, Bradenton, Florida; Kimberly Kanoff Berman of 
Marshall Dennehey Warner Coleman & Goggin, Fort Lauderdale, Florida; Abbe 
Sheila Rifkin, on behalf of the Board of Directors, Broward County Women 
Lawyers Association, Fort Lauderdale, Florida; John M. Stewart, President, Vero 
Beach, Florida, Michelle Renee Suskauer, Past President, West Palm Beach, 
Florida, Dori Foster-Morales, President-elect, Florida Board of Governors, Miami, 
Florida, and Santo DiGangi, President, West Palm Beach, Florida, Christian 
George, Past President, Jacksonville, Florida, and Lara Bueso Bach, on behalf of 
The Young Lawyers Division of The Florida Bar, Miami, Florida; Joshua E. 
Doyle, Executive Director, The Florida Bar, Tallahassee, Florida; Susan V. 
Warner, Member, Rules of Judicial Administration Committee, Miami, Florida; 
David R. Bear of Marshall Dennehey Warner Coleman & Goggin, Orlando, 
Florida; Amanda R. Jesteadt and Christa L. McCann, on behalf of Palm Beach 
County Chapter, Florida Association for Women Lawyers, West Palm Beach, 
Florida; Kyleen Hinkle, Ormond Beach, Florida, and Jennifer Shoaf Richardson, 
on behalf of Florida Association of Women Lawyers, Jacksonville, Florida; Alan 
F. Abramowitz, Executive Director, Dennis W. Moore, General Counsel, and 
Thomasina F. Moore, Director of Appeals, on behalf of Statewide Guardian ad 
Litem Program, Tallahassee, Florida; Michelle Browning Coughlin, on behalf of 
MothersEsquire, Inc., Louisville, Kentucky; and David Neal Silverstein, Chair, 
Juvenile Court Rules Committee, on behalf of Children’s Legal Services, 
Bradenton, Florida,  
 
 
Responding with comments 
 
 
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APPENDIX 
RULE 2.570. 
PARENTAL-LEAVE CONTINUANCE 
(a) 
Generally.  Absent one or more of the findings listed in subdivision 
(e) of this rule, a court shall grant a timely motion for continuance based on the 
parental leave of the movant’s lead attorney in the case, due to the birth or 
adoption of a child, if the motion is made within a reasonable time after the later 
of: 
 (1) 
the movant’s lead attorney learning of the basis for the 
continuance; or  
(2) 
the setting of the specific proceeding(s) or the scheduling of the 
matter(s) for which the continuance is sought. 
 
(b) 
Contents of Motion.  A motion filed under this rule shall be in 
writing and signed by the requesting party.  The motion must state all of the 
following: 
(1)  The attorney who is the subject of the motion is the movant’s lead 
attorney.   
(2)  The facts necessary to establish that the motion is timely.  
(3)  The scope and length of the continuance requested. 
(4)  Whether another party objects to the motion.  
(5)  Any other information that the movant considers relevant to the 
court’s consideration of the motion. 
(c) 
Presumptive Length.  Three months is the presumptive maximum 
length of a parental-leave continuance absent a showing of good cause that a 
longer time is appropriate.  
(d) 
Burden of Proof.  If the motion is challenged by another party that 
makes a prima facie demonstration of substantial prejudice, the burden shall shift 
to the movant to demonstrate that the prejudice to the requesting party caused by 
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the denial of the motion exceeds the prejudice that would be caused to the 
objecting party if the requested continuance were granted.  
(e) 
Court’s Discretion; Order.  It is within the court’s sound discretion 
to deny the motion or to grant a continuance different in scope or duration than 
requested, if the court finds that: 
(1)  another party would be substantially prejudiced by the requested 
continuance; or 
(2)  the requested continuance would unreasonably delay an 
emergency or time-sensitive proceeding or matter. 
The court shall enter a written order setting forth its ruling on the motion and the 
specific grounds for the ruling.   
(f) 
Criminal, Juvenile, and Involuntary Civil Commitment of 
Sexually Violent Predators Cases.  In a case governed by the Florida Rules of 
Criminal Procedure, by the Florida Rules of Juvenile Procedure, or by the Florida 
Rules of Civil Procedure for Involuntary Commitment of Sexually Violent 
Predators, a motion for continuance based on the parental leave of the lead attorney 
is governed by rule 2.545(e) and by any applicable Florida Rule of Criminal 
Procedure, Florida Rule of Juvenile Procedure, or Florida Rule of Civil Procedure 
for Involuntary Commitment of Sexually Violent Predators, rather than by this 
rule, except that in a case governed by Part III of the Florida Rules of Juvenile 
Procedure, a motion for continuance based on the parental leave of the lead 
attorney is governed by Florida Rule of Juvenile Procedure 8.240(d).