Opinion ID: 608213
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: analysis

Text: 7 Summary judgment is appropriate when a case presents no genuine issue of material fact, and the moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. See Fed.R.Civ.P. 56(c). The district court determined that GMC was entitled to judgment as a matter of law because the prior Florida state court judgment in favor of Collection operated as a res judicata bar to Meshulam's suit against GMC. The district court's determination of the res judicata effect of the prior judgment is a conclusion of law subject to this Court's de novo review. See NAACP v. Hunt, 891 F.2d 1555, 1560 (11th Cir.1990). 8 Under Florida law, 2 res judicata bars parties from bringing actions which raise issues that have already been adjudicated in a previous action between the same parties or their privies. See Rhyne v. Miami-Dade Water and Sewer Auth., 402 So.2d 54, 55 (Fla.Dist.Ct.App.1981), review denied, 412 So.2d 469 (Fla.1982). To successfully invoke res judicata as a defense to an action, a defendant must establish (1) identity in the thing sued for, (2) identity of the cause of action, (3) identity of parties, and (4) identity of the quality or capacity of the person for or against whom the claim is made. Donahue v. Davis, 68 So.2d 163, 169 (Fla.1953); Caron v. Systematic Air Servs., 576 So.2d 372, 375 (Fla.Dist.Ct.App.1991); Stevens v. Len-Hal Realty, Inc., 403 So.2d 507, 508 (Fla.Dist.Ct.App.1981). In products liability actions, Florida courts treat the manufacturer, the wholesale distributor, and the retailer of the allegedly defective product as identical parties for res judicata purposes. See West v. Kawasaki Motors Mfg. Corp., 595 So.2d 92, 95-98 (Fla.Dist.Ct.App.), review denied, 604 So.2d 489 (Fla.1992). 9 Meshulam concedes that GMC established the presence of all four res judicata elements in this case. Nevertheless, Meshulam argues that he is insulated from the effects of res judicata because he took a voluntary dismissal without prejudice in his prior action against GMC. According to Meshulam, a voluntary dismissal without prejudice gives the dismissing party an absolute right to proceed with one subsequent action. Meshulam argues that in applying res judicata to defeat his second action, the district court in effect converted a dismissal without prejudice into a dismissal with prejudice. We disagree. 10 Under Florida law, a plaintiff has an absolute right to voluntarily dismiss his action at any time prior to a summary judgment hearing. Fla.R.Civ.P. 1.420(a)(1); Bevan v. D'Alessandro, 395 So.2d 1285, 1286 (Fla.Dist.Ct.App.1981). A voluntary dismissal is without prejudice in the sense that the defendant may not rely on the previous dismissal as a defense to any subsequent lawsuit. See Randle-Eastern Ambulance Service, Inc. v. Vasta, 360 So.2d 68, 68 (Fla.1978). In this case, however, GMC is relying on the final judgment entered in favor of Collection, and not on Meshulam's previous voluntary dismissal of his claims against GMC, to bar the current action. 11 Meshulam argues that the prior voluntary dismissal nonetheless has impermissibly prejudiced his case because he would not have been subject to a res judicata defense if he had gone ahead with his first action against GMC. Our review of Florida decisions indicates that Meshulam is incorrect in assuming he would not have been subject to a claim of res judicata in the prior action. 12 Florida case law reveals that the res judicata effect of a final Florida judgment operates immediately against both pending and subsequent actions, and even against subsequent proceedings in the same action. See, e.g., West, 595 So.2d at 93-98 (applying res judicata to bar action that was filed before the prior action was concluded); Signo v. Florida Farm Bureau Cas. Ins. Co., 454 So.2d 3, 4-6 (Fla.Dist.Ct.App.1984) (applying res judicata to bar claim made in amended complaint after final summary judgment was entered for defendant on previous claim in same action). See generally 32 FLA.JUR.2D § 144 (1981). Therefore, GMC was entitled to invoke res judicata as a defense as soon as the final judgment in favor of Collection was entered. 3 Only Meshulam's voluntary dismissal prevented the issue from being adjudicated in the first action. 13 Under Florida law, [a] voluntary dismissal operates without prejudice, and the dismissing party may refile if not otherwise barred. Federal Ins. Co. v. Fatolitis, 478 So.2d 106, 109 (Fla.Dist.Ct.App.1985) (emphasis added). In this case, the entry of final judgment in favor of Collection has otherwise barred Meshulam's maintenance of an identical suit against GMC. Therefore, the district court did not err in entering summary judgment for GMC.