Opinion ID: 1885183
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: March 31, 1993, Order Certified as Final on June 9, 1993

Text: The circuit court bifurcated the nonjury trial into what it called a Liability Phase and a Remedy Phase. Trial in the Liability Phase began on August 3, 1992, and was completed on August 27, 1992. Not until March 31, 1993, did the trial court issue its ruling purporting to grant declaratory and injunctive relief, which was improperly titled a Liability Order. The term Liability Order suggests that the trial court found only that some legal standard had been breached and that no remedy had yet been provided. However, on the face of the March 31, 1993, order, an injunctiona form of remedywas issued, ordering state officials to establish a school system meeting as yet unidentified requirements of State law. The March 31, 1993, order also set the matter for a status conference to be held on June 9, 1993 for the purpose of establishing the procedures and timetable for determination of an appropriate remedy in this case. 624 So.2d at 166. Even though the trial court certified the March 31, 1993, order as final, and therefore appealable, on June 9, 1993, it held a hearing the same day to determine the dates for further proceedings. It also issued an order purporting to provide further injunctive relief to the plaintiffs even though the period within which to appeal the March 31, 1993, order had not elapsed. In other words, the circuit court itself, by continuing to hold hearings and provide further relief, did not treat the March 31, 1993, order as final under recognized legal standards, even after it had certified it as such.