Opinion ID: 1135656
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Third-Party Claims

Text: Although we conclude that the State may prosecute an attorney pursuant to section 817.234(1) for filing false or misleading information, the question remains as to whether this holds true for attorneys representing injured third parties to insurance claims, as opposed to attorneys representing insured first parties. The remaining counts that the trial court dismissed were based either on a violation of section 817.234(1) for submitting false or misleading information or a violation of section 817.234(3). [18] The trial court dismissed these counts in its first and second orders because it found that section 817.234 was not applicable to third-party claims. If, as the State contends, section 817.234 applies to both first and third-party claims, then the trial court erroneously dismissed these counts. The trial court offered section 627.4136, Florida Statutes (1993), the nonjoinder statute, as the primary reason for its conclusion that section 817.234 did not apply to third-party claims. After examining the history of section 817.234, the trial court looked to the insurance code for guidance on how to define the terms any person and claimant as those terms were used in section 817.234(1) and (3), respectively. It found the nonjoinder statute had a dispositive impact on how these terms were defined. Specifically, the trial court held: The nonjoinder statute divests any party other than the insured of any interest in a liability insurance policy. No third-party has any interest in an insurance policy until which time such third party has obtained a settlement or verdict against the insured. Since the third-party possesses no interest in the policy, there can be no claim for payment under the policy by the third-party. Accordingly, the term any person in subsection 1 and claimant in subsection 3 can and should be construed as any insured as only the insured possess an interest so only the insured can make a claim. We do not believe it was necessary for the trial court to look beyond the language of section 817.234 in interpreting subsections (1) and (3) of the statute. When the language of a statute is clear and unambiguous, as is the case here, the language should be given effect without resort to extrinsic guides to construction. City of Miami Beach v. Galbut, 626 So.2d 192, 193 (Fla.1993); Holly v. Auld, 450 So.2d 217, 219 (Fla.1984). The fact that we are dealing with a penal statute does not alter our analysis, because penal statutes, as a fundamental rule, must be strictly construed. Perkins v. State, 576 So.2d 1310, 1312-13 (Fla.1991).
Section 817.234(1), contains the phrase any person. In arguing that this term means any insured the respondents attempt to limit the express terms of an unambiguous statute. We have in the past indicated that a court is without the power to construe a statute in such a manner. Holly, 450 So.2d at 219 (quoting American Bankers Life Assurance Co. v. Williams, 212 So.2d 777, 778 (Fla. 1st DCA 1968)). Moreover, we have found that by using the language any person in section 624.155(1), Florida Statutes (1993), [19] the legislature evidenced its intent that both first and third parties be allowed to bring civil suit when damaged by the enumerated acts of an insurer. Auto-Owners Ins. Co. v. Conquest, 658 So.2d 928, 929 (Fla.1995). As we did in Auto Owners, we find the term any person is clear and unequivocal. By using this language, the legislature intended to prevent all persons, not just those with a contract with the insurer, from committing insurance fraud. Our conclusion garners additional support from the fact that the legislature expressly used the term insured party in other subsections of section 817.234. See § 817.234(2), (4). The legislative use of different terms in different portions of the same statute is strong evidence that different meanings were intended. Department of Professional Regulation v. Durrani, 455 So.2d 515, 518 (Fla. 1st DCA 1984); see also Ocasio v. Bureau of Crimes Compensation, 408 So.2d 751, 753 (Fla. 3rd DCA 1982); accord Leisure Resorts, Inc. v. Frank J. Rooney, Inc., 654 So.2d 911, 914 (Fla.1995). The statute's use of the language a claim for payment or other benefit pursuant to an insurance policy does not alter our conclusion that section 817.234(1) applies to both first and third-party claims. This language does not indicate that a party must have a legal interest in an insurance policy in order to make a claim pursuant to the policy and thus become subject to the provisions of section 817.234(1). Cf. Kiddie v. State, 574 P.2d 1042, 1047 (Okla.Crim.App.1977)(finding privity of contract between accused and insurer unnecessary to pursue charges under a statute similar to section 817.234(1)); [20] but see People v. Learman, 281 A.D. 583, 121 N.Y.S.2d 388, 391 (1953). On the contrary, this language when considered in conjunction with the term any person indicates that the statute applies to any claim made pursuant to an insurance policy with the intent to defraud. Cf. People v. Benson, 206 Cal. App.2d 519, 23 Cal.Rptr. 908, 916-17 (1962)(finding statute similar to section 817.234(1) applied to every person who had intent to defraud), cert. denied, 374 U.S. 806, 83 S.Ct. 1691, 10 L.Ed.2d 1030 (1963), disapproved on other grounds, People v. Perez, 62 Cal.2d 769, 44 Cal.Rptr. 326, 401 P.2d 934 (1965). Any claim necessarily includes claims made by third parties during settlement negotiations, as was the case here. As the district court recognized, insurance companies often negotiate settlements with injured parties or their attorneys despite Florida's nonjoinder statute. Marks, 654 So.2d at 1191. If we were to interpret the statute so as to treat the demands that arise out of these settlement negotiations differently than first-party claims, we would not be fully serving the purpose of this legislationto deter insurance fraud. Consequently, we find section 817.234(1) applicable to both first-party and third-party claims. Even if we were to look to the legislative history to discern the legislature's intent with regard to section 817.234(1) we would reach the same conclusion. As the district court noted, section 817.234 was originally enacted as part of the insurance chapter. Ch. 76-266, § 7, Laws of Fla. However, the statute was later moved to the chapter dealing with fraudulent practices. Ch. 79-81, § 1, Laws of Fla. The district court correctly recognized that this transfer of the statute indicates that the statute has more to do with fraud than insurance. Marks, 654 So.2d at 1190. Consequently, we do not find, as did the trial court, that the legislative history of section 817.234 leads us to the insurance code and consequently the nonjoinder statute for guidance in interpreting the statute. The legislative history, however, does lead us to conclude that the legislature intended section 817.234(1) to apply to any person and not just any insured party. The original version of section 817.234(1) reads: (1) Any insured party or insurer or insurance adjuster who, with intent, knowingly and willfully conspires to fraudulently violate any of the provisions of this part.... Ch. 76-266, § 7, Laws of Fla. (emphasis added). In 1977, the statute was amended and Any insured party or insurer or insurance adjuster, was replaced with Any person. Ch. 77-468, § 36, Laws of Fla. When the legislature amends a statute, we presume it intended the statute to have a different meaning than that accorded it before the amendment. See Capella v. City of Gainesville, 377 So.2d 658 (Fla.1979); Carlile v. Game & Fresh Water Fish Comm'n, 354 So.2d 362, 364 (Fla.1977). Accordingly, we find that the legislative history, like the plain language of section 817.234(1), supports a conclusion that the statute applies to both first-party and third-party claims. We therefore approve the district court's decision reversing the trial court's orders and remanding with the direction that the trial court reinstate all counts based on section 817.234(1) which were not totally and exclusively dependent on alleged incomplete statements.
As mentioned previously, the trial court dismissed several counts against the attorney defendants brought pursuant to section 817.234(3) because it concluded, as it did with section 817.234(1), that this provision did not apply to third-party claims. [21] We find our analysis regarding the application of section 817.234(1) to third-party claims is also dispositive with regard to section 817.234(3). Since a third party can make a claim pursuant to section 817.234(1), it follows that a third party may also be classified as a claimant. Consequently, we conclude that the reference to claimant in 817.234(3) does not limit that provision's application to first-party claims. While our analysis regarding third-party claims is equally applicable to section 817.234(1) and (3), the same does not hold true for our vagueness analysis. We do not find that section 817.234(3) suffers the same infirmities as section 817.234(1). [22] Consequently, we approve the district court's decision finding erroneous the trial court's dismissal of the counts brought pursuant to section 817.234(3) and ordering the reinstatement of those counts. It is so ordered. OVERTON, SHAW, GRIMES, HARDING, WELLS and ANSTEAD, JJ., concur.