Opinion ID: 210965
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The Florida Unfair Trade Act Claim

Text: 32 The parties agree that prior to July 1, 2001, only a consumer could bring a claim under the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act. See Fla. Stat. § 501.211, Historical & Statutory Notes (noting the change in section 501.211(2) from consumer to person, effective July 1, 2001). The district court thus required Optivus to allege that IBA engaged in conduct violating the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act after that date in order to recover damages under its Florida Unfair Trade Act claim. The district court noted that the only alleged misconduct that occurred after July 1, 2001 was that IBA marketed its device without FDA approval for eleven days. The court concluded that this marketing activity was inconsequential because Florida had already chosen IBA as its vendor for a new proton therapy system in September 2000. Unfair Competition Claims Order, slip op. at 26-27. 33 Optivus argues that summary judgment on the Florida Unfair Trade Act claim was not proper because the district court erred in concluding that IBA's misconduct after July 1, 2001 was inconsequential. Specifically, Optivus argues that the loss it suffered occurred after July 1, 2001 when IBA and Florida entered into a binding purchase agreement on December 1, 2002. IBA counters that the alleged misconduct and harm both occurred before July 1, 2001 and thus are not compensable under the statute that was effective at that time. 34 Optivus's focus on when the loss occurred, as opposed to when the conduct occurred, ignores the principle that legislation is presumed not to be retroactive and that the legal effect of conduct should ordinarily be assessed under the law that existed when the conduct took place. See Landgraf v. USI Film Prods., 511 U.S. 244, 265, 114 S.Ct. 1483, 128 L.Ed.2d 229 (1994) (quoting Kaiser Aluminum & Chem. Corp. v. Bonjorno, 494 U.S. 827, 855, 110 S.Ct. 1570, 108 L.Ed.2d 842 (1990) (Scalia, J., concurring)). Optivus does not identify, and we have not found, any reason to depart from this principle. Here, it is undisputed that Florida selected IBA as its vendor in September 2000. In this case, it was that selection of IBA over Optivus that created Optivus's loss, not the formal signing of a purchase agreement. Accordingly, the district court did not err in awarding summary judgment to IBA on this claim.