Court Opinion

ID: 9800725
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-31 08:32:50.748826+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T09:48:22.597072
License: Public Domain

CASANUEVA, Judge.
Brian P. Rush appeals the trial court order imposing sanctions for unprofessional conduct in the amount of $5000 for attorney’s fees and $3000 for costs, for a total of $8000. Mr. Rush is an attorney engaged in this instance in the practice area of personal injury. The events giving rise to the sanction arose in the context of a Compulsory Medical Examination (CME). We reverse.
This case arises from an incident that occurred on May 9, 2011, at the office of Dr. Michael Shahnasarian, an expert retained by Appellees to conduct a CME of Ronald McKibban, the plaintiff in a personal injury suit brought against Appel-lees. Mr. Rush, as counsel for Mr. McKibban, raised several last-minute, albeit timely, objections to the CME, which were served on opposing counsel via facsimile at 5:00 p.m., Friday, May 6, 2011. Mr. McKibban appeared for the scheduled CME on Monday morning and was instructed to fill out a seventeen-page pre-exam questionnaire. Mr. McKibban presented the doctor with a copy of the objections, which included an objection to the completion of lengthy information forms, but the CME continued when Dr. Shahna-sarian learned that no court order had been entered limiting it.
Mr. McKibban, diagnosed with cognitive impairment and memory loss, became concerned about the questionnaire after answering a few questions and called his attorney, Mr. Rush. Dr. Shahnasarian attempted unsuccessfully to contact one of the defense attorneys. According to Dr. Shahnasarian and two members of his staff, when Mr. Rush arrived at Dr. Shah-nasarian’s office, the two engaged in a heated discussion, during which Mr. Rush was loud, aggressive, and used abusive and threatening language. Mr. Rush claims he merely informed Dr. Shahnasarian that his client would not fill out the lengthy survey and that Mr. Rush would ask the judge to impose sanctions.
A member of Dr. Shahnasarian’s staff told Mr. McKibban that he could tear up the completed portions of the questionnaire, which he did. Ultimately, it was agreed that the CME would continue as scheduled for that day and the dispute regarding the questionnaire would be submitted to the court. Mr. Rush left the office and the CME proceeded without further difficulties. Mr. Rush filed a motion with the court to resolve the questionnaire discovery objection, and Appellees moved for sanctions against Mr. Rush, alleging that he intentionally interfered with and disrupted the May 9 CME, unfairly depriving Appellees of the benefit of the *766exam.1
The trial court ruled as to the questionnaire objection that Mr. McKibban would be required to complete the questionnaire, but with the full assistance of Mr. Rush. After an evidentiary hearing as to the motion for sanctions, the court entered an order imposing sanctions against Mr. Rush, finding he “created an atmosphere of anxiety and hostility which disrupted the examination.” After a hearing as to amount, the court ordered Mr. Rush to pay $5000 in attorney’s and paralegal fees and $3000 in costs to Appellees.
We review an order imposing sanctions for abuse of discretion. Mercer v. Raine, 443 So.2d 944, 946 (Fla.1983); J.D.C. v. M.E.H., 118 So.3d 933, 935-36 (Fla. 2d DCA 2013). “A trial court ... abuses its discretion if its ruling is based on an ‘erroneous view of the law or on a clearly erroneous assessment of the evidence.’ ” McDuffie v. State, 970 So.2d 312, 326 (Fla.2007) (quoting Cooter & Gell v. Hartmarx Corp., 496 U.S. 384, 405, 110 S.Ct. 2447, 110 L.Ed.2d 359 (1990)).
In this case, Appellees moved for monetary sanctions against Mr. Rush pursuant to Florida Rule of Civil Procedure 1.380 and pursuant to the trial court’s inherent power to sanction attorney misconduct. We will address the latter basis first. In the trial court’s order awarding sanctions, certain findings of fact are germane to our analysis. First, the trial court found that “Rush’s disruptive acts were not committed maliciously or with malevolent intent, but in a misguided attempt to represent his client;” and second, that the most serious charge leveled against him, the destruction of evidence, was not proved.
In Florida, a trial court has the inherent authority to impose a sanction against an attorney for bad faith conduct. Moakley v. Smallwood, 826 So.2d 221, 226 (Fla.2002). This power includes the imposition of a financial assessment. Id. However, this power is not unlimited and requires specific findings to ensure its “restrained use,” in compliance with due process. Id. at 226-27; see also Kuttas v. Ritter, 879 So.2d 3, 9 (Fla. 2d DCA 2004).
In the exercise of its inherent authority a trial court must strike an “appropriate balance” between “condemning as unprofessional or unethical litigation tactics undertaken solely for bad faith purposes” against the needs of counsel to provide necessary advocacy in the pursuit of their client’s interest. Moakley, 826 So.2d at 226. To insure a proper balance has been attained, Moakley imposes upon the trial court the necessity to make an express finding of bad faith conduct, together with “detailed factual findings describing the specific acts of bad faith conduct that resulted in the unnecessary incurrence of attorneys’ fees.” Id. at 227.
From Moakley it is easy to discern that the evil to be avoided is conduct that is undertaken in “bad faith.” An examination of the order on review in this case reveals that the court did not make a finding that Mr. Rush acted in bad faith. Rather, the court concluded his behavior was intentional and disruptive; a conclu*767sion with which this court agrees. Next, the court found that Mr. Rush’s conduct was not “committed maliciously or with malevolent intent.” This finding, at a minimum, suggests the trial court concluded Mr. Rush’s behavior lacked the bad faith element. Thus, we conclude that without a finding of bad faith, it was error to impose a financial sanction premised upon the exercise of the trial court’s inherent authority. See id.
We are invited by Appellees’ counsel to return the matter for further proceedings should we conclude, as we have, that there was a fatal flaw in the order because of a lack of a specific finding of bad faith conduct. We decline the invitation. The facts establish that the CME was completed, that part of the delay can be properly attributed to the need for a judicial resolution of a legitimately disputed issue, and that the significant issues were resolved in Mr. Rush’s favor. We also point out that one allegation was refuted before Appel-lees’ motion was even filed. Likely, a proper and complete investigation would have precluded that assertion from being made. We conclude that this type of conduct is not sufficient to come within the parameters of Moakley so as to authorize a financial penalty for tactics undertaken “solely for bad faith purposes.” See id. at 226; see also Shniderman v. Fitness Innovations & Techs., Inc., 994 So.2d 508 (Fla. 4th DCA 2008) (affirming trial court’s sanction of fees against attorney pursuant to Moakley based on evidence demonstrating two years of bad faith litigation, including obtaining a default premised upon a knowingly inaccurate verified complaint and engaging in discovery misconduct to avoid acknowledging the inaccuracy and preserve the default).
Similarly, we reject Appellees’ argument that an affirmance is proper based on the trial court’s authority to sanction for discovery violations under rule 1.380. Neither the circumstances of this case nor the findings of the trial court support a sanction of attorney’s fees against Mr. Rush for failure to make discovery. See Liebreich v. Church of Scientology Flag Serv. Org., Inc., 855 So.2d 658, 659 (Fla. 2d DCA 2003) (“Rule 1.380(a)(4) provides for the award of expenses on a motion for order compelling discovery....”); Horace Mann Ins. Co. v. Chase, 51 So.3d 640, 641 (Fla. 1st DCA 2011) (reversing sanctions as inappropriate under rule 1.380 “because the Appellees did not prevail on a motion to compel and Appellant’s counsel did not fail to appear at a duly noticed deposition”).
While we conclude that this type of conduct is not sufficient to come within the parameters of Moakley so as to authorize a financial penalty, in so stating, we are not condoning Mr. Rush’s behavior. Simply, it was not professional and is not excused by the claim that Mr. Rush has a large docket of casework.
Reversed.
CRENSHAW, J., Concurs.
VILLANTI, J., Concurs with opinion.

. Appellees' motion alleged several actions by Mr. Rush which disrupted the exam, including destroying evidence and refusing to preserve destroyed evidence, coaching Mr. McKibban and instructing him how to answer questions, loudly and belligerently attempting to dictate to Dr. Shahnasarian the conditions of his examination, and violating copyrights. The trial court’s order focuses only on the argument between Mr. Rush and Dr. Shahna-sarian.