Court Opinion

ID: 9398481
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-05-31 15:06:19.647784+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:19:34.045066
License: Public Domain

DISTRICT COURT OF APPEAL OF THE STATE OF FLORIDA
                              FOURTH DISTRICT

               SUPERIOR BROKERAGE SERVICES, INC.,
                           Appellant,

                                     v.

               ELYAHU MADUEL and DISTR. MED. LLC,
                          Appellees.

                               No. 4D23-876

                              [May 31, 2023]

   Appeal from the Circuit Court for the Seventeenth Judicial Circuit,
Broward County; John B. Bowman, Judge; L.T. Case No. CACE20-007160.

   Austin Grinder of the Ruth Law Team, St. Petersburg, for appellant.

   Jeffrey B. Shalek, Esq., P.A., Fort Lauderdale, for appellees.

                      ON CONFESSION OF ERROR

PER CURIAM.

    Superior Brokerage Services, Inc., appeals a trial court order denying
its motion for relief from default final judgment. The trial court found that
Superior Brokerage waived its defense to insufficient service of process
because Alan Dagen, Esq., had filed a motion to enlarge time to respond
to the Appellees’ complaint on behalf of Superior Brokerage. Superior
Brokerage argues that Dagen did not have authority to appear on its
behalf, and the filing of a motion for enlargement of time did not waive the
defense of lack of personal jurisdiction for insufficient service of process.
The Appellees concede error.

   Even assuming arguendo that Dagen had authority to file the motion
for enlargement of time on Superior Brokerage’s behalf, the filing of a
motion for enlargement of time does not constitute a general appearance
in the case and, thus, does not waive a defense of lack of jurisdiction for
insufficient service of process. Byers v. FIA Card Servs., N.A., 82 So. 3d
1166, 1168 (Fla. 4th DCA 2012). We reverse and remand for further
proceedings.
  Reversed and remanded.

MAY, GERBER and LEVINE, JJ., concur.

                          *        *      *

  Not final until disposition of timely filed motion for rehearing.

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