Court Opinion

ID: 9780479
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-30 02:00:54.12272+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:34:05.538279
License: Public Domain

PARIENTE, J.,
concurring in result.
I concur in the majority’s adoption of a revision to the rule in the hope that it serves the same purpose as the rule proposed by the Florida Bar Small Claims Rules Committee and supported by the Conference of County Court Judges. However, I would have preferred to adopt the rule as proposed, which made clear that at the time of the pretrial conference the plaintiff and defendant appear before a judge, but also explained by a proposed committee note that:
*1198This change is not intended to prohibit the use of hearing officers, mediators, and other non-judicial court personnel as part of the pretrial process.
Therefore the proposed rule would not have prevented nonjudicial personnel from greeting litigants, explaining the process, calling the docket, or sending the parties to mediation. Rather, as explained by the Committee, the only counties that would be affected are those where the parties do not see a judge before trial and the current inquiry under rule 7.090(b) is not conducted.
While I encourage the use of nonjudicial personnel, particularly mediators, to make the process more efficient and effective, especially in resolving the matter without trial, I stress that the availability of the judge must be meaningful and contemporaneous with the time of the pretrial conference. At the present time, at least two of the counties, Lake County and Madison County, reported that if the case does not resolve at mediation on the day of the pretrial conference, the pretrial conference is set for a later date before a judge. While this may be convenient for judges, it is completely inconvenient for the litigants who are typically unrepresented, who have “small claims,” and who must then take another day off from work to attend the pretrial conference with attendant, and often extreme, financial hardship.
The existing version of rule 7.090(b) mandates that six matters be considered at the pretrial conference. The rule as proposed by the. Committee made clear that those six matters must be determined by a judge (words underlined are the proposed addition to the rule):
(b) Notice to Appear; Pretrial Conference. The summons/notice to appear shall specify that the initial appearance shall be for a pretrial conference. The initial pretrial conference shall be set by the clerk not more than 50 days from the date of the filing of the action. At the pretrial conference, all of the following matters shall be considered by a judge:
(1) The simplification of issues.
(2) The necessity or desirability of amendments to the pleadings.
(3) The possibility of obtaining admissions of fact and of documents that avoid unnecessary-proof.
(4) The limitations on the number of witnesses.
(5) The possibilities of settlement.
(6) Such other matters as the court in its discretion deems necessary.
The purpose of the amendment is to ensure that a party sees a judge at the pretrial conference and that the issues listed above are determined by a judge.
As explained by the Conference of County Court Judges, which supports the proposals, small claims cases are different from most civil cases. Small claims actions are processed through Florida’s county courts under a set of rules with a stated goal to reach a “simple, speedy, and inexpensive” resolution of these cases. The current procedural structure provides for only two appearances: a pretrial conference, at which mediation may take place, and a trial. The stated goals and tight timeframes in the rules make it clear that additional appearances, as well as an active motion practice, are discouraged.
The Conference further explains that typically, at a pretrial conference, a small claims case may take one of several courses. First, if the plaintiff does not appear, the case may be dismissed. Second, if the defendant does not appear, a default may be entered. Third, if both parties appear, the case may be referred to mediation. Finally, if none of the first three resolutions is applicable, or if the *1199case does not settle in mediation, the Small Claims Rules require that the court “shall” consider during pretrial the six items currently set out in rule 7.090(b). At this point, the court may also determine that the case presents “no triable issue” and enter a summary disposition pursuant to Small Claims Rule 7.135.
The Conference explains that the Committee’s proposed amendments would more clearly require that a judge preside over the pretrial conference in small claims actions. Currently, the majority of Florida counties provide for judges to preside at such conferences. Nonetheless, in a small minority of counties, the pretrial procedures differ, with varying degrees of judicial involvement. While nonjudicial personnel may assist the judge in handling pretrial conferences — including calling the docket, referring cases to a mediator, noting nonappearances for the court, and collecting settlement documents for the judge — the Conference believes a judge must actually be involved at that stage.
I would defer to the expertise of the Committee and the Conference, which voted by “overwhelming majority” to recommend adoption of the Committee’s proposed amendments. However, I emphasize that under the substituted rule adopted by this opinion, a “judge must be available to hear any motions and resolve any legal issues,” which would presumably include the six matters set forth in subdivision (b). Hopefully, the availability of the judge will be meaningful so that litigants are able to obtain what the rules require: “a simple, speedy, and inexpensive” resolution of these cases.
QUINCE, J., concurs.
APPENDIX
Rule 7.090. Appearance; Defensive Pleadings; Trial Date
(a) [No change]
(b) Notice to Appear; Pretrial Conference. The summons/notice to appear shall specify that the initial appearance shall be for a pretrial conference. The initial pretrial conference shall be set by the clerk not more than 50 days from the date of the filing of the action. The pretrial conference may be managed by nonjudicial personnel employed by or under contract with the court. Nonjudicial personnel must be subject to direct oversight by the court. A judge must be available to hear any motions or resolve any legal issues. At the pretrial conference, all of the following matters shall be considered:
(1) The simplification of issues.
(2) The necessity or desirability of amendments to the pleadings.
(3) The possibility of obtaining admissions of fact and of documents that avoid unnecessary proof.
(4) The limitations on the number of witnesses.
(5) The possibilities of settlement.
(6) Such other matters as the court in its discretion deems necessary.
Form 7.322 shall and form 7.323 may be used in conjunction with this rule.
(c) — (g) [No Change]
Committee Notes
[No Change]
Court Commentary
[No Change]