Court Opinion

ID: 9902766
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-11-27 15:23:19.084694+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T09:21:58.953872
License: Public Domain

FIFTH DISTRICT COURT OF APPEAL
                STATE OF FLORIDA
                 _____________________________

                      Case No. 5D22-2010
                  LT Case No. 2021-DR-019329
                 _____________________________

RYAN KEITH GATCHELL,

    Appellant,

    v.

JULIA KRYVOSHEIA,

    Appellee.
                 _____________________________

On appeal from the Circuit Court for Brevard County.
Jennifer Opel Taylor, Judge.

Richard J. Feinberg, of Law Office of Richard
J. Feinberg, Indialantic, for Appellant.

Julia Kryvosheia, Melbourne, pro se.

Gregory A. Crutchfield, of Crutchfield
& Pyle, P.A., Rockledge, for Appellee.

                       September 1, 2023

KILBANE, J.

     Ryan Keith Gatchell (“Former Husband”) appeals the trial
court’s entry of the general magistrate’s recommended order
setting aside the marital settlement agreement and parenting plan
previously approved by the trial court. Because Former Husband
failed to move to vacate the order as required by Florida Family
Law Rule of Procedure (“Family Rule") 12.490(e)(3) (2022), he did
not preserve any issues for appeal. Therefore, the appeal is
dismissed.

    Effective April 1, 2022, Family Rule 12.490 was substantially
amended and was in effect at the time this order was entered on
July 19, 2022. Former Family Rule 12.490(f) became Family Rule
12.490(e)(3) and states, in pertinent part:

    (3) Upon receipt of a recommended order, the court must
    review the recommended order and must enter the order
    promptly unless the court finds that the recommended
    order is facially or legally deficient, in which case, it must
    identify the deficiency by written order and remand to the
    general magistrate to address and, if necessary, conduct
    further proceedings without the necessity of a new order
    of referral to general magistrate. Any party affected by
    the recommended order may move to vacate the
    recommended order by filing a motion to vacate
    within 10 days from the date of entry.

(Emphasis added).1

      1    The rule was amended to conform to the procedure
applicable to child support proceedings before child support
hearing officers under Family Rule 12.491(f), which requires a
party to move to vacate a trial court’s entry of a hearing officer’s
recommended order within ten days to preserve issues for appeal.
See In re Amends. to Fla. Fam. L. Rules of Proc. 12.490 & 12.491,
& Forms 12.920(A)-(C), 346 So. 3d 1053, 1054 (Fla. 2022); see also
Christ v. Christ, 103 So. 3d 1056, 1057 (Fla. 1st DCA 2013)
(applying motion-to-vacate procedure in former Family Rule
12.491(f), appeal was dismissed for lack of jurisdiction due to
failure to timely file motion to vacate trial court’s entry of hearing
officer’s recommended order).

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       The former version of the rule required a party seeking
review to file “exceptions” to the magistrate’s recommendation
within ten days after receipt of the recommendation, prior to the
trial court’s entry of any order approving the magistrate’s
recommendation. Fla. Fam. L. R. P. 12.490(f) (2018). Failure to
file exceptions constituted failure to preserve issues for appeal. See
Judy v. Judy, 291 So. 3d 651, 652 & n.1 (Fla. 2d DCA 2020);
Lascaibar v. Lascaibar, 156 So. 3d 547, 549 (Fla. 3d DCA 2015);
Rosen v. Wilson, 922 So. 2d 401, 402 (Fla. 4th DCA 2006). The same
is true under Family Rule 12.490(e)(3): A party must still seek
relief from the trial court through a timely motion to vacate the
recommended order, as entered, to preserve issues for appeal and
thus invoke appellate jurisdiction under Florida Rule of Appellate
Procedure 9.130(a)(3)(c)(iii)b. and c.

     Accordingly, because Former Husband failed to file a timely
motion to vacate in accordance with Family Rule 12.490(e)(3),
Former Husband’s appeal is

      DISMISSED.

EISNAUGLE and MACIVER, JJ., concur.

                  _____________________________

    Not final until disposition of any timely and
    authorized motion under Fla. R. App. P. 9.330 or
    9.331.
               _____________________________

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