From Casetext: Smarter Legal Research

Southeast Bank, N.A. v. Gilbert

Supreme Court of Florida
Jan 31, 1985
463 So. 2d 223 (Fla. 1985)

Opinion

No. 65205.

January 31, 1985.

Appeal from the Circuit Court, Sarasota County, Evelyn Gobbie, J.

George R. McLain of Harnden, McLain Dart, Chartered, and Eugene O. George of Burket, Smith, Bowman George, Sarasota, for petitioner.

Arthur D. Ginsburg of Ginsburg, Byrd, Jones Dahlgaard, Sarasota, for respondent.

William L. Hyde of Akerman, Senterfitt Eidson, Tallahassee, amicus curiae for Florida Bankers Association.

A. Matthew Miller of Miller Schwartz, P.A., Hollywood, and Melvyn B. Frumkes of Frumkes Greene, P.A., Miami, amicus curiae for American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, Florida Chapter.


We review the decision of the District Court of Appeal, Second District, in Gilbert v. Gilbert, 447 So.2d 299 (Fla. 2d DCA 1984), which expressly and directly conflicts with White v. Bacardi, 446 So.2d 150 (Fla. 3d DCA 1984).

The Second District affirmed the trial court and held that spendthrift trusts may be garnished for the collection of both alimony arrearages and attorney's fees awarded incident to the divorce. It also held that a continuing writ of garnishment could be issued to secure the payment of future alimony.

We have resolved these issues in Bacardi v. White, 463 So.2d 218 (Fla. 1985), wherein we held that disbursements from spendthrift trusts, in certain limited circumstances, may be garnished to enforce court orders on judgments for alimony and incident attorney's fees before such disbursements reach the debtor-beneficiary and that a continuing writ of garnishment may be appropriate in some circumstances.

Accordingly, we approve the result reached by the Second District and remand this case for further proceedings consistent with our decision in Bacardi.

It is so ordered.

ADKINS, OVERTON, McDONALD, EHRLICH and SHAW, JJ., concur.

BOYD, C.J., dissents.


Summaries of

Southeast Bank, N.A. v. Gilbert

Supreme Court of Florida
Jan 31, 1985
463 So. 2d 223 (Fla. 1985)
Case details for

Southeast Bank, N.A. v. Gilbert

Case Details

Full title:SOUTHEAST BANK, N.A., FORMERLY KNOWN AS SOUTHEAST BANK TRUST COMPANY…

Court:Supreme Court of Florida

Date published: Jan 31, 1985

Citations

463 So. 2d 223 (Fla. 1985)

Citing Cases

Webb v. Hillsborough Cty. Hosp. Auth

Cf. the doctrine of prospective overruling, as implemented in Jersey Shore, 417 A.2d at 1010-11, and Manatee,…

Fehlhaber v. Fehlhaber

Florida recognizes that the beneficial interest in a spendthrift trust may, in some circumstances, be subject…