United Auto. Ins. Co. v. Multimed Care, Inc.

Full title: UNITED AUTOMOBILE INSURANCE COMPANY, Appellant, v. MULTIMED CARE, INC.…

Court: District Court of Appeal of Florida, Third District.

Date published: Jul 21, 2021

322 So. 3d 235 (Fla. Dist. Ct. App. 2021)

Opinion

No. 3D21-262

07-21-2021

UNITED AUTOMOBILE INSURANCE COMPANY, Appellant, v. MULTIMED CARE, INC., a/a/o Erika Patricia Consuegra Romero, Appellee.

Michael J. Neimand, for appellant. Feiler & Leach, P.L., and Martin E. Leach, for appellee.

FERNANDEZ, C.J.

Michael J. Neimand, for appellant.

Feiler & Leach, P.L., and Martin E. Leach, for appellee.

Before FERNANDEZ, C.J., and GORDO, and LOBREE, JJ.

FERNANDEZ, C.J.

United Automobile Insurance Company ("United Auto") appeals the county court's order granting attorney's fees in favor of Multimed Care, Inc., entered without a mandatory evidentiary hearing. We reverse and remand for an evidentiary hearing to determine the reasonableness of attorney's fees only. See United Automobile Insurance Company v. Professional Medical Group, Inc., 318 So.3d 1261, 1262–63 (Fla. 3d DCA May 12, 2021) ("Florida law does not permit a trial court to substitute discovery procedures for an evidentiary hearing on unliquidated damages. ... ‘By requesting that the court hold an evidentiary hearing on the issue of attorney's fees, appellant[ ] preserved [its] right to a hearing.’ ")."

Reversed and remanded.