All Pro Sports Camp, Inc. v. Walt Disney

727 So. 2d 363, 1999 Fla. App. LEXIS 2184, 1999 WL 94588
CourtDistrict Court of Appeal of Florida
DecidedFebruary 26, 1999
Docket97-1012
StatusPublished
Cited by11 cases

This text of 727 So. 2d 363 (All Pro Sports Camp, Inc. v. Walt Disney) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court of Appeal of Florida primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
All Pro Sports Camp, Inc. v. Walt Disney, 727 So. 2d 363, 1999 Fla. App. LEXIS 2184, 1999 WL 94588 (Fla. Ct. App. 1999).

Opinion

727 So.2d 363 (1999)

ALL PRO SPORTS CAMP, INC., etc., et al., Appellants,
v.
WALT DISNEY COMPANY, etc., et al., Appellees.

No. 97-1012.

District Court of Appeal of Florida, Fifth District.

February 26, 1999.

*364 Willie E. Gary of Gary, Williams, Parenti, Finney, Lewis, McManus, Watson & Sperando, P.A., Stuart and Edna L. Caruso and Russell S. Bohn of Caruso, Burlington, Bohn & Compiani, P.A., West Palm Beach, for Appellants.

David L. Evans and James R. Lussier of Mateer & Harbert, P.A., Orlando, for Appellees.

THOMPSON, J.

All Pro Sports Camps, Inc., Nicholas Stracick, and Edward Russell (collectively "All Pro") timely appeal a final order dismissing with prejudice all eight counts of their complaint against Walt Disney Company, Walt Disney World Company, Inc., Disney Development Company, and Steve B. Wilson (collectively "Disney"). All Pro argues that the trial court erred when it dismissed their cause of action for failing to state a claim. The basis of the action was whether ideas expressed in a copyrighted business plan and a concept for a multi-sport theme park, which included an architectural model of Sports Island and sketches of certain components of the sports facility, were appropriated by Disney without All Pro's consent and without compensation. Disney argues these same issues were litigated in federal court, and when the court entered a partial summary judgment in their favor as to All Pro's copyright infringement claim, All Pro was estopped from litigating the issues in state court. We reverse as to seven counts of the complaint based on our ruling that the federal judgment did not preclude a separate state lawsuit. All Pro concedes that its claim for civil theft of trade secrets, Count I, was preempted by the partial federal court judgment.

All Pro submitted to Disney a written proposal and business plan for a multi-sport theme park and sports facility. The parties understood that the business plan contained confidential information and trade secrets and was not to be published or released without All Pro's approval. Eventually, the parties developed a concept for a joint venture in which Disney would lease the necessary land to All Pro, develop and build the project, and supply the hotels, transportation, and a golf course. All Pro, in turn, would raise the financing for the development and construction of the facility, and manage and operate it. All Pro then submitted *365 to Disney, under conditions of confidentiality, an architectural model of Sports Island and sketches of certain components of the facility. The parties continued to meet and discuss the financing for development and construction of the facility. All Pro then developed more detailed business plans for Sports Island, utilizing Disney computers, printing facilities, and secretarial staff.

All Pro subsequently learned that Disney was planning to develop its own multi-sport facility using the business plans and architectural materials previously submitted by All Pro to Disney. All Pro alleged that Disney began the actual planning and development of its own sports facility and resort, incorporating elements of education and entertainment derived from All Pro's business plans and architectural materials. All Pro claimed it did not consent to Disney's use of this information without compensation and alleged the business plans are subject to copyright laws.

Based on these allegations, All Pro levied the following claims against Disney: civil theft of trade secrets (Count I); misappropriation of trade secrets (Count II); breach of confidential relationship (Count III); negligent misrepresentation (Count IV); fraud and deceit (Count V); constructive or equitable fraud (Count VI); breach of implied contract (Count VII); civil conspiracy to misappropriate trade secrets (Count VIII). In Counts I and II, All Pro alleged that the business plans, architectural sketches, and model submitted to Disney constituted "valuable trade secrets" which "taught [Disney], both in graphic and conceptual terms, expressions of, and methods of physical integration of, elements of sports, education and entertainment not theretofore known to [Disney] nor otherwise known to the public." Count VIII, civil conspiracy, charged the individual defendants with conspiring to misappropriate the business plans, sketches, and model.

Disney did not answer the complaint, but filed a motion to dismiss asserting that All Pro could not state a claim upon which relief could be granted. Disney argued that a federal lawsuit was previously filed by All Pro against Disney, which included a federal copyright infringement claim and the same claims made in the state case. In the federal case, the district court entered summary judgment for Disney on the copyright infringement claim and dismissed the state law claims without prejudice, declining to exercise supplemental jurisdiction over them. Disney argued that the federal judgment in its favor collaterally estopped All Pro from litigating the same issues in the state action.

All Pro presents three challenges to the dismissal of the complaint. First, All Pro argues that collateral estoppel does not apply because the underlying issue in this litigation, misappropriation of its ideas for a multi-sport facility, was not litigated in the prior federal court proceeding. Second, the state law claims are not preempted by the Federal Copyright Act. Third, whether All Pro's ideas are novel is a question of fact improperly determined on a motion to dismiss.[1]

A. Collateral Estoppel

All Pro argues that collateral estoppel, like res judicata, is an affirmative defense and is improperly raised in a motion to dismiss. Even if properly raised, the central issue in its federal copyright claim was whether the expressions of its ideas for a multi-sports facility, i.e., the business plans and the architectural model and sketches, were infringed upon by Disney. On the other hand, in the state court litigation, the central issue is whether the ideas embodied in those materials were wrongfully used by Disney. All Pro argues that in determining that Disney's site plans and architectural drawings are not substantially similar to those produced by All Pro, the federal court neither explicitly nor implicitly determined any issue related to the original ideas for the facility. Therefore, the federal judgment does not collaterally estop All Pro from asserting claims for the protection of the ideas.

*366 Collateral estoppel prevents relitigation of issues which were actually adjudicated in a prior lawsuit. U.S. Fidelity & Guar. Co. v. Odoms, 444 So.2d 78 (Fla. 5th DCA 1984). It is an affirmative defense which generally must be asserted in an answer, but may be raised initially in a motion to dismiss if a basis for the defense appears in the complaint. See Fla. R. Civ. P. 1.110(d), 1.140(b); Bess v. Eagle Capital, Inc., 704 So.2d 621 (Fla. 4th DCA 1997) (reversing dismissal based on collateral estoppel where complaint did not contain sufficient allegations regarding prior court proceeding to permit proper consideration of defense raised in motion to dismiss); Byrd v. City of Niceville, 541 So.2d 696 (Fla. 1st DCA) (holding dismissal based on collateral estoppel and res judicata procedurally improper where answer had not been filed and complaint did not reflect basis for either defense), rev. denied, 548 So.2d 662 (Fla. 1989).

All Pro's complaint contains no allegations regarding the prior federal lawsuit. However, the trial court took judicial notice of the federal judgment.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Miner, Ltd. v. Sanacore
M.D. Florida, 2025
Vas Aero Services, LLC v. Arroyo
860 F. Supp. 2d 1349 (S.D. Florida, 2012)
CareerFairs.com v. United Business Media LLC
838 F. Supp. 2d 1316 (S.D. Florida, 2011)
MONTAGE GROUP v. Athle-Tech Computer Sys.
889 So. 2d 180 (District Court of Appeal of Florida, 2004)
Allegiance Healthcare Corp. v. Coleman
232 F. Supp. 2d 1329 (S.D. Florida, 2002)
Poer v. Calder Race Course, Inc.
823 So. 2d 739 (Supreme Court of Florida, 2002)
Johnson v. Benjamin Moore & Co.
788 A.2d 906 (New Jersey Superior Court App Division, 2002)
Del Monte Fresh Produce Co. v. Dole Food Co., Inc.
136 F. Supp. 2d 1271 (S.D. Florida, 2001)
Duffy v. Charles Schwab & Co., Inc.
123 F. Supp. 2d 802 (D. New Jersey, 2000)
Weiss v. Courshon
768 So. 2d 2 (District Court of Appeal of Florida, 2000)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
727 So. 2d 363, 1999 Fla. App. LEXIS 2184, 1999 WL 94588, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/all-pro-sports-camp-inc-v-walt-disney-fladistctapp-1999.