Horning-Keating v. Employers Ins. of Wausau

969 So. 2d 412, 2007 WL 3118841
CourtDistrict Court of Appeal of Florida
DecidedOctober 26, 2007
Docket5D05-3903, 5D06-184, 5D06-314
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 969 So. 2d 412 (Horning-Keating v. Employers Ins. of Wausau) 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
Horning-Keating v. Employers Ins. of Wausau, 969 So. 2d 412, 2007 WL 3118841 (Fla. Ct. App. 2007).

Opinion

969 So.2d 412 (2007)

Faith O. HORNING-KEATING, Appellant/Cross-Appellee,
v.
EMPLOYERS INSURANCE OF WAUSAU, etc., et al.

Nos. 5D05-3903, 5D06-184, 5D06-314.

District Court of Appeal of Florida, Fifth District.

October 26, 2007.
Rehearing Denied December 3, 2007.

*414 Wayne Johnson, of DeCiccio & Johnson, Winter Park, for Appellant/Cross-Appellee.

Nina K. Brown and Antonio D. Morin of Akerman Senterfitt, Miami, for Appellee/Cross-Appellant Employers Insurance of Wausau.

Michael R. D'Lugo of Wicker, Smith, O'Hara, McCoy, Graham & Ford, P.A., Orlando, for Appellees/Cross-Appellants Rissman, Weisberg, Barrett, Hurt, Donahue & McLain, P.A.

Robert E. Mansbach, Jr., E. Ginnette Childs of Zimmerman, Kiser & Sutcliffe, P.A., Orlando, for Appellees/Cross-Appellants Mark Spangler, P.A., Spangler, Mace & Zinaich, P.A., and Mark Spangler.

PALMER, C.J.

Faith O. Horning-Keating (Keating) appeals the final summary judgment entered by the trial court in favor of Mark Spangler (Spangler), Employer's Insurance of Wausau (Wausau), and the law firm of *415 Rissman, Weisberg, Barrett, Hurt, Donahue and McLain, P.A. (Rissman). Determining that there are material issues of fact in dispute as to one count of Keating's complaint, we reverse in part.

The matters at issue in this case have a long history, beginning in 1991, when Keating's client, Barney Dreggors, filed a claim for workers' compensation benefits against his employer's insurer, Wausau. At the hearing regarding Dreggors' entitlement to receive benefits, Keating represented Dreggors. Spangler, an employee of the Rissman firm, represented Wausau.

Upon review of the evidence presented, the judge of compensation claims (JCC) found in favor of Dreggors and awarded him, among other things, attendant care benefits. The JCC based the benefits award upon the testimony of doctors who stated that Dreggors needed 24-hour supervision because of memory loss and cognitive and neurological deficits resulting from his head injury.

Of importance to this appeal, the workers' compensation award included reimbursement to Dreggors for 12 hours a day of family attendant care and an additional 12 hours a day of non-family attendant care. The order indicated that Kerry Dreggors (Barney Dreggors' wife) had hired Louise Rothstein as the non-family attendant. However, the order awarding attendant care benefits did not mention that Rothstein was specifically entitled to be paid for the care. Instead, the order stated generally that attendant care benefits could be paid according to a certain calculation. Also, the JCC noted, in correspondence with the parties, that Spangler and Wausau hid behind "a wall of willful ignorance" regarding Wausau's refusal to pay attendant care benefits to Dreggors. The JCC also characterized Spangler's conduct in handling the case as reprehensible, insufficient, and shameful. Wausau appealed the JCC's decision to the First District Court of Appeal, which affirmed the JCC's decision.

The instant litigation began when Keating filed a complaint against Rothstein, Wausau, Rissman, and Spangler. The complaint set forth causes of action for invasion of privacy and violation of Florida's Security of Communications Act.[1] In her complaint, Keating set forth the following allegations.

First, Keating's complaint alleged that, upon receipt of the decision from the First District Court of Appeal, Spangler made a decision to have Wausau issue a check to Rothstein for non-family attendant care benefits in an attempt to entrap the Dreggors and/or Keating because he believed they were guilty of committing insurance fraud. In furtherance of that plan, Spangler directed Wausau to issue a check to Rothstein in care of Keating for the sum of $51,900. Since Rothstein was no longer living with the Dreggors, Spangler hired a private investigator, Joel Smith, to find Rothstein. When Smith found Rothstein, he showed her a copy of the Wausau check and told her that if she cashed the check and had not provided any attendant care to Barney Dreggors, she would be guilty of committing insurance fraud. When Rothstein became hysterical in response to that information, Smith advised her to call Spangler. Spangler directed Rothstein to come to his office to give a sworn statement that she did not provide attendant care for Dreggors. After Rothstein provided her statement, Spangler notified the Florida Department of Insurance, Division of Insurance Fraud, that the Dreggors and Keating were engaged in insurance fraud.

*416 The complaint further alleged that, subsequently, the Wausau check for $51,900 in attendant care benefits was sent to Keating, who notified the Dreggors that Wausau had issued an attendant care benefit check payable to Rothstein for the time she lived with the Dreggors. The Dreggors met with Rothstein at least two times to confer about the check and they advised Rothstein to meet with Keating to discuss the issue. Rothstein secretly tape-recorded one of her meetings with the Dreggors.

Before meeting with Keating, Rothstein met with Spangler. During her meeting with Spangler, Rothstein requested a "get out of jail free" letter which could be used in the event she later signed the check for attendant care benefits. Spangler provided Rothstein with a letter stating that she would not be prosecuted if she signed the check during her meeting with Keating. Rothstein told Spangler she intended to secretly tape record her meeting with Keating. Rothstein then met with Keating and secretly tape-recorded the meeting, but did not endorse the check (nor was it ever cashed).[2] After Rothstein left her meeting with Keating, she met with Spangler, who listened to the tape recording of the meeting. Spangler then again contacted the Division of Insurance Fraud.

By that time, Agent David Locker had been assigned to the case. Spangler and Rothstein went to Locker's office to play the tape of Rothstein's meeting with Keating for him. Locker took the case to the Office of the Statewide Prosecutor. Spangler also contacted Channel 9 News alleging that the Dreggors and Keating had fraudulently obtained workers' compensation benefits and were being charged by the Office of Statewide Prosecutor. After the prosecutor completed his investigation, the criminal case proceeded against Kerry Dreggors only. At the conclusion of the trial, the jury acquitted Kerry Dreggors on all charges.

In asserting claims for invasion of privacy and for violation of Florida's Security of Communications Act, Keating's complaint cited to Rothstein's act of secretly tape recording her meeting in Keating's office.

Spangler, Wausau and Rissman all filed answers to Keating's complaint generally denying liability. Thereafter, following discovery, Rissman filed a motion for summary judgment claiming that judgment should be entered in its favor on Keating's section 934.03 claim because Spangler had no duty to prevent Rothstein from committing the criminal act of tape recording the conversation in Keating's office. Additionally, Rissman argued that judgment should be entered in its favor on Keating's invasion of privacy claim because Keating had no expectation of privacy in her business office which Rothstein was invited into with Keating's knowledge and consent.

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Related

Dreggors v. Wausau Ins. Co.
995 So. 2d 547 (District Court of Appeal of Florida, 2008)
Dreggors v. Employers Insurance of Wausau
987 So. 2d 678 (District Court of Appeal of Florida, 2007)

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Bluebook (online)
969 So. 2d 412, 2007 WL 3118841, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/horning-keating-v-employers-ins-of-wausau-fladistctapp-2007.