JILL PARDES, etc. v. ANDRIA PARDES

CourtDistrict Court of Appeal of Florida
DecidedOctober 27, 2021
Docket19-2406
StatusPublished

This text of JILL PARDES, etc. v. ANDRIA PARDES (JILL PARDES, etc. v. ANDRIA PARDES) 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
JILL PARDES, etc. v. ANDRIA PARDES, (Fla. Ct. App. 2021).

Opinion

Third District Court of Appeal State of Florida

Opinion filed October 27, 2021. Not final until disposition of timely filed motion for rehearing.

________________

No. 3D19-2406 Lower Tribunal No. 14-10507 ________________

Jill Pardes, etc., Appellant/Cross-Appellee,

vs.

Andria Pardes, Appellee/Cross-Appellant.

An Appeal from the Circuit Court for Miami-Dade County, Stanford Blake, Voluntary Trial Resolution Judge.

Law Offices of Paul Morris, P.A., and Paul Morris; Law Offices of Kornreich & Assoc., and Gerald Kornreich and Amber Kornreich; Cotzen Law, P.A., and Michael Cotzen, for appellant/cross-appellee.

Barry S. Franklin & Associates, P.A., and Barry S. Franklin, for appellee/cross-appellant.

Before EMAS, LOGUE and SCALES, JJ.

EMAS, J. INTRODUCTION

Jill Pardes, as Personal Representative of the Estate of Michael

Pardes (“Former Husband”)1 appeals the amended final judgment of

dissolution of marriage. Andria Pardes (“Former Wife”) cross-appeals the

same final judgment. For the reasons that follow, we affirm in part, reverse

in part, and remand for further proceedings consistent with this opinion.

BACKGROUND AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY

The parties, who have no minor children, were married for thirty-three

years and, during the course of the marriage, separated several times and

twice filed petitions for dissolution. During their separations, the parties

entered into several postnuptial agreements addressing their substantial

assets. Following a five-day nonjury trial held before voluntary trial resolution

judge Stanford Blake, 2 the trial court issued the final judgment which is the

subject of this appeal and cross-appeal.

1 During the pending appellate proceedings Michael Pardes passed away. On August 4, 2021, Mr. Pardes’ daughter, Jill Pardes, was substituted as the party-appellant in this appeal. 2 More commonly referred to as a “private judge,” Florida law recognizes that “parties who are involved in a civil dispute may agree in writing to submit the controversy to voluntary binding arbitration, or voluntary trial resolution, in lieu of litigation of the issues involved, prior to or after a lawsuit has been filed, provided no constitutional issue is involved.” § 44.104(1), Fla. Stat. (2019) (entitled “Voluntary binding arbitration and voluntary trial resolution”). For ease of reference, we refer throughout the opinion to voluntary trial resolution judge Stanford Blake as “the trial court.”

2 Former Husband asserts the trial court erred in: 1) failing to reimburse

him for monies paid toward monthly household expenses, which Former

Wife was contractually obligated to pay; 2) finding Former Husband

breached one of the postnuptial agreements by failing to disclose to Former

Wife an investment in a company called Crystal Bay (the “Crystal Bay

Investment”); and 3) determining the residence at 584 Ocean Boulevard

(“the Ocean Boulevard Residence”) was nonmarital property of Former Wife.

Former Wife asserts the trial court erred in: 1) failing to include, in the

calculation of Former Husband’s net worth, an investment known as the

“Stargate Mobile Investment”; 2) reimbursing Former Husband for monies

he spent improving the Ocean Boulevard Residence; and 3) awarding

certain artwork (“the Tremblay artwork”) to Former Husband.

For the reasons that follow, we affirm the trial court’s final judgment in

all respects, except for the award of the Tremblay artwork to Former

Husband.

ANALYSIS

A. Former Husband’s Claims

1. Did the trial court err in failing to credit Former Husband for monies he paid toward monthly household expenses which Former Wife was contractually obligated to pay?

3 According to Former Husband, the parties entered into a postnuptial

agreement in 2002 (the “2002 House Agreement”), which required Former

Wife to pay $2800 monthly toward household expenses on the couple’s

marital home in Golden Beach (the “Golden Beach House”). Former

Husband contends that because Former Wife failed to pay those expenses

(thus requiring Former Husband to do so), the trial court erred in failing to

credit Former Husband for those amounts.

Former Wife countered that 1) the parties subsequently agreed she

would not have to pay the monthly household expense amount; and 2) the

2002 House Agreement was superseded by the couple’s subsequent 2006

postnuptial agreement (“the 2006 Agreement”). The trial court found the

greater weight of the evidence supported Former Wife’s version of the

events, and accordingly, did not credit Former Husband for the amount he

claimed to be owed.

In reviewing a judgment rendered after a bench trial, any questions of

law, including construction of the postnuptial agreements in the instant case,

are reviewed de novo. Katz v. Riemer, 305 So. 3d 663 (Fla. 3d DCA 2020).

In addition, typically, “the trial court’s findings of fact come to the appellate

court with a presumption of correctness and will not be disturbed unless they

are clearly erroneous. Thus, they are reviewed for competent, substantial

4 evidence.” Underwater Eng’g Servs., Inc. v. Utility Bd. of City of Key West,

194 So. 3d 437, 444 (Fla. 3d DCA 2016) (additional citations omitted).

This case, however, is atypical in one important respect: It was tried

before a voluntary trial resolution judge, pursuant to section 44.104, Florida

Statutes. As such, the parties are bound by the provisions of that law,

including section 44.104(11), which provides:

(11) Any party may enforce a final decision rendered in a voluntary trial by filing a petition for final judgment in the circuit court in the circuit in which the voluntary trial took place. Upon entry of final judgment by the circuit court, any party may appeal to the appropriate appellate court. Factual findings determined in the voluntary trial are not subject to appeal.

(Emphasis added). See also Witt v. La Gorce Country Club, Inc., 35 So. 3d

1033, 1040 (Fla. 3d DCA 2010) (holding that, pursuant to section 44.104(11),

an appellate court is “bound by the factual findings of the trial resolution

judge”).

As such, the trial court’s factual determinations—that the parties

agreed Former Wife would no longer be responsible for the monthly

household expenses, and that Former Husband never expected to be paid—

are not subject to review by this court. 3

3 We note, however, that even if we were reviewing such a claim under our traditional standard of review, we would hold that the trial court’s factual determinations are supported by competent substantial evidence.

5 In addition, and upon our de novo review, we conclude that the plain

language of the 2006 Agreement modified the requirement (contained in the

2002 House Agreement) that Former Wife contribute to household

expenses. The 2006 Agreement provided that the 2002 House Agreement

would remain in effect “except to the extent it is modified by or inconsistent

with the terms of this Agreement.” This exception was triggered because, in

that 2006 Agreement, the parties expressly agreed that Former Husband

“shall pay all expenses attendant to and associated with” the marital home,

thereby modifying the conflicting provision in the parties’ 2002 House

Agreement.

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