Wendt v. Horowitz

822 So. 2d 1252, 2002 WL 1290902
CourtSupreme Court of Florida
DecidedJune 13, 2002
DocketSC00-389
StatusPublished
Cited by231 cases

This text of 822 So. 2d 1252 (Wendt v. Horowitz) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Florida primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Wendt v. Horowitz, 822 So. 2d 1252, 2002 WL 1290902 (Fla. 2002).

Opinion

822 So.2d 1252 (2002)

Bernard WENDT, Petitioner,
v.
Marvin HOROWITZ, et al., Respondents.

No. SC00-389.

Supreme Court of Florida.

June 13, 2002.

*1253 Robert E. Austin, Jr., Bradford D. Fisher, and Reda J. Stewart of Austin & Pepperman, Leesburg, FL, for Petitioner.

Dale T. Golden and Michael J. McGirney of Marshall, Dennehey, Warner, Coleman & Goggin, Tampa, FL, for Respondents.

PARIENTE, J.

We have for review Horowitz v. Laske, 751 So.2d 82 (Fla. 5th DCA 1999), a decision from the Fifth District Court of Appeal that expressly and directly conflicts with the Fourth District Court of Appeal's decisions in Silver v. Levinson, 648 So.2d 240 (Fla. 4th DCA 1994), and Carida v. Holy Cross Hospital, 424 So.2d 849 (Fla. 4th DCA 1982), overruled on other grounds in Doe v. Thompson, 620 So.2d 1004 (Fla.1993).[1] We have jurisdiction. See art. V, § 3(b)(3), Fla. Const.

The conflict issue presented in this case is whether making telephonic, electronic, or written communications into this State can constitute "committing a tortious act" within Florida to subject a nonresident defendant to personal jurisdiction under section 48.193(1)(b), Florida Statutes (1999), of Florida's long-arm statute. For the reasons that follow, we hold that "committing a tortious act" within Florida under section 48.193(1)(b) can occur by making telephonic, electronic, or written communications into this State, provided that the tort alleged arises from such communications.[2]

*1254 BACKGROUND

Because this case arises from a motion to dismiss for lack of personal jurisdiction, we derive the facts from the affidavits in support of the motion to dismiss, and the transcripts and records submitted in opposition to the motion to dismiss. See Venetian Salami Co. v. Parthenais, 554 So.2d 499, 502-03 (Fla.1989). Beginning in 1993, K.D. Trinh Investments, Inc. ("K.D. Trinh"), a Canadian corporation, held itself out as specializing in the purchase and quick sale of food products. K.D. Trinh derived capital for its operation from short term, high interest loans made almost exclusively to K.D. Trinh by Florida residents through independent agents who brokered the loans from Florida.

Initially, Alexander Legault was president of K.D. Trinh. At that time, Loren ("Ray") Reynolds was a salaried K.D. Trinh employee in charge of raising capital in Florida and enlisting independent agents who were Florida residents. Reynolds was a Florida resident, domiciled in Florida, and worked for K.D. Trinh from Florida. Moreover, George Hermann and his company, H & R Financial Services, Inc. (collectively "Hermann"), and petitioner Bernard Wendt served as resident agents who solicited investors. Hermann also was a Florida resident who was domiciled in Florida.

K.D. Trinh retained respondent Marvin Horowitz, a Michigan attorney, and his law firm, Horowitz & Gudeman, P.C., a Michigan law firm, as outside counsel to advise it on a number of matters pertaining to the sale of its notes and other securities matters in the United States, including Florida. Horowitz revised and drafted the notes and certificates used by K.D. Trinh for loans from Florida residents, allegedly to conform to federal and Florida securities law. Horowitz advised K.D. Trinh and Florida investors that the notes and certificates were not securities under federal and Florida law, and that K.D. Trinh's agents were not required to be licensed securities brokers within the State of Florida to legally offer the loans evidenced by those instruments. Moreover, Horowitz advised that, even if the notes and certificates were deemed to be securities, they were exempt from registration under section 517.051(8) or section 517.061(11)(a), Florida Statutes (1993), or both.

On June 13, 1994, Lynn Chang, an investigator with the Office of Comptroller, Department of Banking and Finance of the State of Florida, wrote Hermann concerning "certain investments which may be `securities' under Section 517.921, Florida Statutes," and inquired whether K.D. Trinh was relying on an exemption or if it anticipated registration of the securities. Hermann contacted Reynolds, who told Hermann to contact Legault. Legault sent Horowitz the letter from the Office of the Comptroller, and Horowitz called Hermann in Florida and assured him that he would take care of the investigation. Horowitz was involved in two separate investigations by the State of Florida for K.D. Trinh.

Investors Edward and Ruth Laske, individually and on behalf of similarly situated individuals, filed a class action lawsuit against Wendt. The lawsuit alleged that Wendt acted as a broker and a promoter for the sale of K.D. Trinh notes, which turned out to be worthless. The lawsuit claimed that the sale of these notes violated securities laws. Wendt filed a third-party complaint, and then an amended third-party complaint, against several parties, including Horowitz and his law firm. Wendt claimed that he relied to his detriment on legal advice Horowitz had given.

*1255 To establish personal jurisdiction over Horowitz as a nonresident defendant, Wendt's amended third-party complaint alleged that jurisdiction was proper under section 48.193(1)(a), (1)(b), and (1)(f)(1), Florida Statutes (1999).[3]See Horowitz, 751 So.2d at 85. Specifically, regarding section 48.193(1)(b) Wendt alleged jurisdiction was proper concerning Horowitz because Horowitz:

Committed a tortious act in Florida by (1) negligently responding in writing to an investigation by the Division of Securities relating to the alleged sale of unregistered securities and (2) negligently drafting loan documents that were knowingly intended by him to be evidence of loans to be made by Florida residents to K.D. Trinh without appropriate consideration being given to Florida securities laws and restrictions on allowable interest, all of which resulted in Florida residents' sustaining personal injuries and monetary losses and being subjected to administrative, civil, and criminal proceedings.[4]

Id. at 84. Horowitz moved to dismiss for lack of personal jurisdiction and filed an affidavit in support of his motion. See id. The affidavit stated:

[H]e was a resident of the State of Michigan; was duly licensed to practice law in Michigan; had never been a resident of the State of Florida; had never solicited or conducted personal business within the State of Florida; his contacts with any party or entity in the State of Florida had been on behalf of a client or employer and those contacts had only involved telephonic or mail correspondence and never involved travel to Florida; that he had not traveled to Florida within the past eight years; he had never knowingly received any compensation directly from a Florida resident or entity or a non-Florida resident or entity while that party was in Florida.

Id. (emphasis supplied).

After a hearing on Horowitz's motion to dismiss, Wendt submitted materials, including deposition transcripts, for the trial court to consider in making its ruling. See id. These transcripts and records revealed that Horowitz had some contact with parties and entities in Florida during 1994 and 1995 based on the two inquires made by the State regarding whether K.D. Trinh was selling unregistered securities. See id. at 85. These materials also indicated that Horowitz prepared certain loan *1256 documents for K.D. Trinh, which K.D. Trinh then used in Florida.

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Bluebook (online)
822 So. 2d 1252, 2002 WL 1290902, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/wendt-v-horowitz-fla-2002.