Do Yourself a Favor: Have a Court Reporter at Important Hearings
Make sure to have a court reporter at any substantive hearing, particularly a hearing that could result in an appeal.
Here is why. In a slip and fall action, Lago v. Costco Wholesale Corp., 42 Fla. L. Weekly D2599a (Fla. 3d DCA 2017), the trial court granted summary judgment in favor of the defendant. The trial court’s summary judgment order provided NO elaboration or reasoning as to the basis of granting the summary judgment. It was probably a simple order that stated that the defendant’s motion for summary judgment was granted. This does not provide a whole lot of comfort to parties or even practitioners that receive an order with no reasoning. It certainly does not bring me any comfort.
The plaintiff appealed and argued that the trial court erred in entering an unelaborated order. The appellate court disagreed on this point: “‘[w]hile it might be desirable for the trial judge to specify his reasons for granting or denying a summary judgment there does not appear to be any rule or decision that requires him to do so.’” Lago, supra, quoting Newman v. Shore, 206 So.2d 279, 280 (Fla. 3d DCA 1968). Irrespective of the lack of stated reasoning in the order, the appellate court found that the reasoning was clear when reviewing the defendant’s motion for summary judgment, the plaintiff’s response, and the transcribed summary judgment hearing. (Remember, a summary judgment is reviewed on appeal with a de novo standard of appellate review.)
My guess is the transcribed summary judgment hearing was important and it underscores the importance of having a court reporter at a hearing for this purpose. If the trial court does not provide its reasoning in an order, it is not always clear what the reasoning is that led to the ruling. Having a court reporter at the hearing allows the appellate court to review the arguments raised at the hearing including any pronouncements by the trial court at the hearing.
Please contact David Adelstein at [email protected] or (954) 361-4720 if you have questions or would like more information regarding this article. You can follow David Adelstein on Twitter @DavidAdelstein1.
