arrow left
arrow right
  • GUILLERMO DOMINGUEZ ET AL VS CITIZENS PROPERTY INSURANCE CORPORATION Contract & Indebtedness document preview
  • GUILLERMO DOMINGUEZ ET AL VS CITIZENS PROPERTY INSURANCE CORPORATION Contract & Indebtedness document preview
  • GUILLERMO DOMINGUEZ ET AL VS CITIZENS PROPERTY INSURANCE CORPORATION Contract & Indebtedness document preview
  • GUILLERMO DOMINGUEZ ET AL VS CITIZENS PROPERTY INSURANCE CORPORATION Contract & Indebtedness document preview
  • GUILLERMO DOMINGUEZ ET AL VS CITIZENS PROPERTY INSURANCE CORPORATION Contract & Indebtedness document preview
  • GUILLERMO DOMINGUEZ ET AL VS CITIZENS PROPERTY INSURANCE CORPORATION Contract & Indebtedness document preview
  • GUILLERMO DOMINGUEZ ET AL VS CITIZENS PROPERTY INSURANCE CORPORATION Contract & Indebtedness document preview
  • GUILLERMO DOMINGUEZ ET AL VS CITIZENS PROPERTY INSURANCE CORPORATION Contract & Indebtedness document preview
						
                                

Preview

Filing # 112061010 E-Filed 08/19/2020 02:14:57 PM JHR/kxh/60110-1629 IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE 11TH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT IN AND FOR MIAMI- DADE COUNTY, FLORIDA CASE NO. 19-016161 CA 01 (11) CONSOLIDATED WITH CASE NO. 19-013078 CC 25 (02) FLORIDA BAR NO. 50230 GUILLERMO DOMINGUEZ and INGRID DOMINGUEZ, Plaintiff, vs. CITIZENS PROPERTY INSURANCE CORPORATION, Defendant. ON TIME MITIGATION & RESTORATION, LLC A/A/O GUILLERMO & INGRID DOMINGUEZ, Plaintiff, vs. CITIZENS PROPERTY INSURANCE CORPORATION, Defendants. / DEFENDANT’S MOTION TO COMPEL PRODUCTION OF KNOWLEDGEABLE CORPORATE REPRESENTATIVE AND FOR SANCTIONS BOYD RICHARDS PARKER & COLONNELLI, P.L. MIAMI FT. LAUDERDALE TAMPA WEST PALM BEACH NEW YORK 1600 W. Commercial Boulevard, Suite 201 100 S.E. Second Street, Suite 2600 400 N. Ashley Drive, Suite 1150824 U.S. Highway One, Suite 1007 Times Square, 19th Floor Miami, Florida 33131 Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33309 Tampa, Florida 33602 North Palm Beach, Florida 33408 New York, New York 10036 Tel: 954-848-2460 Fax: 954-848-2470 Tel: 786-425-1045 Fax: 786-425-3905 Tel: 813-223-6021 Fax: 813-223-6024 Tel: 561-624-8233 Fax: 561-624-8940Tel: (212) 400-0626 COMES NOW, the Defendant, CITIZENS PROPERTY INSURANCE CORPORATION, by and through its undersigned counsel, pursuant to Fla. R. Civ. P. 1.380 and 1.310(b)(6), and brings this Motion to Compel Production of Knowledgeable Corporate Representative and for Sanctions, and in support states the following: Background Plaintiff stands in the shoes of the Insured homeowner by virtue of an assignment of benefits contract related to water mitigation work performed in response to a roof leak at the insured premises. Plaintiff has sued for Breach of Contract alleging that Citizens refused to pay their invoice for services rendered. On February 5, 2020, Defendant filed its Second Amended Notice of Taking Videotaped Deposition of Plaintiff’s Corporate Representative. A copy of that Notice is attached as Exhibit “A.” Therein it is requested that the Plaintiff produce a Corporate Representative having knowledge of seven (7) categories of information. See, Exhibit A, Page 3. The deposition proceeded as scheduled on March 18, 2020, at which time Jean Tuffet appeared on behalf of the Plaintiff. A copy of Mr. Tuffet’s deposition has been filed with the Court. At that time, Mr. Tuffet was wholly unprepared to testify as to four (4) of the seven (7) listed areas of inquiry. As it regards the area of inquiry dealing with identifying all employees who performed work at the home Mr. Tuffet failed to look into the same. His testimony in that regard is as follows: BOYD RICHARDS PARKER & COLONNELLI, P.L. MIAMI FT. LAUDERDALE TAMPA WEST PALM BEACH NEW YORK 1600 W. Commercial Boulevard, Suite 201 100 S.E. Second Street, Suite 2600 400 N. Ashley Drive, Suite 1150824 U.S. Highway One, Suite 1007 Times Square, 19th Floor Miami, Florida 33131 Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33302 Tampa, Florida 33602 North Palm Beach, Florida 33408 New York, New York 10036 Tel: 954-848-2460 Fax: 954-848-2470 Tel: 786-425-1045 Fax: 786-425-3905 Tel: 813-223-6021 Fax: 813-223-6024 Tel: 561-624-8233 Fax: 561-624-8940Tel: (212) 400-0626 Q: Did you do any investigation as to who was actually at the home on June 12, 2019 on behalf of On Time Mitigation? (P. 12, Ln. 24) A: I did not. (P. 13, Ln. 2) Q: Are you prepared to tell me who was at the home, and identify those persons, for the retarp? (P. 13, Ln. 8) A: I am not. (P. 13, Ln. 10) Mr. Tuffet acknowledged that he could have asked a co-owner of the company who was present to work at the Insured’s home, but clearly did not do so. See, Deposition of Jean Tuffet, P. 19, Ln. 8-17. As it regards the area of inquiry dealing with the technical specifications and manner of operating the equipment used by On Time Mitigation, Mr. Tuffet was unable to provide testimony in that regard. Specifically, his testimony was as follows: Q: Who would know that specific technical information, as to why that size unit and those liters per hour were used in this circumstance? (P. 28, Ln. 21) A: I don’t know. Not me. (P. 28, Ln. 24) Q: Can you tell me why the equipment was put in place for three days as opposed to two? (P. 39, Ln. 21) A: Three days is probably the amount of time that the technician felt that it needed to be there in order to serve its purpose? (P. 39, Ln. 21) Q: But in terms of the technical reasons why, relative to the humidity, or the amount of moisture content, that’s something that you may not be able to tell me today? Is that my – (P. 40, Ln. 1) BOYD RICHARDS PARKER & COLONNELLI, P.L. MIAMI FT. LAUDERDALE TAMPA WEST PALM BEACH NEW YORK 1600 W. Commercial Boulevard, Suite 201 100 S.E. Second Street, Suite 2600 400 N. Ashley Drive, Suite 1150824 U.S. Highway One, Suite 1007 Times Square, 19th Floor Miami, Florida 33131 Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33302 Tampa, Florida 33602 North Palm Beach, Florida 33408 New York, New York 10036 Tel: 954-848-2460 Fax: 954-848-2470 Tel: 786-425-1045 Fax: 786-425-3905 Tel: 813-223-6021 Fax: 813-223-6024 Tel: 561-624-8233 Fax: 561-624-8940Tel: (212) 400-0626 A: Yes, that’s something I wouldn’t – that’s something the tech would have to give you insight into. (P. 40, Ln. 5) Plaintiff’s Corporate Representative was also unable to testify as to area of inquiry number 4, regarding the cost of equipment used at the Insured’s home. Specifically, Mr. Tuffet’s testimony in that regard was as follows: Q: Are you able to tell me the cost of the equipment that was used by your company at the Dominguez home in terms of the cost On Time Mitigation incurred n purchasing each dehumidifier, air scrubber, air mover, things like that? (P. 29, Ln. 23) A: No, not at the moment. (P. 30, Ln. 3) Q: Did you do any research in that regard in preparation for today’s deposition? (P. 30, Ln. 9) A: I did not. (P. 30, Ln. 11) Plaintiff’s Corporate Representative didn’t research whether Plaintiff had ever done work at the insured premises at any other time despite area of inquiry number 1 requesting information regarding all work performed at the subject residence. See, Deposition of Jean Tuffet, P. 8, Ln. 21-25. Memorandum of Law Under Rule 1.310(b)(6), Fla. R. Civ. P., On Time Mitigation had an obligation to produce a witness “who can testify as to the corporation’s knowledge of the specified topics.” This places a duty on the corporation to affirmatively prepare its representative “to the extent matters are reasonably available, whether from documents, past employees, BOYD RICHARDS PARKER & COLONNELLI, P.L. MIAMI FT. LAUDERDALE TAMPA WEST PALM BEACH NEW YORK 1600 W. Commercial Boulevard, Suite 201 100 S.E. Second Street, Suite 2600 400 N. Ashley Drive, Suite 1150824 U.S. Highway One, Suite 1007 Times Square, 19th Floor Miami, Florida 33131 Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33302 Tampa, Florida 33602 North Palm Beach, Florida 33408 New York, New York 10036 Tel: 954-848-2460 Fax: 954-848-2470 Tel: 786-425-1045 Fax: 786-425-3905 Tel: 813-223-6021 Fax: 813-223-6024 Tel: 561-624-8233 Fax: 561-624-8940Tel: (212) 400-0626 or other sources.” Carriage Hills Condo, Inc. v. JBH Roofing & Constructors, Inc. 109 So.3d 329, 334 (Fla. 4th DCA 2013). If the entity’s chosen representative “is not knowledgeable about relevant facts, and the [organization] has failed to designate an available, knowledgeable, and readily identifiable witness, then the appearance is, for all practical purposes, no appearance at all.” Resolution Trust Corp. v. So. Union Co., Inc., 985 F. 2d 196, 197 (5th Cir. 1993)(cited approvingly by Carriage Hills, 109 So.3d at 335). Plaintiff’s Corporate Representative did not do any research or talk to anyone in the corporation to obtain the information properly identified in the notice of taking deposition. See, Deposition of Jean Tuffet, P. 9, Ln. 4-10. He merely reviewed the invoice and the contract, despite Defendant’s requests for specified information that clearly was not contained in those documents. See, Deposition of Jean Tuffet, P. 9, Ln. 1- 3. This is clearly an insufficient effort that has resulted in undersigned being unable to obtain the needed information without taking a second deposition. That Defendant is in need of a second deposition to obtain the information previously requested is solely the fault of the insufficiently prepared corporate representative presented by Plaintiff. When asked why he was not prepared to testify as to the properly identified areas of inquiry, Mr. Tuffet had no excuse but to say “because I am not.” See, Deposition of Jean Tuffet, P. 13, Ln. 12. Pursuant to Fla R. Civ. P. 1.380(d) Defendant is entitled to its costs related to the subject deposition because Plaintiff practically did not appear for the deposition for all BOYD RICHARDS PARKER & COLONNELLI, P.L. MIAMI FT. LAUDERDALE TAMPA WEST PALM BEACH NEW YORK 1600 W. Commercial Boulevard, Suite 201 100 S.E. Second Street, Suite 2600 400 N. Ashley Drive, Suite 1150824 U.S. Highway One, Suite 1007 Times Square, 19th Floor Miami, Florida 33131 Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33302 Tampa, Florida 33602 North Palm Beach, Florida 33408 New York, New York 10036 Tel: 954-848-2460 Fax: 954-848-2470 Tel: 786-425-1045 Fax: 786-425-3905 Tel: 813-223-6021 Fax: 813-223-6024 Tel: 561-624-8233 Fax: 561-624-8940Tel: (212) 400-0626 material purposes. Resolution Trust Corp at 197. Defendant properly noticed the areas of inquiry with sufficient time for Plaintiff to obtain the needed information, which they failed to obtain. This constitutes good faith conferral with the Plaintiff who failed to properly prepare. As a result of Plaintiff’s failure to prepare, Defendant is obligated to pay fees and costs related to the deposition which was a fruitless exercise. Plaintiff should be made to bear those costs instead of the Defendant, pursuant to Fla. R. Civ. P. 1.380, and the Court’s inherent authority to impose sanctions. Further, Plaintiff should be required to present a properly prepared and knowledgeable witness to answer questions related to the previously identified areas of inquiry pursuant to Fla. R. Civ. P. 1.310(b)(6). WHEREFORE, the Defendant, CITIZENS PROPERTY INSURANCE CORPORATION, respectfully requests this Honorable Court enter an Order declaring that Defendant is entitled to fees and costs related to the deposition of Plaintiff’s Corporate Representative, and commanding Plaintiff to produce a knowledgeable Corporate Representative for further deposition, and such other relief as this court deems just and proper. WE HEREBY CERTIFY that a copy of the foregoing was filed with the Clerk of the Court using the Florida Courts E-Filing Portal on August 19, 2020, to be served this date on J.P. Gonzalez-Sirgo, Esq., J.P. Gonzalez-Sirgo P.A., 814 Ponce de Leon Blvd. #504, Coral Gables FL 33134; via transmission of Notice of Electronic Filing generated by eservice@myflcourtaccess.com and/or was sent by electronic mail to the above addressee. BOYD RICHARDS PARKER & COLONNELLI, P.L. MIAMI FT. LAUDERDALE TAMPA WEST PALM BEACH NEW YORK 1600 W. Commercial Boulevard, Suite 201 100 S.E. Second Street, Suite 2600 400 N. Ashley Drive, Suite 1150824 U.S. Highway One, Suite 1007 Times Square, 19th Floor Miami, Florida 33131 Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33302 Tampa, Florida 33602 North Palm Beach, Florida 33408 New York, New York 10036 Tel: 954-848-2460 Fax: 954-848-2470 Tel: 786-425-1045 Fax: 786-425-3905 Tel: 813-223-6021 Fax: 813-223-6024 Tel: 561-624-8233 Fax: 561-624-8940Tel: (212) 400-0626 BOYD RICHARDS PARKER & COLONNELLI, P.L. Attorneys for Defendant 1600 W. Commercial Boulevard, Suite 201 Fort Lauderdale, FL 33309 (954) 848-2460 (954) 848-2470 FAX Service of pleadings: serviceFLL@boydlawgroup.com BY: /s/William E. Peters, Jr. WILLIAM E. PETERS, JR. BOYD RICHARDS PARKER & COLONNELLI, P.L. MIAMI FT. LAUDERDALE TAMPA WEST PALM BEACH NEW YORK 1600 W. Commercial Boulevard, Suite 201 100 S.E. Second Street, Suite 2600 400 N. Ashley Drive, Suite 1150824 U.S. Highway One, Suite 1007 Times Square, 19th Floor Miami, Florida 33131 Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33302 Tampa, Florida 33602 North Palm Beach, Florida 33408 New York, New York 10036 Tel: 954-848-2460 Fax: 954-848-2470 Tel: 786-425-1045 Fax: 786-425-3905 Tel: 813-223-6021 Fax: 813-223-6024 Tel: 561-624-8233 Fax: 561-624-8940Tel: (212) 400-0626 7KH5XOH E  &RUSRUDWH5HSUHVHQWDWLYHRI2Q7LPH0LWLJDWLRQ  3XUVXDQW WR )ORULGD 5XOHV RI &LYLO 3URFHGXUH  E   2Q 7LPH 0LWLJDWLRQ VKDOOGHVLJQDWHRQHRUPRUHTXDOLILHGLQGLYLGXDOVKDYLQJNQRZOHGJHRIWKHWRSLFVLGHQWLILHG LQ ([KLELW ³$´ 7KH GHVLJQDWHG LQGLYLGXDO VKDOO EH SUHSDUHG WR WHVWLI\ DERXW WKH WRSLFV LGHQWLILHGLQ([KLELW³$´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s/ William E. Peters Jr.    :,//,$0(3(7(56-5 FF 86/HJDO6XSSRUW  0,$0, )257/$8'(5'$/( 7$03$ :(673$/0%($&+ 1(:<25.      6(6HFRQG6WUHHW6XLWH :&RPPHUFLDO%RXOHYDUG6XLWH 1$VKOH\'ULYH6XLWH 86+LJKZD\2QH6XLWH 3DUN$YHQXH6XLWH 0LDPL)ORULGD )RUW/DXGHUGDOH)ORULGD 7DPSD)ORULGD 1RUWK3DOP%HDFK)ORULGD 1HZ