{"id":903361,"date":"2024-10-01T15:55:11","date_gmt":"2024-10-01T21:55:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/?p=903361"},"modified":"2024-10-01T15:55:13","modified_gmt":"2024-10-01T21:55:13","slug":"notice-of-intent-courts-split-over-retroactive-application","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/notice-of-intent-courts-split-over-retroactive-application\/","title":{"rendered":"The Main Event: Florida Supreme Court to Resolve District Court Split Over Retroactive Application of State\u2019s NOI Statute"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Vincent Fernandez and Shaheen Nouri | Butler Weihmuller Katz Craig<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tag-teaming with Florida\u2019s Sixth District Court of Appeal, the Second District is also at odds with the Third and Fourth Districts on the issue of retroactive application of Florida\u2019s litigation-intent statute.  In Buis v. Universal Property & Casualty Insurance Company<\/em>, No. 2D2023-0655, 2024 WL 4096130 (Fla. 2d DCA Sept. 6, 2024), the Second District recently aligned with the Sixth District\u2019s decision in Hughes v. Universal Property & Casualty Insurance Company<\/em>, 374 So. 3d 900, 910 (Fla. 6th DCA 2023), review granted, <\/em>No. SC2024-0025, 2024 WL 1714497 (Fla. Apr. 22, 2024), and held that the notice statute cannot apply retroactively to policies in effect prior to its effective date.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Florida\u2019s NOI statute<\/a>, enacted in June of 2021, \u201c. . . applies exclusively to all suits not brought by an assignee arising under a residential or commercial property insurance policy, including . . . [those] issued by an eligible surplus lines insurer.\u201d\u00a0 Section 627.70152(1), Fla. Stat. (2021).\u00a0 As a condition precedent to suing a property insurance carrier, the NOI statute requires an insured to provide the carrier with a formal notice of their intent to initiate litigation (\u201cNOI\u201d) through the proper filing channels of the Florida Department of Financial Services. \u00a0If an insured sues without filing a proper NOI with the Department, the statute requires Florida\u2019s courts to dismiss the lawsuit without prejudice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The NOI statute clearly applies to all property insurance lawsuits filed on or after the enactment. However, the continuing dispute between Florida\u2019s courts has been whether the statute\u2019s requirement to file an NOI applies retroactively in circumstances where an insurance policy was in effect prior to the statute\u2019s effective date.  On this important point, Florida\u2019s appellate courts disagree.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Florida\u2019s Fourth District Court of Appeal in\u00a0Cole v. Universal Property & Casualty Insurance Company,\u00a0<\/em>363 So. 3d 1089 (Fla. 4th DCA 2023), was the first to rule on the issue of retroactivity.\u00a0 The Fourth District held that\u00a0the phrase \u201c[the] section applies exclusively to all suits\u201d was evidence of the legislature\u2019s intent that the statute be applied retroactively, that the requirement to provide an NOI prior to filing suit was procedural in nature, which did not impair a vested right or create a new penalty, and could thus be applied retroactively<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Following Cole, <\/em>Florida\u2019s federal courts have recognized that Cole <\/em>represents the law of Florida, and have relied on the opinion to dismiss lawsuits where the insured failed to comply with the NOI statute.  See<\/em> Pearson v. Scottsdale Ins. Co., <\/em>No. 8:22-CV-1530-SDM-AEP, 2023 WL 4419725 (M.D. Fla. July 10, 2023); Jesus Rock Ministries, Inc., v. Scottsdale Insurance Company, <\/em>No. 22-22895-CIV, 2023 WL 6975827 (S.D. Fla. Oct. 23, 2023); Botelho v. Indian Harbor Insurance Company<\/em>, No. 24-80530-CIV-DIMITROULEAS (S.D. Fla. June 7, 2024); Peterson & Young v. Jewelers Mut. Ins. Co.<\/em>, No. 23-81253-CIV, 2024 WL 472292 (S.D. Fla. Feb. 7, 2024). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Florida\u2019s Sixth District Court of Appeal certified conflict with Cole<\/em> in Hughes v. Universal Property & Casualty Insurance Company<\/em>, 374 So. 3d 900, 910 (Fla. 6th DCA 2023).  In Hughes<\/em>, the Sixth District held that the NOI statute cannot apply retroactively because it lacks clear legislative intent for retroactive application and is substantive in nature. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Florida\u2019s Third District Court of Appeal followed with its own decision that aligned with\u00a0Cole<\/em>\u00a0in\u00a0Cantens v. Certain Underwriters at Lloyd\u2019s London<\/em>, No. 3D22-0917 (Fla. 3d DCA Feb. 13, 2024).\u00a0\u00a0Cantens<\/em>\u00a0held that the NOI requirement of the statute is procedural in nature and that legislative intent for retroactive application exists<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now, Florida\u2019s Second District, in deciding Buis v. Universal Property & Casualty Insurance Company<\/em>, has aligned with the Sixth District\u2019s decision in Hughes.<\/em>  In Buis<\/em>, the insureds appealed the dismissal of their lawsuit against their carrier for failure to comply with the NOI Statute.  In reversing the dismissal, the Court in Buis <\/em>made three points.  First, it did not find the phrase \u201call suits\u201d in the statute to be evidence of the legislature\u2019s intent that the statute be applied retroactively.  Second, the Court relied upon the effective date of the statute as evidence rebutting any legislative intent for retroactive application.  Third, the Court interpreted the phrase \u201c[this] section applies exclusively to all suits not brought by an assignee\u201d as the statute\u2019s description of the type of plaintiff and lawsuit it applied to, not the timing of the policies governed by the statute.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Buis<\/em> Court aligned with Hughes<\/em> and certified conflict with the Third District\u2019s decision in Cantens<\/em> and the Fourth District\u2019s decision in Cole<\/em>.  The Florida Supreme Court granted a review of the Hughes<\/em> decision, with the championship belt up for grabs in the main event sometime in 2025.  Briefing on the merits is underway. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stay tuned!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

When one of your cases is in need of a construction expert, estimates, insurance appraisal or umpire services in defect or insurance disputes – please call Advise & Consult, Inc. at 888.684.8305, or email experts@adviseandconsult.net<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Vincent Fernandez and Shaheen Nouri | Butler Weihmuller Katz Craig Tag-teaming with Florida\u2019s Sixth District Court of Appeal, the Second District is also at odds with the Third and Fourth Districts on the issue of retroactive application of Florida\u2019s litigation-intent statute.  In Buis v. Universal Property & Casualty Insurance Company, No. 2D2023-0655, 2024 WL 4096130 (Fla.… Continue reading The Main Event: Florida Supreme Court to Resolve District Court Split Over Retroactive Application of State\u2019s NOI Statute<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[10721],"tags":[9895,94,22,11970],"class_list":["post-903361","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-insurance","tag-advise-consult","tag-florida","tag-insurance","tag-notice-of-intent","entry"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"\nThe Main Event: Florida Supreme Court to Resolve District Court Split Over Retroactive Application of State\u2019s NOI Statute - 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