<html xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns:m="http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/2004/12/omml" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40">
<head>
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=us-ascii">
<meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 15 (filtered medium)">
<!--[if !mso]><style>v\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
o\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
w\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
.shape {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
</style><![endif]--><style><!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:"Cambria Math";
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:Calibri;
panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;}
span.EmailStyle17
{mso-style-type:personal-compose;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
color:windowtext;}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;}
@page WordSection1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in;}
div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}
--></style><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapedefaults v:ext="edit" spidmax="1026" />
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapelayout v:ext="edit">
<o:idmap v:ext="edit" data="1" />
</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]-->
</head>
<body lang="EN-US" link="blue" vlink="purple">
<div class="WordSection1">
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt">Dear all, Parton the interruption and I hope everyone is doing well as essential lawyers. I have run into what seems to be a ridiculous interpretation of the prevailing party attorney fee provision under
Fla. Stat. 713.29. As you know, the statute provides “the prevailing party is entitled to recover a reasonable fee for the services of his or her attorney for trial and appeal or for arbitration…” The argument is that “for trial” means that you only are
entitled to fees for the actual time in trial and not the pre-trial litigation costs of depositions, discovery, pre-trial motions etc. The fee provision mirrors that fee provision in 255.05 and the fraudulent lien statute. My office has researched this issue
and cannot find any reported case where anyone has raised this argument. Rather, there are countless cases where fees are awarded for summary judgment, motions to dismiss, and even mediation (where the party to did include a no liability provision). While
I think the argument is foolish, I cannot find any decision in the state of Florida where someone has raised it.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt">Has anyone of my distinguished colleagues encountered this?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt">Be safe.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom:6.0pt;mso-add-space:auto"><b><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#5E88A2">Robert A. Carlson</span></b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#1F497D"><br>
</span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;font-variant:small-caps;color:#595959">Partner
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom:6.0pt;mso-add-space:auto"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;font-variant:small-caps;color:#595959">Board Certified in Construction Law<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><img width="279" height="102" style="width:2.9062in;height:1.0625in" id="Picture_x0020_2" src="cid:image003.png@01D6230A.7309DE40"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><br>
<span style="font-variant:small-caps;color:#595959">100 Biscayne Blvd., Suite 605<br>
Miami, Florida 33132<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:6.0pt"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;font-variant:small-caps;color:#5E88A2">T</span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;font-variant:small-caps;color:#595959">
305.377.2323 </span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;font-variant:small-caps;color:#5E88A2">F</span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;font-variant:small-caps;color:#595959"> 305.377.2320</span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><br>
</span><a href="http://www.lee-lawfirm.com/"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;font-variant:small-caps;color:blue">www.Lee-Lawfirm.com</span></a><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:6.0pt"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;font-variant:small-caps"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#1F497D">CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE:</span></b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#1F497D"> This e-mail message and the information it contains
are intended to be privileged and confidential communications protected from disclosure. If you are not the intended recipient, any dissemination, distribution or copying is strictly prohibited. If you have received this e-mail message in error, please notify
the sender by e-mail at </span><a href="mailto:rcarlson@lee-lawfirm.com"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:blue">rcarlson@lee-lawfirm.com</span></a><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#1F497D">
and permanently delete this message.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1F497D"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#1F497D">CIRCULAR 230 DISCLOSURE:</span></b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#1F497D"> To ensure compliance with requirements imposed
by the IRS, we inform you that any U.S. federal tax advice contained in this communication, or any attachments thereto, was not written to be used and cannot be used for the purpose of (i) avoiding tax-related penalties under the Internal Revenue Code or (ii)
promoting, marketing or recommending to another party any tax-related matters addressed herein.</span><span style="color:#1F497D"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
</div>
</body>
</html>