Excusable Neglect Allows Arbitration Dispute

By Barry Zalma on February 5, 2025

To Dispute an Arbitration Finding Party Must File Dispute Within 20 Days

Post 4988

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EXCUSABLE NEGLECT SUFFICIENT TO DISPUTE ARBITRATION LATE

In Howard Roy Housen and Valerie Housen v. Universal Property & Casualty Insurance Company, No. 4D2023-2720, Florida Court of Appeals, Fourth District (January 22, 2025) the Housens appealed a final judgment in their breach of contract action.

FACTS

The Housens filed an insurance claim with Universal, which was denied, leading them to file a breach of contract action. The parties agreed to non-binding arbitration which resulted in an award not

favorable to the Housens. However, the Housens failed to file a notice of rejection of the arbitration decision within the required 20 days. Instead, they filed a motion for a new trial 29 days after the arbitrator’s decision, citing a clerical error for the delay.

The circuit court rejected their argument and granted Universal’s motion for final judgment. The Housens moved for reconsideration, attaching an affidavit from their counsel’s legal secretary explaining the calendaring error. The circuit court denied the motion and entered final judgment for Universal.

EXCUSABLE NEGLECT

A party who disagrees with a non-binding arbitration decision must file a notice of rejection of the arbitration decision and request for trial de novo within 20 days of being served with the arbitrator’s decision. If the motion for trial de novo is not timely filed, then the non-binding decision shall be referred to the presiding judge, who shall enter such orders and judgments as may be required to carry out the terms of the decision.

The circuit court’s final judgment was entered in their breach of contract action against Universal Property and Casualty Insurance Company. The Housens argued that the circuit court abused its discretion when it denied their motion to vacate the judgment due to excusable neglect.

The Housens argued that the late filing was due to excusable neglect and the appellate court agreed and found that the Housens demonstrated excusable neglect and reversed and remanded the case.

Since the Housens’ reason for the late filing was the legal secretary’s calendaring error it qualifies as excusable neglect in Florida. It is well-established that excusable neglect is found where an inadvertent calendaring error results in an attorney’s failure to act.

The Housens filed their motion to set aside the judgment, attaching the legal secretary’s affidavit, within one week of the judgment’s entry.

Based on these actions, the Court of Appeals concluded that the Housens demonstrated excusable neglect, and the circuit court erred when it denied their motion to vacate the judgment.

ZALMA OPINION

Lawyers, perhaps without good reason, rely on their legal secretaries to properly calendar dates that must be fulfilled on behalf of the client. Florida accepts the fact of that reliance and considers a failure of a legal secretary to properly calendar a deadline, evidence of excusable neglect. The Arbitration Award was disputed, the judgment was reversed and the issue between the Housens and the insurer will be concluded at a trial.

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