John N. Parker, etc. v. The Board of Trustees of the City Pension Fund for Firefighters & Police Officers in the City of Tampa , 149 So. 3d 1129 ( 2014 )

Supreme Court of Florida
____________
No. SC13-890
____________
JOHN N. PARKER, etc.,
Petitioner,
vs.
THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE CITY PENSION FUND FOR
FIREFIGHTERS & POLICE OFFICERS IN THE CITY OF TAMPA,
Respondent.
[October 23, 2014]
PER CURIAM.
In this case, we consider whether the prevailing party attorney’s fees
provisions in sections 175.061(5) and 185.05(5), Florida Statutes (2004), apply to
lawsuits brought to obtain benefits under a firefighter and police officer pension
plan established by local law. In Board of Trustees of the City Pension Fund for
Firefighters & Police Officers in the City of Tampa v. Parker, 113 So. 3d 64, 67
(Fla. 2d DCA 2013), the Second District Court of Appeal rejected the claim of the
petitioner here that he and others similarly situated were entitled to prevailing party
attorney’s fees under those statutory attorney’s fees provisions as prevailing parties
in a lawsuit to obtain benefits claimed by them under their local law pension plan.
The court concluded that the local law plan “is not part of the general statutory
construct of chapters 175 and 185,” and consequently, the petitioner’s attorney’s
fees were to be paid from the settlement proceeds. Bd. of Trustees, 113 So. 3d at
67-68. The Second District certified the following question on which it passed as
one of great public importance:
ARE THE PREVAILING PARTY ATTORNEY’S FEES
PROVISIONS OF SECTIONS 175.061(5) AND 185.05(5),
FLORIDA STATUTES, APPLICABLE TO JUDICIAL
PROCEEDINGS TO ENFORCE CLAIMS UNDER LOCAL LAW[]
PLANS OR SPECIAL ACTS?
Id. at 70. We have jurisdiction. See art. V, § 3(b)(4), Fla. Const.
We restate the certified question as follows because a firefighter or police
officer pension plan enacted by special act is a local law plan.
ARE THE PREVAILING PARTY ATTORNEY’S FEES
PROVISIONS OF SECTIONS 175.061(5) AND 185.05(5),
FLORIDA STATUTES, APPLICABLE TO JUDICIAL
PROCEEDINGS TO ENFORCE CLAIMS UNDER LOCAL
LAW PLANS?
For the reasons we explain, we answer the restated certified question in the
affirmative, quash the Second District’s decision, and remand this case for
proceedings consistent with this opinion.
I. BACKGROUND
Chapters 175 and 185 respectively establish minimum benefits and
minimum standards for firefighter pensions and municipal police pensions. Both
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chapters also specifically contemplate and authorize local law pension plans—
whether enacted by local ordinance or by special act of the Legislature—that
provide greater benefits for pensions than those required by the statutory
provisions.
The City of Tampa opted for a local law pension plan for its firefighters and
police officers, which was adopted by a special act of the Legislature and provides
greater benefits than the minimum benefits required by chapters 175 and 185. See
ch. 2001-288, Laws of Fla. Under the City of Tampa’s pension plan in effect in
2004, certain retired firefighters and police officers were entitled to benefits under
the plan’s “13th Check Program.” Id. at § 27.
John Parker, a retired City of Tampa firefighter, filed a class action
complaint against the Board of Trustees of the City Pension Fund for Firefighters
and Police Officers in the City of Tampa (Board) in the Circuit Court of the
Thirteenth Judicial Circuit, claiming that the Board had failed to pay eligible
beneficiaries their 13th check benefit for the fiscal year ending September 30,
2004. Parker’s complaint included a request for attorney’s fees.
Upon further review, the Board concluded that it erroneously failed to pay
the 13th check benefit for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2004. Following
its review, the Board paid eligible retirees $5700 and eligible surviving spouses
$2850 under the 13th Check Program. Parker and the Board subsequently agreed
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to a settlement in which class members received the remaining outstanding
principal payments that they were entitled to under the 13th Check Program and
interest on the amounts not timely paid. The trial court approved the class action
settlement and specifically determined that the Board’s failure to pay the 13th
check benefit was a result of its erroneous interpretation of the pension contract
and applicable law.
The trial court determined that Parker and others similarly situated are
“entitled to recover from the defendant Board of Trustees of the City Pension Fund
for Firefighters and Police Officers in the City of Tampa [their] taxable costs and
reasonable attorneys’ fees, because this case was brought ‘under or pursuant to the
provisions of’ Chapters 175 and 185, Florida Statutes.” Parker v. Bd. of Trustees
of the City Pension Fund for Firefighters & Police Officers in the City of Tampa,
No. 07-007198 (Fla. 13th Cir. Ct. order filed Mar. 4, 2010). Alternatively, the
court also found that Parker and others similarly situated are entitled to recover
their taxable costs and reasonable attorney’s fees from the Board under the
“substantial benefit” doctrine because the “action was of benefit to both the
plaintiff class and defendant in that it corrected a misinterpretation of the pension
plan and caused the distribution of benefits which had been erroneously withheld
contrary to the terms of the plan.” Id. Following an evidentiary hearing, the trial
court determined that Parker is entitled to recover from the Board attorney’s fees in
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the amount of $1,026,610. Parker v. Bd. of Trustees of the City Pension Fund for
Firefighters & Police Officers in the City of Tampa, No. 07-007198 (Fla. 13th Cir.
Ct. order filed Sept. 2, 2011).
The Board appealed the trial court’s decision to the Second District,
challenging Parker’s entitlement to attorney’s fees as well as the amount of the
fees. The Second District upheld the amount of attorney’s fees awarded by the
trial court, but it reversed the trial court’s decision to require the payment of the
fees by the Board. Bd. of Trustees, 113 So. 3d at 66. The Second District
concluded that chapters 175 and 185 do not apply to the attorney’s fees award in
this case “because this litigation challenges the Board’s payments under the
Special Law’s 13th check program, which is unique to the City of Tampa.” Id. at
67. The district court reasoned that “[t]he Special Law is not part of the general
statutory construct of chapters 175 and 185.” Id. The court explained that it was
“not persuaded that the Florida Legislature intended that a unique program,
established solely by a special law specific to one jurisdiction, be controlled by an
attorney’s fee provision found in a regimen governing pension funds statewide.”
Id. The Second District also concluded that the trial court erred when it awarded
Parker attorney’s fees under the substantial benefit doctrine. Id. at 68. Instead, the
Second District concluded that the common fund doctrine applied—resulting in
Parker’s attorney’s fees being paid out of the settlement proceeds—because
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“[b]oth elements that implicate use of the common fund doctrine are met in this
case: the presence of a fund and a pecuniary benefit to a party.” Id. at 69.
In the analysis that follows, we examine the governing statutory provisions
and answer the restated certified question in the affirmative. We also address the
Board’s claim that Parker failed to sufficiently plead his entitlement to attorney’s
fees.
II. ANALYSIS
Whether a party is entitled to statutory attorney’s fees is a matter of statutory
interpretation, which this Court reviews de novo. See Diamond Aircraft Indus.,
Inc. v. Horowitch, 107 So. 3d 362, 367 (Fla. 2013). In Diamond Aircraft, this
Court explained that:
Legislative intent is the polestar that guides our analysis regarding the
construction and application of the statute. See Bautista v. State, 863
So. 2d 1180, 1185 (Fla. 2003). Our statutory analysis begins with the
plain meaning of the actual language of the statute, as we discern
legislative intent primarily from the text of the statute. See Heart of
Adoptions, Inc. v. J.A., 963 So. 2d 189, 198 (Fla. 2007). If statutory
language is “clear and unambiguous and conveys a clear and definite
meaning, there is no occasion for resorting to the rules of statutory
interpretation and construction; the statute must be given its plain and
obvious meaning.” Holly v. Auld, 450 So. 2d 217, 219 (Fla. 1984)
(quoting A.R. Douglass, Inc. v. McRainey, 137 So. 157, 159 (Fla.
1931)). . . . It is also well-established in Florida that a statute that
awards attorney’s fees is in derogation of the common law rule that
each party pay its own attorney’s fees and must be strictly construed.
See Willis Shaw Express, Inc. v. Hilyer Sod, Inc., 849 So. 2d 276, 278
(Fla. 2003).
107 So. 3d at 367.
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Although the pension plan at issue here is a local law plan created by special
act of the Legislature, that plan exists within and is subject to the framework for
local law plans established in chapters 175 and 185. The prevailing party
attorney’s fees provisions of sections 175.061(5) and 185.05(5) are an integral part
of that statutory framework.
Section 175.061, Florida Statutes (2004), provides with respect to firefighter
pensions:
For any municipality, special fire control district, chapter plan, local
law municipality, local law special fire control district, or local law
plan under this chapter:
....
(4) Each board of trustees shall be a legal entity with, in
addition to other powers and responsibilities contained herein, the
power to bring and defend lawsuits of every kind, nature, and
description.
(5) In any judicial proceeding or administrative proceeding
under chapter 120 brought under or pursuant to the provisions of this
chapter, the prevailing party shall be entitled to recover the costs
thereof, together with reasonable attorney’s fees.
(6) The provisions of this section may not be altered by a
participating municipality or special fire control district operating a
chapter plan or local law plan under this chapter.
Section 185.05, Florida Statutes (2004), sets out substantively identical provisions
regarding municipal police pensions.
With respect to firefighter pensions, section 175.032(11), Florida Statutes
(2004), defines “[l]ocal law plan” as
a defined benefit pension plan for firefighters, or for firefighters or
police officers where included, as described in s. 175.351, established
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by municipal ordinance, special district resolution, or special act of
the Legislature, which enactment sets forth all plan provisions. Local
law plan provisions may vary from the provisions of this chapter,
provided that required minimum benefits and minimum standards are
met. Any such variance shall provide a greater benefit for firefighters.
Actuarial valuations of local law plans shall be conducted by an
enrolled actuary as provided in s. 175.261(2).
Section 185.02(10), Florida Statutes (2004), contains a substantively identical
definition of “local law plan” for municipal police pensions.
Sections 175.032(11) and 185.02(10) authorize the establishment of local
law plans by local ordinance or by special act of the Legislature and provide that
such local law plans may not grant lesser pension benefits than the minimum
benefits required by chapters 175 and 185, respectively. Section 175.061(5) and
185.05(5) state that the prevailing party is entitled to attorney’s fees in “any
judicial proceeding . . . brought under or pursuant to the provisions of” chapters
175 and 185, respectively.
Section 175.061(6) and section 185.05(7) contain prohibitions on the
alteration of any of the general governance provisions in those statutory sections.
Among those provisions that are subject to the prohibition on alteration are the
prevailing party attorney’s fees provisions of sections 175.061(5) and 185.05(5).
Those fees provisions thus are integral to the overall framework established by the
Legislature. Sections 175.061(5) and 185.05(7) point to a legislative design to
ensure the availability of the prevailing party attorney’s fees.
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Parker sued the Board when it failed to pay benefits under the plan’s 13th
Check Program. Parker claimed that the Board, which is statutorily created and
has exclusive responsibility for administering the pension plan, breached the
pension contract and violated chapter 2001-288, Laws of Florida, a law enacted by
special act of the Legislature as authorized by chapters 175 and 185. The Board
ultimately settled Parker’s class action complaint by paying the 13th check benefit
along with interest.
The Board asserts that since the 13th check benefit is not a benefit
specifically required by chapters 175 and 185, Parker’s claim cannot be considered
a claim brought “under or pursuant to the provisions of” chapters 175 and 185.
The Board’s argument is based on an interpretation of the statutory attorney’s fees
provisions that is unreasonably narrow. The Board reads the attorney’s fees
provisions as though they cover only claims brought for violations of the
provisions of chapters 175 and 185. But the Legislature chose broader language.
Pursuant to means “(1) in accordance with; (2) under; (3) as authorized by;
or (4) carrying out.” Bryan A. Garner, A Dictionary of Modern Legal Usage 721
(2d ed. 1995). We conclude that in this context—given that the local plans exist
and operate within the framework established by chapters 175 and 185—Parker’s
claim regarding the 13th check benefit was a claim “pursuant to the provisions of”
chapters 175 and 185.
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We reject the Board’s argument that Parker’s complaint failed to sufficiently
plead a claim for attorney’s fees. Parker’s complaint pleaded a claim for
“plaintiff’s costs and attorney’s fees.” In Caufield v. Cantele, this Court held “that
the specific statutory or contractual basis for a claim for attorney’s fees need not be
specifically pled, and that failure to plead the basis of such a claim will not result
in waiver of the claim.” 837 So. 2d 371, 378 (Fla. 2002). The Court explained
“that merely pleading a claim for attorney’s fees is sufficient to notify the opposing
party and allow it to consider the claim in a decision on whether to proceed.” Id. at
377-78 (citing Stockman v. Downs, 573 So. 2d 835, 837 (Fla. 1991)). Therefore,
Parker was not required to specify that he was seeking attorney’s fees under
sections 175.061(5) and 185.05(5), and his complaint pleaded a claim for
attorney’s fees with sufficient specificity.
III. CONCLUSION
We therefore conclude that Parker is entitled to prevailing party attorney’s
fees under sections 175.061(5) and 185.05(5). We answer the restated certified
question in the affirmative, quash the decision of the Second District Court of
Appeal, and remand this case for proceedings consistent with this opinion.
It is so ordered.
LABARGA, C.J., and PARIENTE, LEWIS, QUINCE, POLSTON, and PERRY,
JJ., concur.
CANADY, J., dissents with an opinion.
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NOT FINAL UNTIL TIME EXPIRES TO FILE REHEARING MOTION, AND
IF FILED, DETERMINED.
CANADY, J., dissenting.
I agree with the Second District Court of Appeal’s conclusion that the
statutory prevailing party attorney’s fees provisions are not applicable to
proceedings brought to enforce a claim for local pension plan benefits that are not
required benefits under chapters 175 and 185, Florida Statutes (2004).
Accordingly, I dissent.
To reflect the facts presented by this case, I would rephrase the certified
question as follows:
ARE THE PREVAILING PARTY ATTORNEY’S FEES
PROVISIONS OF SECTIONS 175.061(5) AND 185.05(5),
FLORIDA STATUTES, APPLICABLE TO JUDICIAL
PROCEEDINGS TO ENFORCE CLAIMS FOR BENEFITS UNDER
A LOCAL LAW PLAN THAT ARE NOT REQUIRED BENEFITS
UNDER CHAPTERS 175 AND 185, FLORIDA STATUTES?
I would answer this rephrased question in the negative and approve the decision
reached by the Second District.
The prevailing party attorney’s fee provisions in section 175.061(5), Florida
Statutes (2004), and section 185.05(5), Florida Statutes (2004), cover only
proceedings “brought under or pursuant to the provisions of” chapters 175 and 185.
The claim at issue here—a claim exclusively based on the “13th Check Program”
provided for in Tampa’s local law plan—is not a claim “brought under or pursuant
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to the provisions of” chapters 175 and 185. Benefits under the 13th Check
Program are not benefits required under any provision of chapters 175 and 185.
Entitlement to benefits under the 13th Check Program is not dependent upon any
provision in chapters 175 and 185. It cannot reasonably be said that a claim is
“brought under or pursuant to” particular statutory provisions if the establishment
of the claim does not require reference to those statutory provisions.
It is true that Tampa’s local law plan—like any other local law plan—exists
within the framework established by chapters 175 and 185. But that does not settle
the question at issue here. Although the local law plan may exist “under or
pursuant to” chapters 175 and 185, it does not follow that all claims regarding
benefits under the local law plan are claims “brought under or pursuant to the
provisions of” chapters 175 and 185. A particular provision of law may come into
existence by authorization of a higher law, but claims to enforce the particular
provision are not said to be claims brought “under or pursuant to” the higher law.
The phrase “under or pursuant to” requires a direct connection between the claim
brought and the specific legal basis for establishing the claim.
The Legislature could very well have provided that prevailing party
attorney’s fees would be available in all proceedings brought regarding benefits
under firefighter and police officer pension plans. Instead, the Legislature adopted
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the more narrowly focused fee provisions of sections 175.061(5) and 185.05(5). It
is not the province of the courts to expand the scope of these statutory provisions.
Application for Review of the Decision of the District Court of Appeal - Certified
Great Public Importance
Second District - Case No. 2D11-4825
(Hillsborough County)
Katherine Eastmoore Giddings and Kristen Marie Fiore of Akerman Senterfitt,
Tallahassee, Florida, and Gerald Barnette Cope, Jr. of Akerman Senterfitt, Miami,
Florida, and Wayne Lee Thomas of Akerman Senterfitt, Tampa, Florida,
for Petitioner
Patrick H. Gonyea of the Law Offices of Patrick H. Gonyea, P.A., Davie, Florida,
and Bruce S. Rogow and Tara A. Campion of Bruce S. Rogow, P.A., Fort
Lauderdale, Florida,
for Respondent
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