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1. Plaintiff is a tortfeasor;
2. Plaintiff paid more than its fair share of a common liability;
3. Defendant should have paid part of the liability borne by Plaintiff; and
4. Plaintiff suffered damages in an amount equal to the excess share of the common liability paid by Plaintiff.

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1. Plaintiff is a tortfeasor;
2. Plaintiff paid more than its fair share of a common liability;
3. Defendant should have paid part of the liability borne by Plaintiff; and
4. Plaintiff suffered damages in an amount equal to the excess share of the common liability paid by Plaintiff.

Florida’s Uniform Contribution Among Tortfeasors Act (Section 768.31, Fla. Stat.) “does not impair any right of indemnity under existing law. When one tortfeasor is entitled to indemnity from another, the right of the indemnity obligee is for indemnity and not contribution, and the indemnity obligor is not entitled to contribution from the obligee for any portion of her or his indemnity obligation.” Section 768.31(2)(f), Fla. Stat.

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FLORIDA STATE COURTS

Supreme Court: Walker v. Virginia Ins. Reciprocal, 842 So.2d 804, 808 (Fla. 2003).

First District: Healthcare Staffing Solutions, Inc. v. Wilkinson ex rel. Wilkinson, 5 So.3d 726, 730 (Fla. 1st DCA 2009); State of Fla., Dep’t of Transp. v. V.E. Whitehurst & Sons, Inc., 636 So. 2d 101, 105 (Fla. 1st DCA 1994).

Second District: T & S Enters. Handicap Accessibility, Inc. v. Wink Indus. Maint. & Repair, Inc., 11 So.3d 411, 412-13 (Fla. 2d DCA 2009).

Third District: Mathias v. Uniroyal Goodrich Tire Co., 677 So. 2d 328, 330 (Fla. 3rd DCA 1996).

Fourth District: Zeiger Crane Rentals, Inc. v. Double A Indus., Inc., 16 So.3d 907, 913 (Fla. 4th DCA 2009).

Fifth District: Collection and Recovery of Assets, Inc. v. Patel, 276 So.3d 494, 497-98 (Fla 5th DCA 2019).

FLORIDA FEDERAL COURTS

Eleventh Circuit: Piamba Cortes v. American Airlines, Inc., 177 F.3d 1272, 1305 (11th Cir. 1999).

Southern District: Mayor’s Jewelers, Inc. v. Meyrowitz, No. 12-80055-CIV, 2012 WL 2344609, at *9 (S.D. Fla. June 20, 2012); Sol v. City of Miami, 776 F.Supp.2d 1375, 1379 (S.D. Fla. 2011).

Middle District: Kiewit Infrastructure South Co. v. Western Sur. Co., 2021 WL 5416149, *2 (M.D. Fla. Nov. 19, 2021); In re 23′ Tritoon Pontoon Boat Sea Breeze ’35, No. 2:19-CV-80-SPC-MRM, 2021 WL 1428309, at *2 (M.D. Fla. Apr. 15, 2021); Liberty Mutual Fire Ins. Co. v. Wal-Mart Stores East, LP, 269 F.Supp.3d 1254, 1264 (M.D. Fla. 2017).

FLORIDA STATUTES

Section 768.31, Fla. Stat. (Uniform Contribution Among Tortfeasors Act)

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2 Defenses to Claim for Contribution – Uniform Contribution Among Tortfeasors Act

(1) Fla. R. Civ. P. 1.110(d) (pleading affirmative defenses), and other standard defenses. See § 1.

(2) Statute of Limitations: Generally one year after payment or entry of judgment at issue. Section 768.31(4)(c), Fla. Stat. Walker v. Virginia Ins. Reciprocal, 842 So.2d 804, 807 (Fla. 2003); but see Showell Indust., Inc. v. Holmes Cty., 409 So.2d 78 (Fla. 1st DCA 1982)(statute of limitations claim against county for contribution is three years per Section 768.28(6), Fla. Stat.)

(3) The time for filing suit for contribution based on a claim for medical malpractice may be tolled by compliance with the medical malpractice statutory presuit screening requirements in chapter 766. Walker v. Virginia Insurance Reciprocal, 842 So. 2d 804, 811 (Fla. 2003)

(4) “There is no right of contribution in favor of any tortfeasor who has intentionally (willfully or wantonly) caused or contributed to the injury or wrongful death.” Section 768.31(2)(c), Fla. Stat. See also Utilities Mktg. Group, LLC v. Warrick, No. 8:15-cv-1966-T-26TBM, 2016 WL 4733284, at *2 (M.D. Fla. September 12, 2016); Baxter v. Santiago-Miranda, 2022 WL 1043400, *3-4 (M.D. Fla. Mar. 30, 2022). 

(5) “A tortfeasor who enters into a settlement with a claimant is not entitled to recover contribution from another tortfeasor whose liability for the injury or wrongful death is not extinguished by the settlement or in respect to any amount paid in a settlement which is in excess of what was reasonable.” Section 768.31(2)(d), Fla. Stat.

(6) “So long as the parties have a common liability to the injured person it is no bar to contribution that liability of the parties rests on different grounds.” Florida Farm Bureau Cas. Co. v. Batton, 444 So.2d 1128, 1129 (Fla. 4th DCA 1984); see also Federal Ins. Co. v. Delray Ocean Estates North, Inc., No. 05-80237-CIV-MARRA/SELTZER, 2007 WL 9702157, at *4 (S.D. Fla. April 18, 2007) (holding a contribution claim may be brought by a third-party plaintiff when the parties have common liability to the injured).

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