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To establish a claim for common law indemnity, the plaintiff must allege:

1. that they are wholly without fault;
2. that the party from whom they are seeking indemnity is at fault; and
3. that they are liable to the injured party only because they are vicariously, constructively, derivatively, or technically liable for the wrongful acts of the party from whom they are seeking indemnity.

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1. that they are wholly without fault;
2. that the party from whom they are seeking indemnity is at fault; and
3. that they are liable to the injured party only because they are vicariously, constructively, derivatively, or technically liable for the wrongful acts of the party from whom they are seeking indemnity.

Fla. Farm Bureau Gen. Ins. Co. v. Ins. Co. of N. Am., 763 So.2d 429, 425 (Fla. 5^th DCA 2000).

The parties must also share a special relationship.  E.g., C.B. Contractors, LLC v. Allens Steel Prod., Inc., 261 So.3d 711, 713 (Fla. 5th DCA 2018).

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FLORIDA STATE COURTS

Supreme Court: Dade Cty. Sch. Bd. v. Radio Station WQBA, 731 So.2d 638, 642 (Fla. 1999); Houdaille Indus., Inc. v. Edwards, 374 So.2d 490, 493 (Fla. 1979); Wendt v. La Costa Beach Resort Condo. Ass’n, 64 So.3d 1228 (Fla. 2011).

First District: Heapy Eng’g, LLP v. Pure Lodging, Ltd., 849 So.2d 424, 425 (Fla. 1st DCA 2003); State, Dep’t of Transp. v. S. Bell Tel. & Tel. Co., 635 So. 2d 74, 77 (Fla. 1st DCA 1994).

Second District: Tank Tech, Inc. v. Valley Tank Testing, L.L.C., 244 So.3d 383, 395 (Fla. 2d DCA 2018); Tsafatinos v. Fam. Dollar Stores of Fla., Inc., 116 So. 3d 576, 581 (Fla. 2d DCA 2013); Welch v. Complete Care Corp., 818 So.2d 645, 649 (Fla. 2d DCA 2002).

Third District: Brother’s Painting & Pressure Cleaning Corp. v. Curry-Dixon Constr., LLC, 298 So. 3d 1191, 1194 (Fla. 3d DCA 2020); Nat’l Beverage Corp. v. Costco Wholesale Corp., 736 So.2d 143, 144 (Fla. 3d DCA 1999).

Fourth District: Dental Law Firm, P.A. v. People’s Choice Pub. Adjusters, LLC, 345 So. 3d 897, 905 (Fla. 4th DCA 2022); Diplomat Properties Ltd. P’ship v. Tecnoglass, LLC, 114 So.3d 357, 359-60 (Fla. 4th DCA 2013); Zeiger Crane Rentals, Inc. v. Double A Indus., Inc., 16 So.3d 907, 911 (Fla. 4th DCA 2009).

Fifth District: Florida Peninsula Ins. Co. v. Ken Mullen Plumbing Inc., 171 So.3d 194, 196 (Fla. 5th DCA 2015); Rosati v. Vaillancourt, 848 So. 2d 467, 470 (Fla. 5th DCA 2003); Florida Farm Bureau Gen. Ins. Co. v. Ins. Co. of N. Am., 763 So. 2d 429, 435 (Fla. 5th DCA 2000); Gate Lands Co. v. Old Ponte Vedra Beach Condo., 715 So. 2d 1132, 1134 (Fla. 5th DCA 1998).

FLORIDA FEDERAL COURTS

Eleventh Circuit: Foley v. Luster, 249 F.3d 1281, 1288 (11th Cir. 2001).

Southern District: Chubb Seguros Chile S.A. v. Freight Logistics Int’l LLC, 2022 WL 6500579, *3 (S.D. Fla. Sept. 26, 2022); Azure Coll., Inc. v. Bank of Am. Corp., 2022 WL 889929, *2 (S.D. Fla. Mar. 9, 2022); Technolojoy, LLC v. BHPH Consulting Servs., LLC, 2022 WL 685861, *11 (S.D. Fla. Mar. 8, 2022).

Middle District: Boardwalk Fresh Burgers & Fries, Inc. v. Min Wang, No. 8:19-CV-2527-VMC-CPT, 2021 WL 1581631, at *4 (M.D. Fla. Apr. 22, 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); Mortg. Contracting Servs., LLC v. J & S Prop. Servs. LLC, 2018 WL 3219386, *3 (M.D. Fla. July 2, 2018); Berlinger v. Wells Fargo, N.A., 2015 WL 4459611, *2 (M.D. Fla. July 21, 2015).

Northern District: Kesslak v. Tower Hill Preferred Ins. Co., No. 3:08cv303 MCR/MD, 2009 WL 3161808, at *2 (N.D. Fla. 2009).

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2 Defenses to Claim for Indemnification, Common Law

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

(2) Statute of Limitations: § 95.11(3)(p), Fla. Stat. (four years); see also Dominion of Canada v. State Farm Fire and Casualty Co., 754 So.2d 852, 855 (Fla.2d DCA 2000)(citations omitted). The statute does not begin to run until the Plaintiff discharges the duty owed by the defendant. E.g., Attorneys’ Title Ins. Fund, Inc. v. Punta Gorda Isles, Inc., 547 So.2d 1250, 1252 (Fla. 2d DCA 1989)

(3) A party seeking indemnity must be without fault. Houdaille Indust., Inc. v. Edwards, 374 So.2d 490, 493 (Fla. 1979); Florida Peninsula Ins. Co. v. Ken Mullen Plumbing Inc., 171 So.3d 194, 196 (Fla. 5th DCA 2015).

(4) An indemnity claim cannot be brought in the absence of a special relationship. See C.B. Contractors, LLC v. Allens Steel Prod., Inc., 261 So.3d 711, 713 (Fla. 5th DCA 2018) (holding lower court’s conclusion that an indemnity claim was unavailable is incorrect and recognizing a special relationship between contractors and subcontractors for the purposes of indemnification); Platinum Estates, Inc. v. T.D. Bank, N.A., No. 11–60670–CIV, 2012 WL 760791, at *5 (S.D. Fla. March 8, 2012); Brickell Biscayne Corp. v. WPL Assocs., Inc., 671 So.2d 247, 248-49 (Fla. 3d. DCA 1996).

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