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1. Defendant committed acts intending to cause harmful or offensive contact with plaintiff or causing plaintiff to be in imminent apprehension of such a contact; and
2. Defendant made an offensive contact with plaintiff.

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1. Defendant committed acts intending to cause harmful or offensive contact with plaintiff or causing plaintiff to be in imminent apprehension of such a contact; and
2. Defendant made an offensive contact with plaintiff.

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FLORIDA STATE COURTS

Second District: Chorak v. Naughton, 409 So. 2d 35, 39 (Fla. 2d DCA 1981).

Third District: Gonzalez v. State of Florida, 271 So.3d 80, 81 (Fla. 3d DCA 2019); City of Miami v. Sanders, 672 So. 2d 46, 47 (Fla. 3d DCA 1996), rev. denied, 683 So. 2d 484 (Fla. 1996).

Fourth District: Sullivan v. Atl. Fed. Sav. & Loan Assoc., 454 So. 2d 52, 54 (Fla. 4th DCA 1984), rev. denied, 461 So. 2d 116 (Fla. 1985).

Fifth District: Quilling v. Price, 894 So. 2d 1061, 1063 (Fla. 5th DCA 2005).

FLORIDA FEDERAL COURTS

Southern District: Scott v. Miami-Dade Cnty., No. 23-24312-CIV, 2025 WL 276834, *11 (S.D. Fla. Jan. 23, 2025); Ratlieff v. City of Fort Lauderdale, No. 22-CV-61029-RAR, 2023 WL 3750581, *8 (S.D. Fla. June 1, 2023); Floyd v. Bridgman, No. 20-60750-CIV, 2021 WL 795999, *11 (S.D. Fla. Mar. 2, 2021); Castro v. Stephonson, No. 20-61351-CV, 2020 WL 6162852, *4 (S.D. Fla. Sept. 29, 2020).

Middle District: Doe v. Baker Cnty., No. 3:23-CV-00609-CRK-LLL, 2025 WL 834340, *11 (M.D. Fla. Mar. 17, 2025); Andrade v. Marceno, 2023 WL 157087, *21 (M.D. Fla. Jan. 11, 2023); Pavao v. Hershoe, 2021 WL 3912240, *3 (M.D. Fla. Sept. 1, 2021); Moore v. Sec’y, Dep’t of Corr., 2021 WL 3550371, *15 (M.D. Fla. Aug. 11, 2021).

Northern District: Clark v. Walton Cnty. Sheriff's Off., No. 3:24CV414/MCR/ZCB, 2024 WL 5264941, *3 (N.D. Fla. Nov. 15, 2024), report and recommendation adopted, No. 3:24-CV-414/MCR/ZCB, 2024 WL 5264428 (N.D. Fla. Dec. 31, 2024); Baxter v. Roberts, No. 5:19CV216-MCR/MJF, 2021 WL 1166764, *9 n.21 (N.D. Fla. Mar. 28, 2021); C.H. by Hilligoss v. School Bd. Of Okaloosa County, Fla., No. 3:18cv2128/MCR/HTC, 2019 WL 4774042, *14 (N.D. Fla. Sept. 30, 2019).

Eleventh Circuit: Wimberly v. Selent, No. 23-13550, 2024 WL 2845476, *4 (11th Cir. June 5, 2024); Kirby v. Sheriff of City of Jacksonville, Fla., 2023 WL 2624376, *7 (11th Cir. Mar. 24, 2023); Baxter v. Roberts, 54 F.4th 1241, 1272 (11th Cir. 2022); Huebner v. Bradshaw, 935 F.3d 1183, 1188 (11th Cir. 2019).

REFERENCES

Restatement (Second) of Torts § 18 (1965)

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2 Defenses to Claim for Battery

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

(2) Statute of Limitations: § 95.11(3)(o), Fla. Stat. (four years).

(3) Knowing consent given in an interpersonal relationship is a legal defense to battery unless such consent was procured by fraud or deceit. See Hogan v. Tavzel, 660 So. 2d 350, 352 (Fla. 5th DCA 1995), rev. denied, 666 So. 2d 901 (Fla. 1996).

(4) Negligence, recklessness, failure to act or an omission creating a risk that contact may occur does not constitute a battery. See e.g., Sullivan v. Atl. Fed. Sav. & Loan Assoc., 454 So. 2d 52, 54 (Fla. 4th DCA 1984), rev. denied, 461 So. 2d 116 (Fla. 1985); Colony Ins. Co. v. Barnes, 410 F.Supp.2d 1137, 1142 (N.D. Fla. 2005).

(5) Police officers enjoy a complete defense to a claim for battery when an officer employs reasonable force under the circumstances. See Wimberly v. Selent, No. 23-13550, 2024 WL 2845476, *4 (11th Cir. June 5, 2024); Winters v. Ranum, 2017 WL 2402463, at *3 (M.D. Fla. June 2, 2017); Madura v. City of North Miami Beach, 2011 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 91677 (S.D. Fla. August 17, 2011).

(6) Self defense is an absolute bar to liability for assault and battery when defendant used force reasonably necessary in response to plaintiff’s actions. See Etcher v. Blitch, 381 So. 2d 1119, 1119 (Fla. 1st DCA 1979), cert. denied, 386 So. 2d 638 (Fla. 1980); Long v. Baker, 37 F.Supp.3d 1243, 1252 (M.D. Fla. 2014).

(7) A land owner is authorized to use reasonable and appropriate means to eject a trespasser that refuses to depart on request. See Holley v. Kelley, 91 So. 2d 862, 864 (Fla. 1957).

(8) The state or its subdivisions are immune from liability in tort for the acts or omissions of an officer, employee, or agent committed while acting outside the course and scope of her or his employment or committed in bad faith or with malicious purpose or in a manner exhibiting wanton and willful disregard of human rights, safety, or property. See Gaviria v. Guerra, No. 17-23490-CIV, 2018 WL 1876124, at *9 (S.D. Fla. April 19, 2018).

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