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1. Defendant’s conduct was intentional or reckless;
2. Defendant’s conduct was outrageous;
3. Defendant’s conduct caused emotional distress; and
4. Plaintiff suffered severe emotional distress.

Defendants are also liable for physical harm resulting from severe emotional distress. Metropolitan Life Ins. Co. v. McCarson, 467 So 2d 277, 278-279 (Fla. 1985).

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1. Defendant’s conduct was intentional or reckless;
2. Defendant’s conduct was outrageous;
3. Defendant’s conduct caused emotional distress; and
4. Plaintiff suffered severe emotional distress.

Defendants are also liable for physical harm resulting from severe emotional distress. Metropolitan Life Ins. Co. v. McCarson, 467 So 2d 277, 278-279 (Fla. 1985).

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FLORIDA STATE COURTS

Supreme Court: Metro. Life Ins. Co. v. McCarson, 467 So. 2d 277, 278-279 (Fla. 1985).

First District: Johnson v. Thigpen, 788 So. 2d 410, 412 (Fla. 1st DCA 2001).

Second District: Kim v. Jung Hyun Chang, 249 So.3d 1300, 1305 (Fla. 2d DCA 2018); Winter Haven Hosp., Inc. v. Liles, 148 So.3d 507, 515 (Fla. 2d DCA 2014).

Third District: Buchanan v. Miami-Dade Cnty., 400 So. 3d 684, 686 n.3 (Fla. 3d DCA 2024); Escadote I Corp. v. Ocean Three Condo. Ass’n, Inc., 307 So. 3d 938, 943 (Fla. 3d DCA 2020); Deauville Hotel Management, LLC v. Ward, 219 So.3d 949, 954 (Fla. 3d DCA 2017).

Fourth District: Stewart v. Walker, 5 So.3d 746, 749 (Fla. 4th DCA 2009); American Nat’l. Title & Escrow of Fla., Inc. v. Guarantee Title & Trust Co., 810 So.2d 996, 999 (Fla. 4th DCA 2002).

Fifth District: Kendron v. SCI Funeral Services of Florida, LLC, 230 So.3d 636, 637 (Fla. 5th DCA 2017); Horizons Rehab., Inc. v. Health Care & Ret. Corp., 810 So.2d 958, 964 (Fla. 5th DCA 2002).

FLORIDA FEDERAL COURTS

Eleventh Circuit: Nassar v. Nassar, No. 20-12882, 2021 WL 1688769, at *2 (11th Cir. Apr. 29, 2021); Brown v. Bellinger, 843 F. App’x 183, 188 (11th Cir. 2021).

Southern District: Harrington v. Veritext, LLC, No. 24-CV-22787, 2025 WL 1591614, at *10 (S.D. Fla. May 1, 2025); Martinez v. Netflix, Inc., 2023 WL 2630337, *4 (S.D. Fla. Feb. 23, 2023); Marron v. Moros, 2023 WL 357592, *4 (S.D. Fla. Jan. 23, 2023); Jimenez v. ViaCord, 2022 WL 4271337, *6 (S.D. Fla. Sept. 15, 2022).

Middle District: Raymond v. Hillsborough Cnty., Florida, No. 8:24-CV-1404-TPB-CPT, 2024 WL 4792016, at *3 (M.D. Fla. Nov. 14, 2024); Simpson v. Specialized Loan Servicing, 2023 WL 2599413, *8 (M.D. Fla. Mar. 22, 2023); Corbin v. Prummell, 2023 WL 1967574, *13 (M.D. Fla. Feb. 13, 2023); Andrade v. Marceno, 2023 WL 157087, *21 (M.D. Fla. Jan. 11, 2023).

Northern District: Grasso v. Varner, 2023 WL 2465598, *6 (N.D. Fla. Jan. 30, 2023); Blais v. Williston Crossing E., LLC, No. 1:20-CV-21-AW-GRJ, 2021 WL 1608832, at *3 (N.D. Fla. Jan. 28, 2021); Morton v. United States, No. 4:16cv313-RH/CAS, 2017 WL 4102491, at *5 (N.D. Fla. Aug. 28, 2017).

REFERENCES

Restatement (Second) of Torts § 46 (1965)

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2 Defenses to Claim for Emotional Distress, Intentional Infliction

(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), (p), Fla. Stat. (four years); Von Alt-Byoune v. Von Alt, NO. 19-14117-CIV-ROSENBERG/MAYNARD, 2019 WL 5291046, at *2 (S.D. Fla. June 28, 2019); Ross v. Twenty-Four Collection Inc., 617 So. 2d 428, 428 (Fla. 3d DCA 1993).

(3) The assertion of legal rights in a legally permissible manner constitutes a privilege that precludes an action based on reckless or even outrageous conduct. Canto v. J.B. Ivey and Co., 595 So. 2d 1025, 1028 (Fla. 1st DCA 1992); Williams v. Flagler Humane Society, Inc., No. 3:12-cv-767-J-34MCR, 2013 WL 12358253, at *7 (M.D. Fla. March 22, 2013).

(4) A successful defense of privilege to a defamation claim will also preclude a claim for intentional infliction of emotional distress when the latter is premised on an allegedly defamatory publication. Fridovich v. Fridovich, 598 So. 2d 65, 70 (Fla. 1992).

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