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“A contract for indemnity is an agreement by which the promisor agrees to protect the promisee against loss or damages by reason of liability to a third party.” Dade Cnty. Sch. Bd. v. Radio Station WQBA, 731 So. 2d 638, 643 (Fla. 1999). To allege a claim for contractual indemnity, a plaintiff must allege the elements of a breach of contract claim, and also allege (and prove) that:

1. The party filing the claim cannot be at fault;
2. The other party must be at fault.

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“A contract for indemnity is an agreement by which the promisor agrees to protect the promisee against loss or damages by reason of liability to a third party.” Dade Cnty. Sch. Bd. v. Radio Station WQBA, 731 So. 2d 638, 643 (Fla. 1999). To allege a claim for contractual indemnity, a plaintiff must allege the elements of a breach of contract claim, and also allege (and prove) that:

1. The party filing the claim cannot be at fault;
2. The other party must be at fault.

Indemnification claims may be contractual or equitable in nature. See, e.g., Allstate Ins. Co. v. Metro. Dade Cty., 436 So.2d 976, 978 (Fla. 3d DCA 1983). “In cases involving contractual indemnity, the terms of the agreement will determine whether the indemnitor is obligated to reimburse the indemnitee for a particular claim.” Camp, Dresser, & Mckee, Inc. v. Paul N. Howard Co., 853 So.2d 1072, 1077 (Fla. 5th DCA 2003). “Certainly contracts purporting to indemnify a party against its own negligence will only be enforced if they clearly express such an intent and a general provision indemnifying the indemnitee “against any and all claims,” standing alone, is not sufficient. Id. (internal citations omitted).

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FLORIDA STATE COURTS

FIRST DISTRICT: State, Dep’t of Transp. v. S. Bell Tel. & Tel. Co., 635 So. 2d 74, 77 (Fla. 1st DCA 1994).

SECOND DISTRICT: Welch v. Complete Care Corp., 818 So.2d 645, 649 (Fla. 2d DCA 2002).

THIRD DISTRICT: Nat’l Beverage Corp. v. Costco Wholesale Corp., 736 So.2d 143, 144 (Fla. 3d DCA 1999).

FLORIDA FEDERAL COURTS

Middle District: Boardwalk Fresh Burgers & Fries, Inc. v. Min Wang, 2021 WL 1581631, *4 (M.D. Fla. Apr. 22, 2021).

Florida Statute: §725.06, Fla. Stat. (2023)(Construction contracts; limitation on indemnification.)

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2 Defenses to Claim for Indemnification, Contractual

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

(2) Statute of Limitations: §95.11(2)(b), Stat. (Five years).

(3) The contract must state in “clear and unequivocal terms” the intention to indemnify a party. On Target, Inc. v. Allstate Floridian Ins. Co., 23 So. 3d 180, 183 (Fla. 2d DCA 2009); Zeiger Crane Rentals, Inc. v. Double A Indus., Inc., 16 So. 3d 907, 914 (Fla. 4th DCA 2009).

(4) Claimant must prove that under the terms of the contract he or she is entitled to receive indemnity. Safety Ins. Co. v. GAB Robins N. Am., Inc., 2009 WL 10671231, *4 (M.D. Fla. Jan. 29, 2009).

(5) To indemnify a party against its own wrongful conduct the contract terms must: “express in clear and unequivocal terms an intent to indemnify against the indemnitee’s own wrongful acts; general terms of indemnity will not suffice.” Welch v. Complete Care Corp., 818 So. 2d 645, 650 (Fla. 2d DCA 2002) (citing Cox Cable Corp. v. Gulf Power Co., 591 So. 2d 627, 629 (Fla. 1992))(emphasis added).

(6) Consideration must exist to establish an indemnity claim. Hartford Fire Ins. Co. v. N.Y. Mart Grp., Inc., 391 F. Supp. 3d 1175, 1177 (S.D. Fla. June, 21 2019); Matey v. Pruitt, 510 So. 2d 351, 353 (Fla. 2d DCA 1987).

(7) “Indemnity contracts are subject to the general rules of contractual construction; thus an indemnity contract must be construed based on the intentions of the parties.” Dade Cnty. Sch. Bd. v. Radio Station WQBA, 731 So. 2d 638, 643 (Fla. 1999)(emphasis added).

(8) “The obligation to indemnify need not be based upon an express contract of indemnification but may arise out of implied contractual relations or out of liability imposed by law.” Mims Crane Serv., Inc. v. Insley Mfg. Corp., 226 So. 2d 836, 839 (Fla. 2d DCA 1969)(emphasis added).

(9) “Generally in Florida, indemnity provisions apply only to third-party claims.” MVW Mgmt., LLC v. Regalia Beach Devs. LLC, 230 So. 3d 108, 112 (Fla. 3d DCA 2017)(emphasis added).

(10) “When a parent agrees to indemnify the third party for its negligence causing injury to the minor child, the same burden shifting occurs. Indemnification “shifts the entire loss from one … to another who should bear the costs” for damages resulting from tortious activity.” Claire’s Boutiques v. Locastro, 85 So. 3d 1192, 1198 (Fla. 4th DCA 2012)(citing Houdaille Indus., Inc. v. Edwards, 374 So. 2d 490, 493 (Fla. 1979))(emphasis added).

(11) In an implied contractual indemnity, “the party alleging a special relationship has a heavy burden of showing an implied agreement by the potential indemnitor to indemnify it.” Burnett v. A. Bottacchi S.A. de Navegacion, 882 F. Supp. 1050, 1055 (S.D. Fla. Dec. 5, 1994)(emphasis added).

(12) Contractual indemnification provisions must contain “a monetary limitation on the extent of the indemnification that bears a reasonable commercial relationship to the contract.” See S. §725.06(1); see also Griswold Ready Mix Concrete, Inc. v. Reddick, 134 So.3d 985 (Fla. 1st DCA 2012) (holding that a contractual indemnification provision contained in a construction subcontract agreement between a contractor and a materialman was void and unenforceable pursuant to F.S. §725.06 because it did not contain a dollar limit to the indemnitor’s potential liability).

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