[MM_Access_Decision access='false']

1. Defendant communicated to a third person;
2. A statement disparaging plaintiff’s title;
3. The statement is untrue; and
4. Defendant’s communication caused plaintiff to suffer actual damages.

Subscribers To The Florida Litigation Guide Can See:

• The rest of the elements for this cause of action;
• The citations to the most recent state and federal court cases citing the cause of action;
• The statute of limitations; and
• The defenses to this cause of action.

Click Here To See A Sample Chapter From The Guide

Subscribe to The Florida Litigation Guide To Access Everything!

[/MM_Access_Decision] [MM_Access_Decision access='true']

1. Defendant communicated to a third person;
2. A statement disparaging plaintiff’s title;
3. The statement is untrue; and
4. Defendant’s communication caused plaintiff to suffer actual damages.

Slander of title is also called “title disparagement of property,” “slandered goods,” “trade libel,” and “injurious falsehood.” See Collier Cty. Publ’g Co. v. Chapman, 318 So.2d 492, 494 (Fla. 2d DCA 1975), cert. denied, 333 So. 2d 462 (1976).

---

FLORIDA STATE COURTS

Supreme Court: Old Plantation Corp. v. Maule Indus., Inc., 68 So.2d 180, 181 (Fla. 1953).


First District: Gates v. Utsey, 177 So.2d 486, 489 (Fla. 1st DCA 1965).


Second District: Van Loan v. Heather Hills Prop. Owners Ass’n, Inc., 216 So.3d 18, 24 (Fla. 2d DCA 2016); Miceli v. Gilmac Developers, Inc., 467 So.2d 404, 405 (Fla. 2d DCA 1985).


Third District: Two Islands Development Corp. v. Clarke, 239 So.3d 115, 127 (Fla. 3d DCA 2018); Bothmann v. Harrington, 458 So.2d 1163, 1168 (Fla. 3d DCA 1984).


Fourth District: Trigeorgis v. Trigeorgis, 240 So.3d 772, 775 (Fla. 4th DCA 2018); McAllister v. Breakers Seville Ass’n, Inc., 981 So.2d 566, 573 (Fla. 4th DCA 2008).


Fifth District: Medellin v. MLA Consulting, Inc., 69 So.3d 372 (Fla. 5th DCA 2011).

FLORIDA FEDERAL COURTS

Eleventh Circuit: Dragash v. Fed. Nat’l Mortg. Ass’n, 700 Fed. Appx 939, 944 (11th Cir. 2017); Lavut v. Bank of Am., 798 F. App’x 372, 375 (11th Cir. 2019); Lime Tree Vil. Com. Club Ass’n v. State Farm, 980 F.2d 1402, 1407 (11th Cir. 1993).


Southern District: Wound Care Concepts, Inc. v. Vohra Health Servs. P.A., 2022 WL 320952, *14 (S.D. Fla. Jan. 28, 2022); ADT LLC v. Vivant Smart Home, Inc., 2021 WL 4478932, * 2-4 (S.D. Fla. Sept. 30, 2021); ThermoLife Int’l LLC v. Vital Pharms. Inc., No. 19-CV-61380, 2020 WL 409594, at *2 (S.D. Fla. Jan. 24, 2020); Mendez v. U.S. Bank Nat’l Ass’n, NO. 16-24490-CIV-WILLIAMS, 2017 WL 5634940, at *3 (S.D. Fla. July 24, 2017).


Middle District: Diamond Resorts Int’l, Inc. v. Aaronson, 371 F. Supp. 3d 1088, 1113 (M.D. Fla 2019); Club Exploria, LLC v. Austin, No. 618CV576ORL28DCI, 2020 WL 6585802, at *12 (M.D. Fla. Nov. 10, 2020); Continental 332 Fund, LLC v. Albertelli, No: 2:17-cv-41-FtM-38MRM, 2018 WL 839318, at *9 (M.D. Fla. Feb. 13, 2018); Phillips v. Epic Aviation, LLC, 234 F. Supp. 3d 1174, 1208-15 (M.D. Fla. 2017).

Northern District: Dakota Group, LLC v. Waffle House, Inc., No. 3-11-cv-586/RS-CJK, 2012 WL 13026766, at *1 (N.D. Fla. Jan. 19, 2012).

REFERENCES

Restatement (Second) of Torts ‘ 624 (1977 Amendment)

---

2 Defenses to Claim for Slander of Title

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

(2) Statute of Limitations: § 95.11(4)(g), Fla. Stat. (two years); see Sailboat Key, Inc. v. Gardner, 378 So.2d 47 (Fla. 3d DCA 1979)(slander of title and defamation claims share the same statute of limitations and defenses).

(3) Truth is a complete defense to defamation claims. Rosenberg v. American Bowling Congress, 589 F. Supp. 547, 551 (M.D. Fla. 1984); Trigeorgis v. Trigeorgis, 240 So.3d 772, 775 (Fla. 4th DCA 2018); Art. I, § 4, Fla. Const.

(4) Statements made during a judicial proceeding are absolutely privileged provided that such statements are related to the proceeding’s subject matter. Levin, Middlebrooks v. U.S. Fire Ins. Co., 639 So.2d 606, 607 (Fla. 1994) (absolute privilege extends to parties, witnesses, counsel, and judges); Sun Life Assurance Co. of Can. v. Imperial Premium Fin., LLC, 904 F.3d 1197, 1218 (11th Cir. 2018) ; Phillips v. Epic Aviation, LLC, 234 F. Supp. 3d 1174, 1208-15 (M.D. Fla. 2017).

(5) Absolute privilege extends to statements made during labor grievance proceedings provided that such statements are related to the proceeding’s subject matter. Hope v. Nat. Alliance Jacksonville 320, 649 So. 2d 897, 900 (Fla. 1st DCA 1995); Walter v. Jet Aviation Flight Servs., Inc., No. 9:16-CV-81238-ROSENBERG/BRANNON, 2017 WL 3237375, at *9 n.5 (S.D. Fla. 2017).

(6) Absolute privilege protects statements made by government officials in connection with their official duties. Hauser v. Urchisin, 231 So. 2d 6, 8 (Fla. 1970); del Pino Allen v. Santelises, No. 3D18-1896, 2019 WL 942960, at *2 (Fla. 3d DCA Feb. 27, 2019).

(7) Qualified privilege protects defamatory statements made by private individuals to the police or the state’s attorney prior to the institution of criminal charges. Fridovich v. Fridovich, 598 So.2d 65, 69 (Fla. 1992); Lozada v. Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc., 702 F. App’x. 904, 912 (11th Cir. 2017).

(8) Qualified privilege protects defamatory statements that are published by a speaker in good faith, pursuant to a duty or special interest, and such privilege is not abused. Thomas v. Tampa Bay Downs, Inc., 761 So.2d 401, 404 (Fla. 2d DCA 2000); Elbanna v. Captain D’s, LLC, No. 3:07–cv–926–J–32MCR, 2009 WL 435051, at *14 (M.D. Fla. Feb. 17, 2009).

(9) Statements of pure opinion based on known facts do not give rise to defamation claims. Miami Child’s World, Inc. v. Sunbeam Television Corp., 669 So. 2d 336, 336 (Fla. 3d DCA 1996); Turner v. Wells, 879 F.3d 1254, 1262 (11th Cir. 2018).

(10) Minor inconsistencies in news reports are not actionable provided that report is substantially true and inaccuracies did not result from deliberate falsification or awareness of probable falsity. Newton v. Florida Freedom Newspapers, Inc., 447 So.2d 906, 907 (Fla. 1st DCA 1984).

(11) § 770.01, Fla. Stat., requires five (5) days notice to a defendant prior to filing a libel suit.

[/MM_Access_Decision]