Filed: Jun. 06, 2018
Latest Update: Mar. 03, 2020
Summary: Third District Court of Appeal State of Florida Opinion filed June 6, 2018. Not final until disposition of timely filed motion for rehearing. _ Nos. 3D18-504; 3D18-511 & 3D18-645 Lower Tribunal No. 14-15806 _ C.H.-C., a juvenile, et al., Petitioners/Appellants, vs. Miami Herald Publishing Co., et al., Respondents/Appellees. On Petition for Writ of Certiorari from the Circuit Court for Miami-Dade County, Jason E. Dimitris, Judge. (3D18-511). Non-final Appeals from the Circuit Court for Miami Dade
Summary: Third District Court of Appeal State of Florida Opinion filed June 6, 2018. Not final until disposition of timely filed motion for rehearing. _ Nos. 3D18-504; 3D18-511 & 3D18-645 Lower Tribunal No. 14-15806 _ C.H.-C., a juvenile, et al., Petitioners/Appellants, vs. Miami Herald Publishing Co., et al., Respondents/Appellees. On Petition for Writ of Certiorari from the Circuit Court for Miami-Dade County, Jason E. Dimitris, Judge. (3D18-511). Non-final Appeals from the Circuit Court for Miami Dade ..
More
Third District Court of Appeal
State of Florida
Opinion filed June 6, 2018.
Not final until disposition of timely filed motion for rehearing.
________________
Nos. 3D18-504; 3D18-511 & 3D18-645
Lower Tribunal No. 14-15806
________________
C.H.-C., a juvenile, et al.,
Petitioners/Appellants,
vs.
Miami Herald Publishing Co., et al.,
Respondents/Appellees.
On Petition for Writ of Certiorari from the Circuit Court for Miami-Dade
County, Jason E. Dimitris, Judge. (3D18-511).
Non-final Appeals from the Circuit Court for Miami Dade County, Jason E.
Dimitris, Judge. (3D18-504 and 3D18-645).
Eugene F. Zenobi, Criminal Conflict and Civil Regional Counsel, Third
Region, and Philip L. Reizenstein, Assistant Regional Counsel; Law Office of
Richard F. Joyce, P.A., and Richard F. Joyce; Laura J. Lee and Thomasina Moore
(Sanford), for Guardian ad Litem Program, for petitioners/appellants.
Holland & Knight LLP, and Sanford L. Bohrer and Scott D. Ponce, for
respondents/appellees Miami Herald Media Company and Carol Marbin Miller;
Leslie Hinds, for respondent Department of Children and Families.
Before ROTHENBERG, C.J., and LAGOA and LOGUE, JJ.
LOGUE, J.
In these three cases, which we consolidate, C.H.-C., a juvenile, has filed a
petition for writ of certiorari, he and his siblings have filed an appeal, and his
mother has filed a separate appeal, challenging an order entered by the trial court
which they characterize as allowing a newspaper to have access to confidential
court records. Because the court has not yet entered an order granting access to the
records at issue—the order under review merely establishes a procedure for an in-
camera review of proposed redactions—we dismiss the petition and the appeals for
lack of jurisdiction.
C.H.-C, his siblings, and their parents are the subjects of dependency
proceedings filed by the Florida Department of Children and Families. The Miami
Herald and one of its reporters noted for her reporting of child welfare matters,
Carol Marbin Miller, moved to intervene in the proceedings and obtain an audio
recording or transcript of a January 17, 2018 judicial review hearing. Rule 2.420 of
the Florida Rules of Judicial Administration requires public access to most court
records but protects the confidentiality of certain court records including “Chapter
39 records relating to dependency matters.” Chapter 39 courtroom proceedings are
open to the public but court records in Chapter 39 proceedings are not accessible to
the public except “upon order of the court by persons deemed by the court to have
a proper interest therein.” § 39.0132(3), Fla. Stat (2017).
2
In the order under review, the trial court held the Miami Herald and the
reporter “have standing to intervene for the purpose of obtaining access to the
transcript and/or recording of the January 17, 2018 hearing and they are persons
whom the Court deems to have proper interest in the records at issue.” The order
provides for an in-camera inspection of the transcript. In pertinent part, the order
reads:
2. In light of the circumstances in which this issue has
arisen, and in an abundance of caution, this Court has
directed that a transcript of the January 17 hearing be
circulated to permit any of the parties, including the
Attorney ad Litem, to ask the Court to redact portions
of the transcript prior to providing it to Movants.
3. Without objection from the parties, the Court will
permit Mr. Bohrer, counsel for Movants, to respond
to any proposed redactions, which process will be
conducted in camera. In consideration for being
permitted to participate in this process, Mr. Bohrer
shall not disclose anything learned during this in
camera process to Movants.
As the language indicates, although the order states it is “granting” the
motion, it does not actually grant the Herald or its reporter access to the transcript
as requested in the motion. Instead, it establishes a procedure for a review of
further objections in an in-camera proceeding. Any order granting access will be
entered, if at all, only after the in-camera hearing. Although the order holds the
Herald and the reporter have standing and are deemed to have a proper interest,
3
this holding itself is non-final and can be changed by the trial judge before it
actually grants access.
We therefore lack jurisdiction to hear the appeals of this order because it is
non-final and is not one of the enumerated non-final orders that are subject to
interlocutory appeal. See Fla. R. App. P. 9.130(a)(3). We also lack jurisdiction to
issue a writ of certiorari regarding this order because it does not actually grant
access to records of the judicial branch and it presents no irreparable harm that
cannot be corrected by appeal or petition for certiorari when and if the trial court
grants the Herald and its reporter access. See, e.g., Damsky v. Univ. of Miami,
152 So. 3d 789, 792 (Fla. 3d DCA 2014) (“Unless the petitioner establishes
irreparable harm, the court must dismiss the petition for lack of jurisdiction.”); see
also Fla. R. App. P. 9.100(d)(1).
Dismissed.
4