LAGOA, J.
Appellant/Cross-Appellee, the Bank of New York Mellon, etc. ("the Bank"), appeals from an Amended Final Judgment Determining Amounts Due and Owing ("Amended Final Judgment") and an Order on Plaintiff's Motion for Rehearing and to Alter or Amend Judgment. The Bank argues that the trial court did not possess jurisdiction to enter the Amended Final Judgment after it filed a Notice of Voluntary Dismissal. Appellee/Cross-Appellant, Poker Run Acquisitions, Inc. ("Poker Run"), appeals from the Amended Final Judgment and an order denying its motion for prevailing party attorneys' fees and costs. Poker Run asserts that the trial court erred in awarding the Bank additional interest in the Amended Final Judgment, and that the trial court erred in denying its motion for prevailing party attorneys' fees and costs.
Based on Pino v. Bank of New York, 121 So.3d 23 (Fla.2013), we are compelled to reverse and vacate the Amended Final Judgment as the Bank's Notice of Voluntary Dismissal divested the trial court of jurisdiction. Because the trial court lacked jurisdiction to enter the Amended Final Judgment, we also vacate the trial court's order denying Poker Run's motion for prevailing party attorneys' fees and costs.
In June 2008, Poker Run sued the Bank's borrower, Alvaro Gorrin (the "Borrower"), for breach of an unlimited personal guaranty (the "Guaranty Case"). The trial court entered final summary judgment in favor of Poker Run and the Borrower appealed. While the appeal was pending, Poker Run executed on various assets of the Borrower, including the real property (the "Property") at issue in this matter. Poker Run took title to the Property pursuant to a sheriff's deed recorded on May 6, 2010.
On July 20, 2010, the Bank filed a Complaint against the Borrower seeking to foreclose on its $2,360,000.00 mortgage lien recorded against the Property (the "Foreclosure Case"). Poker Run moved to intervene. On October 8, 2010, the trial court granted Poker Run's motion and ordered the Bank to provide Poker Run payoff figures limited to the amount due when the sheriff's deed was filed. On October 20, 2010, the Bank filed an Amended Complaint naming Poker Run as the sole defendant and owner of the Property. Pursuant to an order entered April 6, 2011, Poker Run ultimately tendered payment to the Bank in the amount of $2,581,227.15, which the Bank rejected.
On February 10, 2012, the Bank filed a Second Amended Complaint in the Foreclosure Case re-naming the Borrower as a defendant.
On February 11, 2013, the trial court held a pretrial hearing in the Guaranty Case, which the Bank attended. At that hearing, Poker Run raised concerns regarding the sale of the Property,
On March 26, 2013, the Bank filed a Notice of Voluntary Dismissal (the "Notice") in the Foreclosure Case. Poker Run filed a Motion to Strike the Notice, arguing that the Bank could not accept the payoff from the Property's sale in the Guaranty Case and then deprive the trial court of jurisdiction to adjudicate Poker
On May 24, 2013, the Bank filed a motion for rehearing, arguing that the Final Judgment contained mathematical errors pertaining to the payoff amount the Bank was required to remit to Poker Run. The trial court granted the motion for rehearing and entered an Amended Final Judgment on August 15, 2013, which corrected the calculation errors, but did not otherwise modify the Final Judgment.
The Bank argues that the trial court erred in proceeding with trial in the Foreclosure Case and ultimately entering the Amended Final Judgment because it was divested of jurisdiction when the Bank filed its Notice. Based on Pino v. Bank of New York, 121 So.3d 23 (Fla.2013), we agree. In Pino, the Florida Supreme Court noted that "[t]he voluntary dismissal serves to terminate the litigation, to instantaneously divest the court of its jurisdiction to enter or entertain further orders that would otherwise dispose of the case on the merits, and to preclude revival of the original action." Id. at 32.
There are some limited exceptions to the rule articulated in Pino. For example, a distinction exists between a party filing a simple voluntary dismissal with prejudice and an order by the trial court dismissing an action but reserving jurisdiction or incorporating the parties' settlement agreement. As this Court has previously explained:
Albert v. Albert, 36 So.3d 143, 147 (Fla. 3d DCA 2010) (citations omitted).
Contrary to Poker Run's assertion, however, the Closing Order in the separate Guaranty Case does not fall within an exception to Pino for purposes of the Foreclosure Case. The Closing Order in the
We note that it is clear from the record that the trial court intended to enter the Closing Order in both the Guaranty and Foreclosure Cases. As the trial court stated at the hearing on Poker Run's Motion to Strike the Bank's Notice:
We are sympathetic to the trial court — this was clearly an oversight and not an intention to insulate the Foreclosure Case from the effect of the Closing Order. Nonetheless, because the Guaranty and Foreclosure Cases maintained their separate existences, cf. Santiago v. Mauna Loa Invs., LLC, 189 So.3d 752 (Fla.2016), the Closing Order in the Guaranty Case cannot be imported into the Foreclosure Case such that an exception to Pino would apply in the Foreclosure Case.
While we are therefore compelled to reverse, we note that Poker Run is not without a remedy. The sole reason the Bank received $3,033,089.65 from the sale of the Property was that the Closing Order directed the payment to be made,
In its cross-appeal, Poker Run argues that it was error for the trial court in the Amended Final Judgment to award the Bank $2,707,155.45, which included $141,516.67 in interest and $56,000.00 in insurance charges incurred during the period from December 1, 2009 to June 30, 2011. Poker Run argues this was error, and that the Bank was only entitled to the amount Poker Run tendered, $2,581,227.15. Because as we noted in Section A supra, the Notice divested the trial court of jurisdiction, the trial court's Amended Final Judgment must be vacated.
The same rationale dictates our resolution of the issue raised in Poker Run's consolidated appeal. Poker Run's motion for attorneys' fees and costs asserted that Poker Run was the prevailing party at trial. Because the Notice divested the trial court of jurisdiction, the trial court's order denying Poker Run's motion for attorneys' fees and costs must be vacated.
Because the Foreclosure Case terminated when the Bank filed its notice of voluntary dismissal, the trial court was without jurisdiction to take any further action in that matter. We therefore reverse and vacate the Amended Final Judgment. We further vacate the trial court's order denying Poker Run's motion for attorneys' fees and costs as that order was entered after the filing of the Bank's notice of voluntary dismissal.
Reversed and Remanded.