ACEVEDO v. REYNOLDS TOBACCO COMPANY (2021)

Eduardo Fernandes Acevedo appeals the trial court's order granting summary judgment in favor of R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company on Acevedo's strict liability and negligence claims. Acevedo contends that R.J. Reynolds failed to meet its burden under Florida Rule of Civil Procedure 1.510,¹ and further contends that genuine issues of material fact preclude summary judgment.

Our standard of review of an order granting summary judgment is de novo, and we review the record in a light most favorable to the non-movant to determine whether there exist genuine issues of material fact that preclude summary judgment. Belanger v. R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co., 140 So. 3d 598, 599 (Fla. 3d DCA 2014). Upon our careful review of the record, we agree that the trial court erred in granting summary judgment, as genuine issues of material fact remain in dispute regarding the existence of a design defect as well as legal causation.

Reversed and remanded for further proceedings.

FOOTNOTES

1.   We note that the Florida Supreme Court recently amended Florida Rule of Civil Procedure 1.510(c). See In re: Amendments to Florida Rule of Civil Procedure 1.510, No. SC20-1490, 309 So.3d 192 (Fla. Dec. 31, 2020). The amendatory language provides:The summary judgment standard provided for in this rule shall be construed and applied in accordance with the federal summary judgment standard articulated in Celotex Corp. v. Catrett, 477 U.S. 317, 106 S.Ct. 2548, 91 L.Ed.2d 265 (1986); Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc., 477 U.S. 242, 106 S.Ct. 2505, 91 L.Ed.2d 202 (1986); and Matsushita Elec. Indus. Co. v. Zenith Radio Corp., 475 U.S. 574, 106 S.Ct. 1348, 89 L.Ed.2d 538 (1986).We do not apply the newly adopted standard to the instant case, however, because the effective date of the amendment to rule 1.510 is May 1, 2021.

PER CURIAM.