Florida Litigation Guide

Breach of Express Warranty -

[1] Elements and Case Citations

(1) Plaintiff purchased a product;

(2) Defendant provided an express warranty by affirmation of fact or promise, or

description of the product;

(3) The product failed to conform to the defendant’s affirmation or description; and

(4) Plaintiff suffered damages caused by the defendant’s breach.

The plaintiff must be in privity with the seller to recover for breach of express or implied warranties. See Kramer v. Piper Aircraft Corp., 520 So. 2d 37, 38 (Fla. 1988). The plaintiff must give notice for statutory breach of warranty claims (§ 672.607(3)(a), Fla. Stat.) unless such notice is excused. See Monroe County v. Gonzalez, 593 So. 2d 1143, 1145 (Fla. 3d DCA 1992). Courts are divided over whether Florida’s adoption of the U.C.C. displaces common-law claims for breach of implied warranty. Compare Cardozo v. True, 342 So. 2d 1053, 1057 (Fla. 2d DCA 1977) (Florida’s U.C.C. does not displace common-law doctrine of implied warranty) and West v. Caterpillar Tractor Co., 336 So. 2d 80, 88 (Fla. 1976) (U.C.C. remedies are exclusive only where decreed by legislature) with Taylor v. American Honda Motor Co., 555 F. Supp. 59, 62 (M.D. Fla. 1982) (Florida’s U.C.C. provides the exclusive remedy for breach of implied warranty against a seller of goods).

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Florida State Courts

Supreme Court: Weimar v. Yacht Club Point Estates, Inc., 223 So. 2d 100, 104 (Fla. 1969)

Fourth District: Dunham-Bush, Inc. v. Thermo-Air Serv., Inc., 351 So. 2d 351, 353 (Fla. 4th DCA 1977)

Florida Federal Courts

Middle District: Bland v. Freightliner LLC, 206 F.Supp.2d 1202, 1211 (M.D. Fla. 2002)

Florida Statutes

§ 672.313, Fla. Stat.

[2] Defenses to Claim for Breach of Express Warranty

(1) Fla. R. Civ. P. 1.110(d) (pleading affirmative defenses), and other standard defenses. See § 60.

(2) Statute of Limitations: § 95.11(2)(b), Fla. Stat. (five years); but see Dubin v. Dow Corning Corp., 478 So. 2d 71, 72 (Fla. 2d DCA 1985) (four year statute of limitations provided by § 95.11(3)(c), Fla. Stat., applies to all breach of warranty claims arising from construction of, or improvements to, real property).

(3) Conspicuous disclaimers written in plain language are a defense to breach of warranty claims § 672.316(1), Fla. Stat.; see also Parson v. Motor Homes of America, Inc., 465 So. 2d 1285, 1291 (Fla. 1st DCA 1985).

(4) A waiver signed by the aggrieved party is an absolute defense to breach of warranty claims § 671.107, Fla. Stat.

(5) Plaintiff/buyer must give notice to defendant/seller within a reasonable time after she discovers, or should have discovered, the breach. See § 672.607(3)(a), Fla. Stat.

(6) A warranty is not created by the seller’s puffery in stating an opinion or commendation of the good’s value § 672.313(2), Fla. Stat.; see also Carter Hawley Hale Stores, Inc. v. Conley, 372 So. 2d 965, 969 (Fla. 3d DCA 1979).

(7) Plaintiff’s failure to properly reject the goods may serve to diminish the recovery of damages. See Central Florida Antenna Serv., Inc. v. A.M. Crabtree, 503 So. 2d 1351, 1353 (Fla. 5th DCA 1987); see also § 672.608, Fla. Stat.

(8) Product misuse will diminish the plaintiff’s recovery through comparative negligence. But compare Creviston v. General Motors Corp., 225 So. 2d 331, 334 (Fla. 1969) (product misuse is a defense to breach of warranty actions) with Standard Havens Products v. Benitez, 648 So. 2d 1192, 1197 (Fla. 1994) (product misuse reduces plaintiff’s recovery through comparative negligence).