Christou v. Baldree

Full title: ROBERT ANDREAS CHRISTOU, Appellant, v. NICOLETTE MARIE BALDREE, Appellee.

Court: DISTRICT COURT OF APPEAL OF THE STATE OF FLORIDA FIFTH DISTRICT

Date published: Mar 4, 2016

186 So. 3d 631 (Fla. Dist. Ct. App. 2016)

Opinion

No. 5D15–2005.

03-04-2016

Robert Andreas CHRISTOU, Appellant, v. Nicolette Marie BALDREE, Appellee.

Dale F. Webner, of Miller & Webner, P.A., Weston, for Appellant. Patricia M. Lee, of Urban Thier & Federer, P.A., Orlando, for Appellee.

PER CURIAM.

Dale F. Webner, of Miller & Webner, P.A., Weston, for Appellant.

Patricia M. Lee, of Urban Thier & Federer, P.A., Orlando, for Appellee.

Opinion

PER CURIAM.

The trial court erred in awarding attorney's fees¹ against Robert Christou, the Respondent in the paternity action below. A court in a domestic relations proceeding that is without personal jurisdiction over the respondent may not order the respondent to pay attorney's fees. See Beroes v. Fla. Dep't of Revenue, 958 So.2d 489, 492 (Fla. 3d DCA 2007); Steffens v. Steffens, 593 So.2d 1156, 1158 (Fla. 2d DCA 1992); Montano v. Montano, 520 So.2d 52, 53 (Fla. 3d DCA 1988).

1 The fees were awarded pursuant to section 742.045, Florida Statutes (2014), which authorizes a court to award attorney's fees in a paternity action after consideration of the party's “financial resources.”
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REVERSED AND REMANDED.

ORFINGER, EVANDER and WALLIS, JJ., concur.