Appellate Court upholds trial court’s judgment but gives different reasoning, a rare example of the so called “tipsy coachmen doctrine” in West Palm Beach.

A wise (albeit cruel) man once said there is more than one way to skin a cat.  The same is true in West Palm Beach probate; sometimes the same result can be had in multiple ways although only one is right. Did your probate judge get the right result with the wrong law? It may be held up on appeal! In law often judges refer to this as the tipsy coachmen paradigm. Is your will contest up on appeal? Did you know the appellate judge can decide to uphold the decision despite the reasoning being flawed? Check out this recent case out of the Third District Court of Appeals. 

The Tipsy Coachmen Doctrine

• The tipsy coachmen doctrine is a rule of law that upholds in a higher court a correct conclusion of law despite flawed reasoning by the judge in the lower court.
• In other words the lower court was right but for the wrong reason.
• The doctrine actually comes from a case that happened in George over a hundred years ago!
• In 1879 the Georgia Court noted a peculiar thing about the human mind, that often times in a dispute the right answer comes despite the wrong logic.
• Can this happen in a West Palm Beach probate suit?
• Where did that name come from?
• It actually is from an old poem written by Oliver Goldsmith in 1774.
• If you want to read it for yourself check out Retaliation: a Poem.
• Does probate courts use this doctrine as well?
• What about the error in the lower probate courts, should appellate courts uphold them?
• Check out this recent case and decide for yourself.

Pino v. Deutsche

• In this case the Appellant was seeking review of the trial court’s order that denied summary judgment and rendered judgment for the other side.
• This was a foreclosure dispute.
• The Court noted that although the trial court got the reasoning wrong the order was right.
• In other words this was another case for the tipsy coachmen.
• Should courts in West Palm Beach focus on form or function?
• In other words is it okay if the result is right, no matter what the logic?
• Do you want the public records having incorrect law that upholds your victory in West Palm Beach?

Want to learn more check out the entire case by clicking here.