Hayward & Associates, Inc. v. Hoffman

BLUE, Chief Judge.

Hayward & Associates, Inc., appeals a trial court order that dismissed with prejudice its lawsuit against Dexter Hoffman, Noel Evans, and the law firm of Evans & Donica, P.A. The trial court dismissed the lawsuit on the grounds of res judicata. As Hayward correctly argues, the trial court erred by going outside the four corners of the complaint to consider this affirmative defense. Accordingly, we reverse. See Bolz v. State Farm Mut. Auto. Ins. Co., 679 So.2d 836, 837 (Fla. 2d DCA 1996).

The Appellees ask this court to affirm on the alternative ground that Hayward is trying…