Arkiteknic, Inc. v. United Glass Laminating, Inc.

We reverse the trial court’s final default judgment and order striking pleadings as a sanction for failure to comply with certain disclosure deadlines. “Because dismissal is the ultimate sanction in the adversarial system, it should be reserved for those aggravating circumstances in which a lesser sanction would fail to achieve a just result.” Kozel v. Ostendorf, 629 So.2d 817, 818 (Fla.1993). To ensure that the sanction of dismissal is prudently applied, trial courts must first make certain preliminary findings of fact. Alvarado v. Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs, Inc., 8 So.3d 388 (Fla. 3d…