CHURCH & TOWER OF FLORIDA, INC.
v.
BELLSOUTH TELECOMMUNICATIONS, INC., and Liberty Mutual Fire Insurance Company, Appellees.
District Court of Appeal of Florida, Third District.
*41 Richard A. Sherman, Fort Lauderdale; Julio C. Acosta, Miami, and Michelle C. Lopez, for appellant.
Gordon, Hargrove & James, John R. Hargrove, Carol A. Gart and Scott Markowitz, Fort Lauderdale, for appellees.
Before GERSTEN, SUAREZ, and ROTHENBERG, JJ.
SUAREZ, J.
Church & Tower of Florida, Inc. ("Church & Tower"), appeals an order granting summary judgment on indemnity in favor of Bellsouth Telecommunications, Inc. ("Bellsouth"). We affirm.
Bellsouth's claim for indemnity arises out of a contract between the two parties which contains an indemnity provision. In 1995, Church & Tower entered into the contract in question with Bellsouth in which Church & Tower agreed to replace and relocate Bellsouth utility poles in North Dade County. The contract contains the following indemnity provision:
[T]he Contractor [Church & Tower] further specifically agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Indemnitees from all Liabilities, by reason of any injury, death, or damage to any person or property whatsoever, caused by, arising from, incident to, or connected with the performance or nonperformance of the work contemplated by this Contract which is, or is alleged to be, caused in part (whether joint, concurrent, or contributing) or in whole by any act, omission, default, or negligence (whether active or passive) of the Indemnitees.
In 2001, Church & Tower replaced a pole at Bellsouth's direction. A construction worker nailing plywood to an adjacent building was severely injured when his nail gun came in contact with electrical wires installed on the pole by FPL. The worker's guardian sued FPL and Bellsouth alleging negligence in the placement of the pole and the attachment of the electrical lines too close to the building. Bellsouth cross-claimed against Church & Tower for contractual indemnity. The trial court granted summary judgment in favor of Bellsouth on the cross-claim finding that the indemnity provision required Church & Tower to indemnify Bellsouth for the claim. Church & Tower appeals.
We review the construction of the indemnity clause of the contract de novo. See Team Land Dev., Inc. v. Anzac Contractors, Inc.,
The summary judgment on indemnity in favor of Bellsouth is affirmed.
