We are proud to announce a major appellate win on behalf of our client, Structure SBL, Inc. in Hartford Insurance Company of the Southeast as Third-Party Payor for Finish Line Builders v. Structure SBL, Inc., and Les Enterprises Pricision, Inc., Case No. 2D2024-2755.
On June 12, 2026, Florida’s Second District Court of Appeal issued a per curiam affirmance in favor of Structure SBL, leaving intact the trial court’s final summary judgment for our client.
The appeal arose from a workers’ compensation reimbursement dispute under section 440.10(1)(d)1., Florida Statutes. Hartford sought to recover more than $1.5 million in workers’ compensation benefits it paid as a third-party payor for Finish Line Builders after an employee of a lower-tier subcontractor was injured on a construction project. Hartford argued that it could recover those benefits from Structure SBL, even though the injured worker was employed by Les Enterprises Precision, not Structure SBL. Hartford framed the appeal as an issue involving the scope of the reimbursement remedy under section 440.10(1)(d)1.
Structure SBL argued that the statute creates a targeted reimbursement remedy against the subcontractor that failed to secure workers’ compensation coverage for its own employee. Structure SBL further argued that Hartford’s reliance on vertical-privity workers’ compensation cases did not expand the reimbursement statute into a broad recovery right against every entity in the construction chain.
After a full briefing and oral argument, the Second District Court of Appeal affirmed the trial court’s ruling. Because the decision was a PCA, the appellate court did not issue a written opinion, but the practical result is clear: the judgment in favor of Structure SBL stands.
This was a significant victory for Structure SBL and an important result in a high-stakes construction and workers’ compensation reimbursement dispute. The case presented a substantial statutory issue involving the relationship between Florida’s vertical-privity workers’ compensation framework and the separate reimbursement remedy available to contractors and third-party payors.
Isriel Ponzoli, P.A. was honored to represent Structure SBL before the Second District Court of Appeal and to help secure this significant appellate win.