Herniated intervertebral discs can have significant medical and legal consequences. The symptoms of a herniated disc can range from minor pain all the way up to unbearable, unremitting pain, paresthesia, and numbness. Treatment options include palliative medicine, physical therapy, epidural injections, and surgery. Each of these option can be costly and none is guaranteed effective.…
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Parties to legal actions should always assume that their social media (e.g., Facebook; Twitter) postings will be discovered (discovery is allowed by FRCP 1.350; Discovery of Facebook Content in Florida Cases, 31 No. 2 Trial Advoc. Q 14 (Spring 2012)) and used against them by the other side if helpful. Postings can be used to…
Continue reading ›Individuals seriously injured through the negligence of others often require medical care and treatment long after the case is resolved. Settlements and jury verdicts must take these future medical expenses into account. Some individuals harmed through the negligence of others are eligible for medical care through governmental or charitable services for a pre-existing disability unrelated…
Continue reading ›For-profit insurance companies enjoy privileges in Florida not afforded individuals and other commercial activities. It is little wonder they profit so handsomely. In turn, their wealth allows them to exercise ever greater control over politicians, the courts, and the psyche of the people. It’s an ugly picture. Negligence In the context of liability claims, an…
Continue reading ›Any cause of action, or lawsuit, arising in Florida from the death of an individual caused by the wrongful act or negligence of any person or entity is controlled by the “Florida Wrongful Death Act” (Sections 768.16-768.26). This blog describes some key wrongful death claim considerations. By their nature, wrongful death cases are highly emotional…
Continue reading ›While personal injury litigation in Florida courts is not supposed to be a game of “gotcha,” or trial by ambush, Surf Drugs, Inc. v. Vermette, 236 So.108, 111 Fla.1970,” unless attorneys pay careful attention, it can happen in their cases. One of the ripest areas for this gamesmanship to occur is in the use of…
Continue reading ›Individuals in Florida under 18 years of age, considered minors, do not have the legal capacity to settle personal injury claims or control the settlement proceeds. Minors are typically represented in their cases by one or both parents, who, by operation of law, are their legal guardians. In the absence of a parent or where…
Continue reading ›Medical bills are a strong measure of injuries and future expenses. However, due to insurance and governmental (e.g., Medicare) discounts, bills are rarely paid in full. Where the medical provider is prohibited, by contract or law, from balance billing, Plaintiffs and Defendants contest which medical expenses, the full charges or the reduced payments, may be…
Continue reading ›Our law firm and Domnick & Shevin PL, represent a Disney bus driver who was severely injured in a March 2010 crash with a Mears Transportation Group motor coach near the vehicle entrance to Epcot. He was airlifted to Orlando Regional Medical Center after being pried from the driver’s seat of the bus. The Mears…
Continue reading ›I have blogged here in the past that the 2011 Republican-controlled Florida Legislature seemed bound and determined to gut one of the state’s most important laws at holding vehicle manufacturers accountable for producing defective products. Although some within the legislature may have had this outcome as a goal, reasonable minds prevailed in the 2011 legislative…
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