Articles Posted in Litigation

Personal injury cases against drunk drivers present positive opportunities for Plaintiff lawyers to seek punitive damages and recover enhanced compensatory damages (e.g., pain & suffering; lost wages). Punitive Damages The procedure for claiming punitive damages and the standards for holding a defendant liable for punitive damages are set forth in Florida Statute 768.72. A claim…

Through legal doctrines such as those pertaining to dangerous instruments (e.g., motor vehicles), principals & agents, and employers & employees, passive tortfeasors can be held liable for the active negligence of others. An active tortfeasor is the person whose negligence has caused an accident, while a passive tortfeasor is the person or company made liable…

Job one of lawyers who represent individuals who have suffered personal injuries and/or property damage losses is to maximize the client’s recovery. The conventional thinking is that the recovery in every case is limited by the measure of actual damages, in other words, the recovery cannot exceed the loss. Surprisingly, this is a rule that…

One would hope and expect in a society purporting to be civilized, that the negligence of any person or company could not be waived before it happened. Astonishingly, Florida law allows just that: pre-accident releases/waivers barring actions based on the subsequent negligence of the released party. In other words, Florida law sanctions the equivalent of…

McCall vs. Alabama Bruno’s, Inc., 647 So.2d 175 (Fla. 1st DCA 1994): Florida follows the general rule that the employer of an independent contractor is not liable for the contractor’s negligence because the employer has no control over the manner in which the work is done, except when one of three exceptions apply. Those exceptions…

Florida Rule of Civil Procedure (FRCP) 1.360(a)(1)(A) allows the defendant in a personal injury case to have a qualified expert of its own choosing perform a medical examination on the plaintiff with regard to the injury or injuries in controversy. This type of examination has come to be referred to as a “compulsory medical examination,”…

In 2004, more than 80-percent of Florida voters passed Amendment 7, technically Article 10 Section 25 of Florida’s Constitution, commonly known as the “Patients’ Right to Know Act.” The amendment provides that “patients have a right to have access to any records made or received in the course of business by a health care facility…

The question often arises in civil cases as to which witnesses the Plaintiff’s lawyer is prohibited from communicating with outside the presence of the Defendant’s counsel. The answer is governed by Florida Rule of Professional Conduct 4-4.2. The Rule was put to the test in the context of a medical malpractice case in Lee Memorial…

Uninsured Motorist (UM) coverage is 1st party insurance maintained for the benefit of individuals injured by uninsured motorists. See these blogs: An insurance policy is a contract. Unless preempted by a statute or case law, the terms of the policy determine the rights and responsibilities of the parties to the contract, namely the insurer and…

Hurray for the Miami Heat. Boo (and shame on) Micky Arinson, the billionaire owner of the Heat. Micky Arison also owns Carnival Corporation, the world’s largest cruise operator. While the company operates many of its ships from American ports, enjoying the laws and protections only America can afford, it hides behind a labyrinth of one-sided…