Articles Posted in Miscellaneous

In our experience of representing individuals with practically every type of injury, we have learned that few injuries are more common — second to back pain — painful, and debilitating than rotator cuff tears. The rotator cuff is made up of 4 tendons that cover the top of the humerus. A rotator cuff injury involves…

In every serious personal injury case in Florida, the issue of who will pay the medical providers and how much always arises. Needless to say, providers want to recover as much as they can. Patients, of course, want to pay as little as possible out-of-pocket. How this plays out often depends on who pays the…

Our previous blog addressed the procedure for satisfying Medicaid’s lien from money received in Florida personal injury cases from liable third parties.The present blog will focus on satisfying Medicare’s lien from third party proceeds. The leading case on the issue is Hadden v. United States, 661 F.3d 298 (6th Cir. 2011). Medicare and Medicaid are…

Not infrequently, Medicaid will step up and cover the medical expenses of persons severely injured in accidents before other sources do so. This is commendable. However, where the Medicaid recipient is subsequently compensated by a third party for damages sustained in the accident, Florida Statute 409.910 says that Medicaid must be reimbursed from the proceeds.…

The elements of defamation are that the Defendant published a false statement, that the statement was communicated to a third party, and that the Plaintiff suffered damages as a result of the publication. Axelrod v. Califano, 357 So.2d 1048 (Fla. 1st DCA 1978). In some instances, a qualified privilege exists in the communication. For the…

There are numerous procedural, substantive, and even attitudinal differences in the way civil cases are handled between State and Federal Courts. The differences can determine the outcome of a case. In many instances, the line is sharp over which court system has jurisdiction, leaving little to no choice over which system will get the case.…

Obviously, medical records are important for many reasons. They do not come without a price. Florida Statute Section 456.057 is titled “Ownership and Control of Patient Records; Report or Copies of Records to be Furnished,” and it defines the owner of medical records as the health care practitioner who generates a medical record after essentially…

Prior to 1990, Florida employers had a common law qualified privilege to discuss current and former employees with prospective employers. The leading case was Nadar v. Galbreath, 462 So.2d 803 (Fla. 1984). For an employee to overcome the privilege, and thus hold the employer liable for defamation or intentional interference with a business relationship, proof…

Arbitration has become the procedural remedy of choice for the business community in almost every type of civil dispute, from employment matters to nursing home negligence. Arbitration involves the resolution of civil disputes by a panel of costly private arbitrators rather than by government-paid judges and citizen jurors. If for no other reason than that…

America’s civil and criminal justice systems are grounded on the Mosaic Code. The Law, contained in the Torah’s Books of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy, pre-dates Roman laws and is the first to incorporate humanism and the democratic spirit into a written Judicial code. Four centuries before Christ, the Jews devised a legal system based…