JUDICIAL TERM LIMITS GET BACKING IN HOUSE By JIM SAUNDERS THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA THE CAPITAL, TALLAHASSEE, February 9, 2017……… Despite opposition from an array of legal groups, a House panel Thursday backed a proposed constitutional amendment that would place term limits on Florida Supreme Court justices and state appeals-court judges. House Speaker Richard […]
https://www.fljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/fjri-news.jpg800800RAD Techhttps://www.fljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Florida-Justice-Reform-Institute.jpgRAD Tech2017-02-09 15:50:012025-09-18 15:02:34Judicial Term Limits Get Backing In House
True cost of workers’ compensation rulings pegged at $1.3 billion MICHAEL MOLINE February 2, 2017, 6:17 pm Florida Supreme Court rulings in workers’ compensation cases will boost employers’ costs by 35.4 percent, adding $1.3 billion to the cost of doing business in the state, an economist warned Thursday during the Florida Chamber of Commerce’s […]
Thursday, January 19, 2017 By Sherri Okamoto Florida’s 1st District Court of Appeal this week summarily denied a challenge to the use of the “Daubert” evidentiary standard in workers’ compensation cases. This standard derives from a 1993 U.S. Supreme Court case called Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals. It requires trial judges to assess the […]
https://www.fljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/fjri-news.jpg800800RAD Techhttps://www.fljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Florida-Justice-Reform-Institute.jpgRAD Tech2017-01-19 15:52:182024-11-26 02:10:561st DCA Rejects Challenge to Use of ‘Daubert Standard’ in Comp Cases
Debate heats up over property insurance claims By News Service of Florida Tuesday, January 10, 2017 at 9:32 pm (Updated: January 10, 9:32 pm) TALLAHASSEE — With insurers and regulators blaming a surge in water-damage claims for higher property-insurance rates, Florida lawmakers Tuesday began grappling with a controversial debate that includes homeowners, contractors, insurance […]
Photo: Scott Keeler/Tampa Bay Times Florida Supreme Court Justice Barbara Pariente has authored a long list of landmark decisions. Justice Barbara Pariente: ‘The Questioner’ Barbara Pariente has been a powerful — and sometimes controversial — presence on the Florida Supreme Court for nearly 20 years. Jason Garcia | 12/28/2016 On the morning of March 4, […]
Chandra Lye Dec. 18, 2016, 1:26pm FLORIDA — An appeals court has ruled that an $18.5 million penalty on R.J. Reynolds (RJR) Tobacco was excessive. The monetary reward was granted to the daughter of a smoker who died of lung cancer. Gwendolyn Odom was awarded $6 million in compensatory damages and $14 million in […]
https://www.fljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/fjri-news.jpg800800RAD Techhttps://www.fljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Florida-Justice-Reform-Institute.jpgRAD Tech2016-12-18 15:56:102024-11-26 02:14:44Appeals Court Rules $18.5 Million Award too Much Following Tobacco Lawsuit
Jim Rosica – December 16, 2016 Conservative appellate judge C. Alan Lawson will become the next Florida Supreme Court justice, Gov. Rick Scott announced Friday morning. Lawson, who will replace retiring Justice James E.C. Perry, is chief judge of the state’s 5th District Court of Appeal in Daytona Beach. Perry’s retirement is effective Dec. 30; Lawson’s first day is the […]
https://www.fljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/fjri-news.jpg800800RAD Techhttps://www.fljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Florida-Justice-Reform-Institute.jpgRAD Tech2016-12-16 15:59:112024-11-26 02:18:09Rick Scott Picks C. Alan Lawson for Supreme Court
Gov. Scott appoints conservative appellate judge Alan Lawson to Florida Supreme Court Mary Ellen Klas, Times/Herald Tallahassee Bureau December 16, 2016 TALLAHASSEE — Gov. Rick Scott appointed C. Alan Lawson to be Florida’s next justice of the Supreme Court Friday, choosing a conservative appellate judge to leave the governor’s mark on a moderate court […]
Carrie Salls Dec. 16, 2016, 12:32pm TALLAHASSEE – The Florida Supreme Court has sided with a homeowner who sued American Home Assurance Co. Inc. after the insurer denied his claim related to water damage in his Naples home. John Sebo filed the claim after water damage at the multimillion-dollar home, allegedly resulting from poor […]
December 1, 2016 Court takes up attorney-client privilege By Gary Blankenship Senior Editor Can a law firm representing a personal injury client be compelled to reveal if it referred the client to a particular medical facility, how many past clients have been referred to that facility, and whether it has a “cozy” relationship with […]
Dee Thompson Nov. 20, 2016, 10:27pm TALLAHASSEE — Attorney Gregory Katsas with Jones Day in Washington, representing tobacco company R.J. Reynolds, recently argued before the Florida Supreme Court that in Florida courts, the liability and negligence claims of smokers are preempted by federal law. Katsas was arguing for tobacco company R.J. Reynolds in a […]
https://www.fljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/fjri-news.jpg800800RAD Techhttps://www.fljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Florida-Justice-Reform-Institute.jpgRAD Tech2016-11-20 15:55:542024-11-26 02:20:35Jones Day Argues that Federal Law on Smoking Lawsuits Should Preempt State Laws
Joe Dyton Nov. 18, 2016, 12:11pm In the aftermath of the damage Hurricane Matthew caused in the Southeast, attorneys worked through NorthCarolinaFloodClaims.com to put together a free Skype presentation Nov. 7 given by prominent insurance lawyer J.R. Whaley to help these flooded areas recover. The presentation took place at the Quality Inn & Suites […]
W.J. Kennedy Nov. 15, 2016, 9:55am TALLAHASSEE — Workers’ compensation laws that impose caps on claimants’ attorney fees may be vulnerable with recent state supreme court decisions toppling fee schedules in Florida and Utah. “The claimant’s bar is very well networked,” William W. Large, president of Florida Justice Reform Institute, told the Florida Record. […]
U.S. Supreme Court Won’t Review Constitutionality of Comp System By Sheri Okamoto – November 1, 2016 The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday denied a review of a challenge to the constitutionality of the Florida workers’ compensation. Although the Florida Supreme Court earlier this year declared portions of the state’s comp scheme invalid, […]
Hermine enlisted in business campaign against insurance rackets MICHAEL MOLINE September 8, 2016, 1:01 pm A business coalition warned Florida homeowners Thursday against signing away their insurance claims for Hurricane Hermine damage to dodgy contractors or attorneys. The warning came amid a gathering campaign against such assignment-of-benefits agreements — sometimes known as AOBs. The […]
https://www.fljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/fjri-news.jpg800800RAD Techhttps://www.fljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Florida-Justice-Reform-Institute.jpgRAD Tech2016-09-08 15:57:492024-12-11 18:04:48Hermine Enlisted in Business Campaign Against Insurance Rackets
John Breslin Aug. 22, 2016, 10:25am TALLAASSEE – Florida’s workers’ compensation claims office have seen a sharp spike in cases filed following a landmark state Supreme Court ruling that barred capping attorney fees. Following the April ruling, the number of petitions for benefit rose by 24 percent in May compared to the same month the […]
https://www.fljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/fjri-news.jpg800800RAD Techhttps://www.fljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Florida-Justice-Reform-Institute.jpgRAD Tech2016-08-22 15:59:232025-09-17 15:28:15Sharp Spike in Work Comp Cases Following State Supreme Court Judgment
Workers comp rates to increase, but by how much? Potential 20 percent increase for Florida businesses By Mike Vasilinda Posted: 6:17 PM, August 16, 2016 TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The Florida Supreme Court declared the state’s scheme for handling injured workers unconstitutional in three cases earlier this year, one of them involving the city of St. […]
https://www.fljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/fjri-news.jpg800800RAD Techhttps://www.fljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Florida-Justice-Reform-Institute.jpgRAD Tech2016-08-17 15:59:532024-11-26 02:27:30Workers Comp Rates to Increase, but By How Much?
NCCI Rate Hike Could Be Far Worse, Actuaries Say Wednesday August 17, 2016 By Todd Foster – A consulting actuary and an economist testified Tuesday that a proposed 19.6% workers’ compensation rate increase in Florida might be half of what is needed in response to a pair of state Supreme Court rulings that favored […]
https://www.fljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/fjri-news.jpg800800RAD Techhttps://www.fljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Florida-Justice-Reform-Institute.jpgRAD Tech2016-08-17 15:58:292024-12-11 17:56:32NCCI Rate Hike Could Be Far Worse, Actuaries Say
By: Mike Vasilinda | Capitol News Service August 17, 2016 TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) — The Florida Supreme Court declared the state’s scheme for handling injured workers unconstitutional in three cases earlier this year. The result is a potential twenty percent increase in Workers Comp insurance for Florida businesses. In 2003, Florida had some of […]
https://www.fljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/fjri-news.jpg800800RAD Techhttps://www.fljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Florida-Justice-Reform-Institute.jpgRAD Tech2016-08-17 15:56:022024-11-29 14:30:13Workers comp rates to increase, but by how much?
By Sherri Okamoto A divided Florida Supreme Court has declared yet another portion of the state’s comp scheme unconstitutional. In April, the court struck down Florida’s statutory limit on attorney fees. On Thursday, it said the state’s 104-week cap on temporary disability benefits is invalid. The court reasoned that the cap impermissibly cuts-off compensation to […]
https://www.fljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/fjri-news.jpg800800Becky Lannonhttps://www.fljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Florida-Justice-Reform-Institute.jpgBecky Lannon2016-06-10 15:59:032025-09-17 15:59:29Supreme Court Strikes Down 104-Week Cap on TD
Judicial Term Limits Get Backing In House
/in News Service of FloridaJUDICIAL TERM LIMITS GET BACKING IN HOUSE By JIM SAUNDERS THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA THE CAPITAL, TALLAHASSEE, February 9, 2017……… Despite opposition from an array of legal groups, a House panel Thursday backed a proposed constitutional amendment that would place term limits on Florida Supreme Court justices and state appeals-court judges. House Speaker Richard […]
True Cost of Workers’ Compensation Rulings Pegged at $1.3 Billion
/in Florida PoliticsTrue cost of workers’ compensation rulings pegged at $1.3 billion MICHAEL MOLINE February 2, 2017, 6:17 pm Florida Supreme Court rulings in workers’ compensation cases will boost employers’ costs by 35.4 percent, adding $1.3 billion to the cost of doing business in the state, an economist warned Thursday during the Florida Chamber of Commerce’s […]
1st DCA Rejects Challenge to Use of ‘Daubert Standard’ in Comp Cases
/in WorkCompCentralThursday, January 19, 2017 By Sherri Okamoto Florida’s 1st District Court of Appeal this week summarily denied a challenge to the use of the “Daubert” evidentiary standard in workers’ compensation cases. This standard derives from a 1993 U.S. Supreme Court case called Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals. It requires trial judges to assess the […]
Debate Heats Up Over Property Insurance Claims
/in Citrus County ChronicleDebate heats up over property insurance claims By News Service of Florida Tuesday, January 10, 2017 at 9:32 pm (Updated: January 10, 9:32 pm) TALLAHASSEE — With insurers and regulators blaming a surge in water-damage claims for higher property-insurance rates, Florida lawmakers Tuesday began grappling with a controversial debate that includes homeowners, contractors, insurance […]
Justice Barbara Pariente: ‘The Questioner’
/in Florida TrendPhoto: Scott Keeler/Tampa Bay Times Florida Supreme Court Justice Barbara Pariente has authored a long list of landmark decisions. Justice Barbara Pariente: ‘The Questioner’ Barbara Pariente has been a powerful — and sometimes controversial — presence on the Florida Supreme Court for nearly 20 years. Jason Garcia | 12/28/2016 On the morning of March 4, […]
Appeals Court Rules $18.5 Million Award too Much Following Tobacco Lawsuit
/in Florida RecordChandra Lye Dec. 18, 2016, 1:26pm FLORIDA — An appeals court has ruled that an $18.5 million penalty on R.J. Reynolds (RJR) Tobacco was excessive. The monetary reward was granted to the daughter of a smoker who died of lung cancer. Gwendolyn Odom was awarded $6 million in compensatory damages and $14 million in […]
Rick Scott Picks C. Alan Lawson for Supreme Court
/in Florida PoliticsJim Rosica – December 16, 2016 Conservative appellate judge C. Alan Lawson will become the next Florida Supreme Court justice, Gov. Rick Scott announced Friday morning. Lawson, who will replace retiring Justice James E.C. Perry, is chief judge of the state’s 5th District Court of Appeal in Daytona Beach. Perry’s retirement is effective Dec. 30; Lawson’s first day is the […]
Gov. Scott Appoints Conservative Appellate Judge Alan Lawson to Florida Supreme Court
/in Tampa Bay TimesGov. Scott appoints conservative appellate judge Alan Lawson to Florida Supreme Court Mary Ellen Klas, Times/Herald Tallahassee Bureau December 16, 2016 TALLAHASSEE — Gov. Rick Scott appointed C. Alan Lawson to be Florida’s next justice of the Supreme Court Friday, choosing a conservative appellate judge to leave the governor’s mark on a moderate court […]
Florida Supreme Court Ruling Addresses Insurance Payment Clause Debate
/in Florida RecordCarrie Salls Dec. 16, 2016, 12:32pm TALLAHASSEE – The Florida Supreme Court has sided with a homeowner who sued American Home Assurance Co. Inc. after the insurer denied his claim related to water damage in his Naples home. John Sebo filed the claim after water damage at the multimillion-dollar home, allegedly resulting from poor […]
Court Takes Up Attorney-client Privilege
/in Florida Bar NewsDecember 1, 2016 Court takes up attorney-client privilege By Gary Blankenship Senior Editor Can a law firm representing a personal injury client be compelled to reveal if it referred the client to a particular medical facility, how many past clients have been referred to that facility, and whether it has a “cozy” relationship with […]
Jones Day Argues that Federal Law on Smoking Lawsuits Should Preempt State Laws
/in Florida RecordDee Thompson Nov. 20, 2016, 10:27pm TALLAHASSEE — Attorney Gregory Katsas with Jones Day in Washington, representing tobacco company R.J. Reynolds, recently argued before the Florida Supreme Court that in Florida courts, the liability and negligence claims of smokers are preempted by federal law. Katsas was arguing for tobacco company R.J. Reynolds in a […]
Florida, North Carolina Attorneys Address Hurricane Litigation with Webinar
/in Florida RecordJoe Dyton Nov. 18, 2016, 12:11pm In the aftermath of the damage Hurricane Matthew caused in the Southeast, attorneys worked through NorthCarolinaFloodClaims.com to put together a free Skype presentation Nov. 7 given by prominent insurance lawyer J.R. Whaley to help these flooded areas recover. The presentation took place at the Quality Inn & Suites […]
Recent State Court Rulings Place Workers’ Comp Attorney Fee Schedules in Question
/in Florida RecordW.J. Kennedy Nov. 15, 2016, 9:55am TALLAHASSEE — Workers’ compensation laws that impose caps on claimants’ attorney fees may be vulnerable with recent state supreme court decisions toppling fee schedules in Florida and Utah. “The claimant’s bar is very well networked,” William W. Large, president of Florida Justice Reform Institute, told the Florida Record. […]
U.S. Supreme Court Won’t Review Constitutionality of Comp System
/in WorkCompCentralU.S. Supreme Court Won’t Review Constitutionality of Comp System By Sheri Okamoto – November 1, 2016 The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday denied a review of a challenge to the constitutionality of the Florida workers’ compensation. Although the Florida Supreme Court earlier this year declared portions of the state’s comp scheme invalid, […]
Hermine Enlisted in Business Campaign Against Insurance Rackets
/in Florida PoliticsHermine enlisted in business campaign against insurance rackets MICHAEL MOLINE September 8, 2016, 1:01 pm A business coalition warned Florida homeowners Thursday against signing away their insurance claims for Hurricane Hermine damage to dodgy contractors or attorneys. The warning came amid a gathering campaign against such assignment-of-benefits agreements — sometimes known as AOBs. The […]
Sharp Spike in Work Comp Cases Following State Supreme Court Judgment
/in Florida RecordJohn Breslin Aug. 22, 2016, 10:25am TALLAASSEE – Florida’s workers’ compensation claims office have seen a sharp spike in cases filed following a landmark state Supreme Court ruling that barred capping attorney fees. Following the April ruling, the number of petitions for benefit rose by 24 percent in May compared to the same month the […]
Workers Comp Rates to Increase, but By How Much?
/in wctv.tvWorkers comp rates to increase, but by how much? Potential 20 percent increase for Florida businesses By Mike Vasilinda Posted: 6:17 PM, August 16, 2016 TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The Florida Supreme Court declared the state’s scheme for handling injured workers unconstitutional in three cases earlier this year, one of them involving the city of St. […]
NCCI Rate Hike Could Be Far Worse, Actuaries Say
/in WorkCompCentralNCCI Rate Hike Could Be Far Worse, Actuaries Say Wednesday August 17, 2016 By Todd Foster – A consulting actuary and an economist testified Tuesday that a proposed 19.6% workers’ compensation rate increase in Florida might be half of what is needed in response to a pair of state Supreme Court rulings that favored […]
Workers comp rates to increase, but by how much?
/in Capitol News ServiceBy: Mike Vasilinda | Capitol News Service August 17, 2016 TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) — The Florida Supreme Court declared the state’s scheme for handling injured workers unconstitutional in three cases earlier this year. The result is a potential twenty percent increase in Workers Comp insurance for Florida businesses. In 2003, Florida had some of […]
Supreme Court Strikes Down 104-Week Cap on TD
/in WorkCompCentralBy Sherri Okamoto A divided Florida Supreme Court has declared yet another portion of the state’s comp scheme unconstitutional. In April, the court struck down Florida’s statutory limit on attorney fees. On Thursday, it said the state’s 104-week cap on temporary disability benefits is invalid. The court reasoned that the cap impermissibly cuts-off compensation to […]