Wrongful Death

Do Rental Car Companies in Florida Have a Duty to Investigate?

Published on: November 11, 2013 | by Friedman Rodman Frank & Estrada, P.A.

What happens if a rental car company rents a car to a driver who proves to drive negligent and hurts or kills someone? In a recent appellate case, a man was killed in Florida while riding in a 2008 Corvette that was rented from Hertz and driven by the defendant. A witness saw the defendant hit another vehicle after swerving through traffic at a high speed. When Hertz rented the man the car, it did not know that his driver’s license had been suspended after he received a speeding ticket in another state.

The man’s representative filed a wrongful death action against Hertz, alleging that it was negligent in not affirmatively investigating and learning of the suspended driver’s license pursuant to a statute. The trial court dismissed the complaint on the grounds that the Florida Statutes required Hertz to inspect the license to verify the signature and nothing more.

The man’s representative amended the complaint alleging general negligence rather than a statutory violation. However, the representative still wanted to use the statutory violation as evidence of proximate causation. In a general negligence action, a plaintiff must show (1) a duty, (2) breach of that duty, (3) actual causation, (4) proximate causation and (5) damages. “Proximate causation” means “legal cause.” Something may be part of a chain of events that leads to an accident, but still not be the “legal cause” or “proximate cause” of an accident.

Religious Arbitration Agreement Upheld in Florida Wrongful Death Case

Published on: October 23, 2013 | by Friedman Rodman Frank & Estrada, P.A.

An interesting wrongful death case regarding the validity and applicability of arbitration agreements arose recently when a nineteen-year-old enrolled at Teen Challenge’s substance abuse facility in Florida. He signed an arbitration agreement that stated he accepted the Bible as the word of God and that God wanted the parties to resolve their disputes in accord with certain Biblical principles in private meetings.

The agreement provided that if they weren’t resolved in private meetings, they would be resolved by biblically based mediation or, if not resolved there, in legally binding arbitration. He also signed a waiver that stated he understood Teen Challenge was an evangelical ministry and that he would therefore have to attend Christian religious activities.

Two months later, he broke the rules and his mother was told he would be discharged. After that, he was put in jail due to a probation violation in Tennessee where his mother lived. The Tennessee authorities permitted him to be released to try Teen Challenge again.

Settlement Offers in Florida

Published on: September 24, 2013 | by Friedman Rodman Frank & Estrada, P.A.

Often plaintiffs must work towards settlement not only with a defense attorney, but also an insurer. One strategic area during a lawsuit is settlement offers. There can be an advantage to trying to settle early. However, offers must be extremely specific. This is why it is critical to secure the help of an experienced attorney before communicating with the insurer for the other side.

In a recent case, a defendant appealed the final judgment entered in favor of a wrongful death plaintiff. The plaintiff and her minor child were in a car when they were rear-ended by the defendant’s car. The impact pushed the plaintiff’s car into a moving train. This caused severe injuries to the plaintiff and killed her son.

The plaintiff’s attorney contacted the defendant’s insurer and offered to settle with the policy limits. The offer had a time limit for accepting and included a reference to restrictions on the nature of the release. The insurer responded to the offer, including some draft checks and proposed releases. The plaintiff’s attorney told the insurer that the releases violated the terms of the offer and that it would therefore consider the response a rejection and counteroffer.

Work that Creates Exceptional Risk and Causes Death in Florida

Published on: September 10, 2013 | by Friedman Rodman Frank & Estrada, P.A.

Usually a Florida landowner or an employer of an independent contractor is not liable for negligent acts of the independent contractor. There are exceptions, among them an exception for work that creates exceptional risks.

In a wrongful death case earlier this year, a large tractor was moving along the interstate in the fast lane at less than 30 miles per hour in the dark. A driver was one of several cars in a group driving close together in the fast lane. The fourth or fifth car of the group was a state trooper. The trooper observed that the first car hit the brakes and a pickup pushed the second or third car into the right lane.

This second or third car was a car operated by a man named Smyth. He crashed into a tank truck carrying fuel–the driver of the truck didn’t realize Smyth had hit him and traveled with the car. The fuel tank caught fire and Smyth died.

Florida Appellate Court Finds No Fraud Upon the Court in Wrongful Death Case

Published on: July 10, 2013 | by Friedman Rodman Frank & Estrada, P.A.

Egregious conduct during a Florida personal injury or medical malpractice lawsuit can lead to the court dismissing a case with prejudice. This is an extreme measure that means a plaintiff cannot come back and have a jury hear his or her case.

What is egregious conduct? One example is extreme dishonesty — conscious dishonesty so serious it threatens to subvert the system. When you have suffered a great loss, such as the death of a spouse or child, it can be difficult to remember everything that needs to be remembered for legal proceedings. Nonetheless, it is important to be as honest as you can during the entire process.

In a recent case, a Florida appellate court considered facts in which a defendant hospital asked the plaintiff for notes or diaries related to his lawsuit against the hospital and doctors for his wife’s wrongful death. In that case, the plaintiff’s husband maintained a diary about his wife’s medical condition from March 1997-July 1997, but didn’t turn it over to the other side.

Important Florida Supreme Court Ruling on Arbitration Agreements for Medical Malpractice

Published on: June 25, 2013 | by Friedman Rodman Frank & Estrada, P.A.

Many Florida health care providers ask patients to sign arbitration agreements before they are treated. These agreements keep medical malpractice cases from going before a jury.

A medical malpractice cause of action in Florida is controlled by Chapter 766 of the Florida Statutes, the Medical Malpractice Act (MMA). The MMA specifically states that after the pre-suit and investigation requirements are fulfilled, either party may ask the others to submit to voluntary binding arbitration.

Assuming the claimant offers and the defendant agrees, the statute caps damages that may be awarded at arbitration to $250,000 for non-economic damages, calculated in terms of percentage of ability to enjoy life. (Non-economic damages include pain and suffering, but do not include actual medical expenses). The defendant is required to concede liability in this scenario.

However, if a defendant does not agree to voluntary binding arbitration in a case where the claimant has died, the cap on non-economic damages is $1 million at trial. And if a claimant does not agree to voluntary binding arbitration requested by the defendant and elects to go to trial, non-economic damages are capped at $350,000.

Recently, an important Florida Supreme Court case interpreted the law in a way that should help many medical malpractice plaintiffs. The case arose when a 67-year-old man suffered a hematoma during hernia surgery when one of his veins was lacerated and later died. His wife filed an action against the surgeon and the surgical group who operated on him, suing for medical malpractice leading to wrongful death.

The surgeon and his group made a motion to compel arbitration in accord with an agreement signed by the deceased before his surgery. This agreement not only bound him and his estate to arbitration, but it also capped his non-economic damages in case of medical malpractice to $250,000 per incident. The agreement also stated that a patient who wished to complain had to follow the standard procedure of serving a pre-suit notice.

The trial court ordered arbitration. The decedent’s wife appealed, argued that the arbitration agreement violated public policy as articulated in the MMA. Nonetheless, the First District Court of Appeal affirmed the trial court’s decision. The decedent’s wife appealed to the Florida Supreme Court.

Florida Supreme Court Clarifies Wrongful Death Act

Published on: June 20, 2013 | by Friedman Rodman Frank & Estrada, P.A.

What happens if a plaintiff’s injuries are so severe, he or she dies during the course of a lawsuit? Does the case get dismissed? Can a spouse or other relative be substituted in as plaintiff? The Florida Supreme Court recently discussed this important issue as it related to a personal injury case filed against a tobacco manufacturer. In 2005, a couple sued the tobacco manufacturers Philip Morris and Brown and Williamson Tobacco Corporation. The basis for the suit was that the tobacco company’s products caused the husband to get lung cancer and other malignancies.

The husband died in 2006. The wife then filed a motion to amend the complaint to name additional defendants. She sought all damages available under the Florida Wrongful Death Act, but also claimed survival damages.

The tobacco manufacturer filed a motion to dismiss on the grounds that the Florida Wrongful Death Act does not allow a personal injury action to be converted into a wrongful death action. The tobacco manufacturer argued that the surviving wife had to file a new wrongful death action, rather than convert the existing lawsuit. Agreeing with the tobacco manufacturer, the circuit court denied the wife’s motion to amend and substitute and dismissed the action.

The wife then filed a motion to reconsider, arguing she was not converting a personal injury into a wrongful death suit. She explained that she was leaving open the possibility of an alternative claim for survival damages and that the different theories of recovery should be presented together in a single lawsuit.

What is Florida’s Dangerous Instrumentality Doctrine?

Published on: May 24, 2013 | by Friedman Rodman Frank & Estrada, P.A.

The Florida Supreme Court adopted the dangerous instrumentality doctrine in 1920. This doctrine provides: a vehicle owner (and others that own inherently dangerous tools) may be held vicariously liable when he or she consents to let someone drive his vehicle who operates it irresponsibly and causes damages. The doctrine is similar, but separate from, the doctrine of respondeat superior, which imposes liability upon a “principal” for negligent acts of his agent that occur during the course and scope of the agent’s employment.

Parents of minors in Florida must take particular note of the dangerous instrumentality doctrine. A parent who signs his or her minor’s application for a driver’s license may be held vicariously liable for the child’s negligent operation of a motor vehicle.

A Florida appellate court recently considered the question of whether application of the dangerous instrumentality doctrine means that a driver can be considered an agent of the car’s owner. This is less complicated than it may sound.

The question came up during a wrongful death lawsuit. A car crash killed both the driver of a vehicle and his passenger when the driver failed to stop at a red light. The passenger’s mother filed a lawsuit against the driver’s estate and the driver’s father, who owned the vehicle. The father was included in the lawsuit under the dangerous instrumentality doctrine.

Florida Appellate Court Rules Medical Malpractice Pre-Lawsuit Requirements Not Necessary in a Wrongful Death Action

Published on: May 17, 2013 | by Friedman Rodman Frank & Estrada, P.A.

The Fifth District Court of Appeal of Florida recently reviewed a trial court’s dismissal of a wrongful death action for plaintiff’s failure to comply with the pre-lawsuit requirements for medical malpractice cases. In medical malpractice cases, a plaintiff must meet certain requirements, such as investigating before filing suit and giving notice to prospective defendants before filing suit. This case ended well for the plaintiff. However, it is a good example of why it’s so important to hire a personal injury attorney with multiple areas of experience if a loved one is killed in connection with a health care provider or in a context that might give rise to a medical malpractice claim. The rules that must be followed in contexts that overlap multiple practice areas can be tricky to navigate on your own.

The facts giving rise to a lawsuit arose when a 25-year-old pregnant woman visited the hospital complaining of pain. The hospital moved her to the defendant, a behavioral health facility, that evening, but when she arrived she was still complaining of abdominal pain. She was in distress, but over the next two days, the facility acted (and failed to act) in ways that led to her death.

Arbitration Clauses in Florida Nursing Home Cases Binding Upon Heirs and Estate

Published on: April 16, 2013 | by Friedman Rodman Frank & Estrada, P.A.

The Supreme Court of Florida recently decided Laizure v. Avant at Leesburg, a very important case for the many Florida residents whose elderly parents are in nursing homes. In that case, an elderly man died several days after he was admitted to a nursing home for rehabilitation after surgery. The day after he arrived at the facility, he signed an agreement requiring that conflicts resulting from his treatment and care at the nursing home be resolved through binding arbitration, rather than at trial.

His family brought a lawsuit in circuit court. Their complaint not only stated claims under a statute for deprivation of the man’s nursing home residents’ rights under a Florida statute, but also pled claims for wrongful death in the alternative.

The nursing home defendants filed a motion to compel arbitration based on the addendum signed by the man. The agreement specifically stated that it would be binding on the man’s heirs and it waived his right to trial by jury.

The man’s family opposed the motion for arbitration arguing that the arbitration agreement was unconscionable and that the wrongful death lawsuit was not arbitrable because the right to sue in such a claim didn’t belong to the man who had signed the agreement, but to them. The trial court disagreed.

Although it affirmed the trial court’s ruling, the Fifth District appellate court noted no Florida decision had addressed the question of whether a nursing home arbitration agreement could bind an estate or heirs for purposes of a wrongful death action. It looked at an earlier case in which the court had held that a wrongful death lawsuit is not an arbitrable case. In that case, arbitration of personal injury disputes wasn’t provided for in a homeowner’s purchase and sale contract. But the court concluded that the arbitration agreement in this case was broader; any wrongful death cause of action in this case would be based on the transformation of the man’s personal injury case for negligence into a wrongful death case.