South Florida Personal Injury Lawyers Blog

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.

What is Proximate Cause in a Florida Medical Malpractice Case?

Published on: July 5, 2013 | by Friedman Rodman Frank & Estrada, P.A.

Medical malpractice cases in Florida require a plaintiff to prove (1) the standard of care owed by the health care professional, (2) the health care professional’s breach of that standard, and (3) that the breach “proximately caused” the damages claimed. “Proximate cause” in Florida means that the negligence more likely than not caused the injury. It isn’t sufficient to show that what was done or not done by a health care professional probably affected the outcome. Usually an expert doctor must testify on this point.

In a recent case, a seventeen-year-old boy diagnosed with aortic stenosis collapsed during a preseason baseball workout. Aortic stenosis is a heart condition in which the aortic valve ‘narrows’ and the heart has a reduced ability to pump blood, which puts the person suffering from the condition at an increased risk for a heart attack.

Prior to his death, the boy was cared for by a pediatric cardiologist who saw him every year to administer stress tests and echocardiograms. The doctor agreed that the boy could play baseball but not contact sports. In 2001, the doctor told the boy he would need a stress test before starting the 2002 baseball season. The stress test was not performed before the new season.

Florida Court Finds Workers’ Compensation Immunity in an Amputation Case

Published on: July 3, 2013 | by Friedman Rodman Frank & Estrada, P.A.

In Florida, workers’ compensation is the exclusive remedy an employee has against an employer when he gets hurt in the course and scope of his job, except under very limited circumstances. Sometimes this can seem unfair when an accident is extremely severe. There is, however, an intentional tort exception to the rule favoring workers’ compensation.

In order to meet this exception, a plaintiff employee must demonstrate there is clear and convincing evidence on one of two points. The employee must prove either that the employer actually intended to injure the employee or else that the employer knew based on previous similar accidents or express warnings that there was a danger to the work condition and it was “virtually certain” to lead to injury or death to the employee. Not only that, but the plaintiff must show the employer hid this danger from the employee.

“Virtually certain” is a very tough standard that means that a plaintiff must demonstrate a particular danger will result in an accident every time or almost every time it comes into play. In a recent workers’ compensation immunity case, an employee’s hand was amputated by a piece of machinery he used at his workplace. At work, he made steel lockers. Machines were used to cut and bend the metal parts of the locker.

Personal Injury Accidents on Florida Cruise Ships

Published on: June 27, 2013 | by Friedman Rodman Frank & Estrada, P.A.

Florida is a popular destination for tourists who wish to go on a cruise. The last thing anyone wants to worry about while on vacation is getting into an accident while on the boat. However, accidents do happen on cruise ships.

Usually cruise ship attorneys are very experienced at defending personal injury actions. They know how to poke holes in a plaintiff’s case, maximize technical or procedural flaws in a plaintiff’s case and minimize their exposure in the lawsuit. Therefore, if you are hurt on a cruise ship because of a condition on the cruise ship that is not your fault it is important to retain an experienced personal injury attorney to prosecute this type of case. An attorney experienced at representing plaintiffs can try to make sure you receive any compensation to which you may be entitled.

Recently, an appellate court considered an argument that the Carnival Cruise Line’s defense attorney made improper comments at a personal injury trial. The case arose when a woman took a Carnival cruise in order to go to her nephew’s wedding. She slipped and fell on something oily on the ship’s floor by the buffet while the ship was docked in Tampa. She was taken to Tampa General Hospital and treated for contusions to her right hip, right knee and back strain.

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.

Testifying in a Personal Injury Case in Florida

Published on: June 18, 2013 | by Friedman Rodman Frank & Estrada, P.A.

During trial, it can be difficult for some witnesses to control their emotions, particularly if they believe they’ve been wronged by the other side or their insurer. A recent personal injury case illustrates the importance of controlling one’s emotions in a trial setting, particularly if a judge has expressly ruled that a witness cannot talk about a specific subject.
In the case, the plaintiff was a driver of a car that had gotten rear-ended. She experienced injuries that required surgery. She sued the owners of the other car for damages, as well as her own uninsured motorist insurance carrier, State Farm. Liability was not contested at trial, but damages and causation were.

Before trial, the insurer filed a motion in limine to prevent any evidence from coming in about the insurer’s failure to follow its contractual obligations to the plaintiff. Motions in limine are filed to keep certain information out of the trial and away from the jury.

In this case, the insurer argued its failure to live up to its contractual obligations was irrelevant evidence and it was also inflammatory. The judge granted the motion to exclude the information. However, while testifying, the plaintiff had an outburst regarding the insurer’s failure to pay for her damages.

The insurer moved for a mistrial, arguing that the harm could not be undone. The judge denied the motion and asked the jury to disregard the testimony. The attorney for the other driver asked that the plaintiff’s attorney not be able to make any “bad insurance company” arguments. The plaintiff’s attorney agreed not to do so, but during closing arguments, he made several of these arguments.

Florida School Sued After Student’s Sports Injury

Published on: June 13, 2013 | by Friedman Rodman Frank & Estrada, P.A.

It is tragic when a student is hurt or killed in an athletic event due to a school’s failure to adequately supervise the student. Florida courts recognize that students owe a duty to students because they stand “partially in place of the student’s parents.”

When it comes to sporting events, schools must provide adequate instruction and adequate equipment, exercise reasonable care in matching athletes (in, for example, activities like wrestling), supervise appropriately and offer appropriate post-injury measures to protect a student’s injury from being worsened.

In an appellate case decided this past February, the court considered a tragic situation. A student athlete suffered severe brain damage after collapsing on the field during a soccer game at school. His coach and a nurse tried to revive him with CPR. The coach later claimed he called for an AED, but nobody brought one; there had been an AED on a golf cart nearby.

Florida Personal Injury Case Involving False Testimony

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

In Florida, Rule 1.540(b)(3) covers the question of fraud or misconduct of an adverse party during a lawsuit. The rule is modeled on a federal rule of civil procedure. Fraud or misconduct “of an adverse party” can include misconduct by either the other party to the lawsuit or his or her attorney. For example, it occurs if a party asks a witness to testify falsely or where an attorney knowingly presents false testimony. It does not include a witness’ own independent fraud, even when such a fraud helps an adverse party’s case.

One type of motion that can be filed if it is discovered that an adverse party committed fraud or misconduct in a lawsuit is a motion for relief from judgment. If a motion for relief from judgment on the basis of fraud is filed, the judge must hold an evidentiary hearing to assess the credibility of the witnesses. Importantly, it is not enough to show a fraud occurred; the party raising the issue must show the other party or his attorney participated in the fraud or knowingly permitted the fraud to go forward.

In a recent car accident case, a motion for relief from judgment became an issue. The case arose from an accident in which the driver of a car was traveling about 35 miles per hour as a motorcycle was waiting to turn left. According to the motorcycle driver he had already come to a stop in the median and was waiting to turn. According to the car driver, the motorcyclist was still in her lane of travel when she hit him; she saw him trying to cross in front of her and he was still moving when she hit him.

The car driver testified she did not skid, but there were skid marks at the scene. The main issue was whether the car was responsible for the accident or whether, as the car driver testified, the motorcyclist was still moving when she hit him. The location of the motorcycle during the accident, as shown by the skid marks, could prove who was responsible.

Florida Appellate Court Reverses Jury Verdict in Medical Malpractice Case

Published on: June 6, 2013 | by Friedman Rodman Frank & Estrada, P.A.

Medical malpractice cases in Florida must meet high standards of proof. They usually require testimony from expert doctors and nurses who are willing to testify against the doctor or nurse in the case. A Florida appellate court recently reiterated the standards by which a plaintiff can win a medical malpractice case.

In the case, an eighty-seven year old woman fell and broke her hip. Before she fell, she had been reasonably healthy. After she fell, she was admitted for hip surgery and began to deteriorate. She started to suffer from anemia, a urinary tract infection and acute renal failure, among other things.

The woman became mostly immobile and needed help to move around. An anti-coagulant was prescribed to avoid a pulmonary embolism. She also developed a Stage IV bedsore on her spine. Nonetheless she was discharged from the hospital and moved to another facility.

A visiting doctor noticed that the bedsore was discharging material. He and a nurse used a scalpel to cut out the dead tissue, applying a topical anesthetic. Because of the anti-coagulant the woman was taking, there was a threat of excessive bleeding. Therefore, they could not remove all the dead tissue and treated it with enzymatic debridement. They made several recommendations for her treatment until they could visit again the following week to finish up their care of the bedsore.