Our firm recently settled a hard fought workers’ compensation case arising from a 1995 industrial accident. We received the initial call from the Claimant in March of this year (2018). He explained that he had not received medical care for his injuries, tibia and fibula fractures, since three months post surgery in 1995, but had…
We have pending on appeal before the Third District Court of Appeal the question whether a homeowner’s association is liable under the non-delegable duty doctrine for the negligence of a third party. The association undertook the reconstruction of a boat dock by hiring a construction company. The construction company created…
Employees testing positive for alcohol or drugs in their system at the time of injury face an uphill battle to recover workers’ compensation benefits. Under subsection 440.09(3), Florida Statutes (2018), compensation is not payable if the injury was occasioned primarily by the intoxication of the employee. If the employer has reason to…
Personal injury lawyers have their work cut out for themselves. Besides having to deal with basic case issues of fault and damages, they are expected to resolve the liens held by hospitals operating in Miami-Dade County. (Depending on local laws, the principles addressed here may apply in other Florida counties.)…
Florida statute section 440.13(5)(e) limits who may give medical opinions in workers’ compensation trials to “a medical advisor appointed by the judge of compensation claims or the department, an independent medical examiner, or an authorized treating provider.” Our office recently accepted a 23 year old workers’ compensation case where the employee…
Personal Injury Protection (PIP) is a type of insurance coverage that is mandatory on operational motor vehicles registered in Florida. See Florida statute 627.736. It provides “protection to the named insured, relatives residing in the same household, persons operating the insured motor vehicle, passengers in the motor vehicle, and other…
In 1961, the Florida Supreme Court denied benefits to a workers’ compensation claimant who claimed to hurt her back on the job, for misrepresenting a past medical condition in a job application. See, Martin v. Carpenter, 132 So.2d 400 (Fla. 1961). For a number of years prior to completing her job application, the…
Trials are supposed to be on the issues of the case without distraction or prejudice from unrelated matters. This principle has given rise in Florida courts to longstanding jurisprudence that the mention of liability insurance in liability cases is strictly prohibited — exception: when the insured party opens the door. The principle,…
Our firm is presently involved in a personal injury action on behalf of a truck driver who sustained serious injuries when he was struck by a motor vehicle on the side of the northbound lanes of I-95, in an area of the highway known as a gore, while an employee of a roadside assistance company…
July 25, 2018; Facebook Russia has broken into our home and Trump wants us to be gracious hosts. July 25, 2018; Facebook If honest elections, a free press, and civil rights aren’t your priorities, what is it about America that you value? July 22, 2018; Facebook Trump v. Putin is…