Through legal doctrines such as those pertaining to dangerous instruments (e.g., motor vehicles), principals & agents, and employers & employees, passive tortfeasors can be held liable for the active negligence of others. An active tortfeasor is the person whose negligence has caused an accident, while a passive tortfeasor is the…
The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) authorizes piece rate pay. However, the Act also requires the payment of overtime wages for every piece rate hour over 40 worked weekly. 29 U.S.C. § 207(f) (2010). The overtime rate is determined by establishing the “regular rate of pay,” § 207(e) (2010), which…
The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) is full of twists and turns. Here are just a few of them: On the Clock: With the everyday use of cellular phones, computers, emails, and text messaging, employers can find themselves facing claims for FLSA overtime wage claims for heretofore unexpected reasons. Employees…
Florida Statutes section 627.733, entitled Required Security, requires all motor vehicle owners to maintain “no-fault” automobile insurance covering, among other items, 80% of the insured’s own medical expenses. See §§ 627.733(1), (3)(a), 627.736(1)(a). The typical Florida PIP policy has a $10,000 coverage limit with deductibles of up to $2,000. From…
Florida Republicans have controlled the state’s legislature and Governor’s office (Jeb Bush (1998-2006); Charlie Crist (2006-2010); Rick Scott (elected in 2010)) for more than 10 years. Their time in power has seen a decline in the rights and protections afforded Florida’s elderly and infirm. Bad legislation and funding cuts are…
The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) requires employers to pay employees overtime pay, at a rate of time and a half, for all hours worked in excess of 40 hours per week. However, the Act contains many exemptions. Many court battles have and will continue to be fought over these…
In January of this year, President Obama signed a $1.4 billion overhaul of the nation’s food safety system. It is the first major overhaul of the food safety system since the 1930s. It comes on the heels of several deadly outbreaks of E. coli and salmonella poisoning in peanuts, eggs,…
Premises liability lawyers, both Plaintiff and Defense, know that evidence of prior accidents or events may, by a showing of substantially similar conditions, be admissible to prove one or more elements of a case. Less well recognized is that no-accident history may also be admitted into evidence for a variety…
Florida Statute 627.409 (2010) allows an insurance company to rescind an insurance policy on the grounds of misrepresentation if it can prove: a) The misrepresentation, omission, concealment, or statement is fraudulent or is material either to the acceptance of the risk or to the hazard assumed by the insurer. (b)…
Job one of lawyers who represent individuals who have suffered personal injuries and/or property damage losses is to maximize the client’s recovery. The conventional thinking is that the recovery in every case is limited by the measure of actual damages, in other words, the recovery cannot exceed the loss. Surprisingly,…