Recent Blog Posts
Do You Waive Your Right to Privacy When Filing a Medical Malpractice Suit?
In 2013, a Republican-controlled Florida legislature passed a law that allowed ex parte communications between those defending doctors in medical malpractice lawsuits and their current health care providers. Those opposed to the law claimed that it unnecessarily breached patient privacy. Essentially, the law imposed the necessity on any plaintiff who brought a medical malpractice… Read More »
State of Florida Seldom Punishes Doctors for Malpractice
While doctors have medical malpractice lawsuits filed against them when medical negligence causes an injury to their patient, there are also state and institutional sanctions that can be levied against doctors who make egregious or continual mistakes. A report released by the South Florida Sun Sentinel reviewed over 24,000 cases of medical malpractice with… Read More »
State Inspectors Cite Johns Hopkins All Children’s for Failing to Report Mistakes
Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital was cited for two failures to report medical negligence, according to a report issued by the Agency for Health Care Administration. In one case, doctors allegedly left a needle in one of their patients—who was a baby—and neglected to tell his parents about it. The Tampa Bay Times reported… Read More »
A Primer on Expert Testimony in Medical Malpractice Cases
In order to bring a medical malpractice lawsuit in the State of Florida, the plaintiff must produce an expert witness to testify on their behalf. This witness will be produced by the plaintiffs to testify that medical negligence resulted in the plaintiff’s injuries or, in the case where a patient dies, say that the… Read More »
Can a Clot-Busting Anti-Stroke Medicine Save Lives?
One of the Holy Grails of medicine is finding a way to restore brain function after a stroke. A stroke happens when there is a blockage of blood supplying the brain. The cells that are supplied by the blood vessels, deprived of oxygen, quickly died off leaving the stroke victim with serious, sometimes permanent,… Read More »
Greg Hoag with NFL Hall of Famer and Buccaneer great Derrick Brooks
Greg Hoag pictured with NFL Hall of Famer and Buccaneer great Derrick Brooks, who served as the keynote speaker at the October 12, 2018 St. Pete Bar membership luncheon.
Court Upholds Medical Malpractice Immunity Law
In Florida, the legal doctrine of sovereign immunity limits the amount of damages recoverable in a medical malpractice claim against certain government and quasi-governmental entities. The 3rd District Court of Appeals recently ruled in favor the University of Miami rejecting constitutional arguments against a 2011 law that limits aggrieved parties in the amount of… Read More »
Is Every Act of Negligence in a Hospital Considered Medical Malpractice?
Appellate Court Rules Psychiatric Hospital Attack Not Malpractice In a lawsuit filed against Jackson Memorial Hospital, the hospital attempted to claim that a man badly beaten in the hospital’s psychiatric ward was required to comply with the medical malpractice laws with the injury claim being pursued. Florida requires that plaintiffs in medical malpractice lawsuits… Read More »
Can Medicaid Require You to Pay Them Back From Your Personal Injury Settlement?
Let’s say you’re injured in a serious car accident. To treat your injuries, you require a couple surgeries and a course of physical therapy. The costs of the medical care and treatment are significant. By way of insurance, you have Medicaid. Meanwhile, you file a claim against the at-fault driver and make a monetary… Read More »
