For the last four years, Florida has used the Daubert standard in civil trials as a means of testing the scientific validity of testimony by expert witnesses. Previously, the state courts adhered to the less strenuous Frye standard. Both standards are named for specific cases that set the criteria for…
A tiny tick in a mountainous region of China set off a chain of events leading to a $40 million verdict against a Connecticut school – a verdict recently affirmed by the Connecticut Supreme Court. Although the court’s ruling doesn’t have a direct impact on case law in Florida, state high…
A bar injury involving a mechanical bull resulted in an $81,000 settlement prior to trial, after a customer was thrown violently from the ride, suffering a broken ankle, torn ligament and other injuries. The same bar has paid at least $200,000 in damages to at least six other patrons who…
State fairs are iconic Americana. The whir of cotton candy machines, the game jingles and, of course, the rides. But the experience isn’t always as safe as patrons have come to expect. Recently in Ohio, a U.S. Marine recruit, just 18-years-old, was killed and seven others injured when the Fire…
A jury awarded $11.2 million to the parents of a 27-year-old camera assistant who died in 2014 in the first day of shooting a film in Georgia. However, the $3.9 million ordered paid by CSX Transportation – the sole defendant at trial, as all others had previously settled – may…
We trust that the products we buy are going to be safe when used as advertised. This is true when it comes to everything from kitchen appliances to children’s toys to motor vehicles. Those who purchase certain items for medically-required uses may rely even more heavily on these devices, and…
Serious injuries to two young girls, as well as an adult woman, who fell 35 feet from a Ferris wheel at a county fair have filed lawsuits against the fair, as well as the ride’s operators, owners and manufacturers. The federal lawsuits, filed in federal court in the Eastern District…
According to a recent news article from Jacksonville.com, boating accidents and related cases of personal injury and death are on the rise this year as compared to years past. One of the most important aspects of these findings discussed in the article is not that the numbers are going up,…
There was no shortage of fun family activities this past Fourth of July holiday, and that includes many spectacular fireworks displays in our area. However, in addition to these safe and processional fireworks displays, there were many who chose to launch amateur fireworks at their back yard barbecues, or more…
According to a recent news article from the Orlando Sentinel, the Florida Supreme Court has just ruled that the existing damages cap on medical malpractice lawsuits is unconstitutional. The bill in question was signed into law by then-Governor Jeb Bush in 2003. It was very controversial at the time and…