Are consumers really to blame for the circuit court backlog?

A review recently conducted by the Florida Justice Association finds that, yes, the number of cases in Florida’s circuit courts have increased. However, the majority of cases filed by consumers are down – way down, in many instances. When population growth on a per capita basis is factored in, filings of professional malpractice cases were down 49.4%, products liability cases were down 76.6%, auto negligence cases were down 4.3% and other negligence cases were down 17.7%. Combined tort cases in Florida were down 18.8% during the recent ten-year period. The two areas where filings have drastically increased? Home foreclosures and business vs. business cases.