The Consumer Protection Law Committee of the Florida Bar named its first honorees as the “Consumer Protection Lawyer of the Year.” The awards were presented at the Florida Bar’s Annual Convention in Orlando in June, 2011.
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.
The Child Protection Team provides the medical response to children suspected of being victims of sexual or physical abuse. These are highly trained medical professionals, and the Child Protection Teams throughout the state are currently supervised within Children’s Medical Services. The Department of Health has proposed moving the CPTs to the Department of Children and Families. Read the letter to Senator Thrasher opposing this move.