TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Lawmakers in Florida could pass major changes to the state’s tort laws this week.
House Bill 837 aims to cut down on so-called frivolous lawsuits by limiting injury and insurance litigation as well as attorney fees.
Lawmakers in support of the bill say the goal is to drive down rising insurance premiums. It could impact everything from auto to home and health insurance.
“For a number of years, we were ranked across the country as being the number one judicial hellhole,” said Gov. Ron DeSantis, who’s pushing for the bill’s passage.
However, attorneys in Tampa are speaking out against the measure.
“House Bill 837 would be catastrophic to Florida families,” said Edward Reyes, founder of The Reyes Firm in Tampa, which represents clients on a number of issues including personal injury, auto accidents, wrongful death and more. “Imagine having to tell a grieving mother that she cannot seek compensation from a driver whose reckless behavior took her child’s life. Imagine having your entire home destroyed by a hurricane, only to have your insurance company deny a claim or low-ball their offer. And imagine if there were nowhere to turn for help. Those nightmare scenarios could become reality under this legislation.”
Reyes said this bill will only hurt consumers who are fighting to get the compensation they deserve.
“If the claim wasn’t denied the first time, or was paid correctly the first time, then you wouldn’t have to have an attorney to file a lawsuit,” Reyes said.
The bill already passed in the House, and the Senate could vote on it as early as Wednesday.
Reyes said attorneys are now racing against the clock to file dozens, maybe even hundreds of lawsuits before it passes.
“Literally flooding the courts. Not on purpose, it’s because we’re still trying to protect our clients rights to follow the current law. If not, their claims will be greatly reduced,” said Reyes.
He said his office filed ten lawsuits Monday, and planned to file more than 30 additional lawsuits on Tuesday.
At a recent hearing, Florida’s Republican House Speaker Paul Renner said that prices should drop, and “if insurers don’t do right by their insurer then you know we’re coming for them too.”
Attorneys like Reyes worry this bill will only give insurance companies more power over consumers.
“It’s going to put a lot of people at a major disadvantage,” said Reyes.
The bill would implement a number of other changes, including cracking down on medical costs, by limiting the amount doctors could charge for care, and would change Florida’s “bad faith” law to say negligence alone does not give a person enough standing to sue.