October 10, 2022 | Legal Alerts

Contractor Fraud and Abuse Negatively Impacting the Florida Insurance Industry

The Florida property insurance market is in dire financial straits, and the situation is getting worse. Insurance companies are struggling to do business in the state, leaving homeowners to pay the price through reduced coverage and higher premiums. Many of the problems the insurance industry faces are the result of unscrupulous contractors who raise the cost of doing business for insurance companies. Many insurers have left the state in the face of insurmountable challenges. While the state has responded by attempting to reform the industry, many of the root causes of the insurance crisis remain unaddressed.

September 27, 2022 | Verdicts and Settlements

Conroy Simberg Attorneys Obtain Defense Verdict in Trucking Case

Miles McGrane, IV, a partner in the firm’s Hollywood office, along with Aaron Zeilberger, an associate in the firm’s Orlando office, obtained a defense verdict on behalf of a trucking company and its driver in a personal injury case after a five day jury trial in Lake County, Florida. The case was bifurcated and this trial was on liability only. The jury deliberated for thirty minutes before returning with their verdict.

September 8, 2022 | Verdicts and Settlements

Hollywood Attorneys Prevail on Motion for Summary Judgment in a Slip-and-Fall Case

Seth Goldberg, a partner in the firm’s Hollywood office, along with Samuel Spinner, an associate in the firm’s appellate department, recently prevailed on a motion for summary judgment in a slip-and-fall case involving a transitory foreign substance. The plaintiff testified that she did not see the liquid before she fell, did not know how long it was on the floor, and did not know how it got on the floor. The defense moved for summary judgment, arguing the plaintiff could not meet her burden to prove that the business owner had actual or constructive knowledge of the substance before the accident as required by Florida Statute section 768.0755. The plaintiff argued that the defendant must have known of the substance because there was an employee in the area where she fell. The trial court rejected this argument, agreeing with the defense that there was no evidence the employee spilled the liquid on the floor or knew about it before the accident. Therefore, the trial court granted final summary judgment for the defendant.

August 29, 2022 | Legal Alerts

Recent Changes to the Florida Workers’ Compensation Program

Florida insurance companies and employers must closely track workers’ compensation developments. Workers’ compensation claims are a major expense for insurance companies. That’s why employers can expect to pay over one percent of their estimated payroll in workers’ compensation insurance costs. Even if there are no major annual changes each year, there are always some developments around the margins that will change both the costs and operation of the workers’ compensation program in the state. Here are some recent developments surrounding the workers’ compensation program and some that may happen in the immediate future.