Ethical Health Partnerships

HB 733
(To Read Text of House Bills)

&
SB 1558

OPPOSE

Fault & Apportionment of Payment in Injury
      These companion bills seek to repeal the Fabre Doctrine. (The Fabre Doctrine allows a jury to apportion fault to a person who is not technically named in a lawsuit for the purpose of defining portions of responsibility for payment of damages of the defendant named in the lawsuit. This makes the person named in the suit responsible only for his or her portion, but not for everyone else’s portion.The Florida legislature wisely voted in 2006 to abolish joint and several liability which made any one person responsible for payment of full damages, even if their degree of responsibility for the injury was minimal. These currently proposed bills would in effect make last years vote to abolish joint and several liability meaningless. It is an attempt to use another section of the law to get around the loss of joint and several liability.

SUCCESSFULLY DEFEATED!

(Sample letter here)

The Fair and Reliable Medical Justice Act. Sen Max Baucus and Sen. Mike Enzi re-introduced a bill to authorize 10 grants to help states develop non-litigation alternatives to the current tort system for resolving patient injury, and to promote disclosure and prompt, reasonable compensation to patients where indicated. Companion bill HR 2497 is the House version introduced by Rep. Jim Cooper of TN.

5/07 In Senate Health, Education, Labor, Pensions Committee:

In House Subommittee on Health (Ways & Means) as of 5/07