DeSantis, GOP leadership announce reforms to reduce frivolous lawsuits

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (FLV) – Gov. Ron DeSantis, House Speaker Paul Renner, R-Palm Coast, and Senate President Kathleen Passidomo, R-Naples, announced reforms they said would decrease frivolous lawsuits.

“For decades, Florida has been considered a judicial hellhole due to excessive litigation and a legal system that benefitted the lawyers more than people who are injured,” DeSantis said. “We are now working on legal reform that is more in line with the rest of the country and that will bring more businesses and jobs to Florida.”

The governor’s office said trial attorneys prey on hardworking Floridians, including truckers and small businesses.

The proposal includes eliminating one-way attorney fees and fee multipliers for all lines of insurance, which the governor’s office said would protect small businesses from paying “exorbitant damages.”

While Passidomo said 90% of lawyers do a good job and care about clients, she said there are some companies with the business model to sue insurance companies for fees.

“There’s nothing about clients in there. There’s nothing about representing people. We have to stop that practice so that the lawyers that represent you all can continue to do the good work that they do in the state,” she said.

She explained that there are a “few bad actors” that draw out civil cases to collect more fees from insurance companies.

Renner said the proposal would bring “things into balance” so clients do not receive $200 while the lawyer receives $100,000.

“That’s about the lawyers. It’s not about the people and so that’s what we’re going to do is we’re going to bring things back into balance,” Renner said. “So the ball is going down the middle of the fairway for everybody.”

Florida lawmakers approved similar legislation in May 2022 regarding the property insurance industry. The new law prohibited one-way attorney fees within the industry to prevent incentivizing lawsuit. Passidomo referenced the legislation in her Tuesday speech.

“We passed some robust legislation. We believe that hopefully, within a year or so, your property insurance rates will go down,” she said. “And if they don’t, there will be hell to pay.”