Big changes to the laws that govern civil lawsuits against insurance companies for money damages were made last month. Tort reform may be good for insurance companies, but is it good for you? Massive amendments to the laws about who, what, when, and how legal claims against insurance companies for money damages are made were recently passed by the Florida legislature and signed into law by the Governor. These changes in the law were effective “immediately,” but no provisions were made for the court systems to handle the resulting deluge of lawsuits being filed in courts around Florida before the changes went into effect last month. These amendments affect everything from how long you have to file a lawsuit, to whether you can obtain medical services for accidental injuries, to whether or not you’ll even be able to find a lawyer to represent you in a claim against an insurance company. And, if you do get your claim into Court, you may be waiting a very long time until it can be resolved there. Hon. Cindy Stuart, elected Clerk of Court for the 13th Judicial Circuit for Hillsborough County, and civil lawyer and mediator Chris Knopik joined us to explain these new tort reform laws and how they may affect you and your family.
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