District Court of Appeal of Florida

Dismissal of claims brought by a medical practitioner and expert witness in a medical-malpractice action alleging defamation, tortious interference with a business relationship, conspiracy through abuse of economic power, witness intimidation, and a RICO claim, is reversed where the lower court erred in concluding that Florida Statutes section 766.101 and the federal Health Care Quality Improvement Act (HCQIA), immunized defendants, a professional peer-review association and individual physicians, from all liability.

Appellate Information

• Decided 09/27/2006
• Published 09/27/2006

Judges

Court

• District Court of Appeal of Florida

Counsel

• For Appellant:
  
• James F. McKenzie of McKenzie, Taylor & Zaraur, P.A., Pensacola, and John Vail and Julie Schroeder of the Center for Constitutional Litigation, P.C., Washington, D.C., for Appellant., Jon N. Ekdahl, Leonard A. Nelson, and Steve I. Ro of the American Medical Association, Chicago, Illinois;  John D. Buchanan, Jr., of Henry, Buchanan, Hudson, Suber & Carter, P.A., Tallahassee, for Amicus Curiae American Medical Association., Rebecca O'Dell Townsend of The Solomon Tropp Law Group, P.A., Tampa, for Amicus Curiae Washington Legal Foundation.


• For Appellees:
  
• Angela C. Flowers of Kubicki Draper, Miami, for Appellee The Florida Medical Association., Robert V. Williams, and John A. Schifino of Williams, Schifino, Mangione & Steady, P.A., Tampa, for Appellees Dr. Jonathan B. Warach, Dr. Pravinchandra Zala, and Dr. Joseph O. Krebs.