Supreme Court of Florida

Article X, section 25 of the Florida Constitution, a ballot initiative passed by voters in 2004 and known as amendment 7, the Patients' Right to Know About Adverse Medical Incidents, is self-executing and retroactive and its provisions apply to records existing prior to its passage. However, various subsections of Florida Statutes section 381.028 (2005) conflict with amendment 7 and are therefore unconstitutional, but the Supreme Court of Florida severs those provisions and finds that the remainder of the statute is valid.

Appellate Information

• Decided 03/06/2008
• Published 03/06/2008

Judges

• PER CURIAM.

Court

• Supreme Court of Florida

Counsel

• For Appellant:
  
• Gail Leverett Parenti of Parenti and Parenti, P.A., Miami, Florida, and Andrew Steven Bolin of Macfarlane, Ferguson, and McMullen, Tampa, Florida, on behalf of The Florida Defense Lawyers Association;  Stephen H. Grimes and Jerome W. Hoffman of Holland and Knight, LLP, Tallahassee, Florida, on behalf of Florida Hospital Association, Inc.;  James M. Barclay of Ruden, McClosky, Smith, Schuster, and Russell, P.A., Tallahassee, Florida, on behalf of Florida Patient Safety Corporation, Inc.;  Paul D. Jess, General Counsel of Academy of Florida Trial Lawyers, Inc., Tallahassee, Florida, on behalf of The Academy of Florida Trial Lawyers;  and Philip M. Burlington of Burlington and Rockenbach, P.A., West Palm Beach, Florida, and Lincoln J. Connolly of Rossman, Baumberger, Reboso, and Spier, P.A., Miami, Florida, on behalf of Floridians for Patient Protection, Inc., for Amici Curiae., Steven Wisotsky and Stephen J. Bronis of Zuckerman Spaeder, LLP, Miami, Florida, and Charles T. Shad of Saalfield, Shad, Jay, Lucas, and Stokes, P.A., Jacksonville, Florida, for Appellant/Petitioner., Stephen H. Grimes and Jerome W. Hoffman of Holland and Knight, LLP, Tallahassee, Florida, on behalf of Florida Hospital Association, Inc.;  Paul D. Jess, General Counsel of Academy of Florida Trial Lawyers, Inc., Tallahassee, Florida, on behalf of The Academy of Florida Trial Lawyers;  and Philip M. Burlington of Burlington and Rockenbach, P.A., West Palm Beach, Florida, and Lincoln J. Connolly of Rossman, Baumberger, Reboso, and Spier, P.A., Miami, Florida, on behalf of Floridians for Patient Protection, Inc., for Amici Curiae.


• For Appellees:
  
• Arthur J. England, Jr. and Daniel M. Samson of Greenberg Traurig, P.A., Miami, Florida;  and Mason H. Grower, III and Jack E. Holt, III of Grower, Ketcham, Rutherford, Bronson, Eide and Telan, P.A., Orlando, Florida, for Petitioner/Cross-Respondent., Christopher V. Carlyle, Shannon McLin Carlyle, and Gilbert S. Goshorn, Jr. of The Carlyle Appellate Law Firm, The Villages, Florida, for Respondents/Cross-Petitioners., Thomas K. Equels, J. Stanley Chapman, and Judson H. Orrick of Holtzman Equels, Tallahassee, Florida, for Appellees/Respondents.