Florida Senate - 2011                        COMMITTEE AMENDMENT
       Bill No. SB 594
       
       
       
       
       
       
                                Barcode 388774                          
       
                              LEGISLATIVE ACTION                        
                    Senate             .             House              
                  Comm: RCS            .                                
                  03/09/2011           .                                
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       The Committee on Judiciary (Simmons) recommended the following:
       
    1         Senate Amendment (with title amendment)
    2  
    3         Delete everything after the enacting clause
    4  and insert:
    5         Section 1. Paragraphs (a) and (d) of subsection (6) and
    6  subsection (14) of section 768.28, Florida Statutes, are amended
    7  to read:
    8         768.28 Waiver of sovereign immunity in tort actions;
    9  recovery limits; limitation on attorney fees; statute of
   10  limitations; exclusions; indemnification; risk management
   11  programs.—
   12         (6)(a) An action may not be instituted on a claim against
   13  the state or one of its agencies or subdivisions unless the
   14  claimant presents the claim in writing to the appropriate
   15  agency, and also, except as to any claim against a municipality
   16  or the Florida Space Authority, presents such claim in writing
   17  to the Department of Financial Services, within 3 years after
   18  such claim accrues and the Department of Financial Services or
   19  the appropriate agency denies the claim in writing; except that,
   20  if:
   21         1. Such claim is for contribution pursuant to s. 768.31, it
   22  must be so presented within 6 months after the judgment against
   23  the tortfeasor seeking contribution has become final by lapse of
   24  time for appeal or after appellate review or, if there is no
   25  such judgment, within 6 months after the tortfeasor seeking
   26  contribution has either discharged the common liability by
   27  payment or agreed, while the action is pending against her or
   28  him, to discharge the common liability; or
   29         2. Such action is for wrongful death, the claimant must
   30  present the claim in writing to the Department of Financial
   31  Services within 2 years after the claim accrues.
   32         (d) For purposes of this section, complete, accurate, and
   33  timely compliance with the requirements of paragraph (c) shall
   34  occur prior to settlement payment, close of discovery or
   35  commencement of trial, whichever is sooner; provided the ability
   36  to plead setoff is not precluded by the delay. This setoff shall
   37  apply only against that part of the settlement or judgment
   38  payable to the claimant, minus claimant’s reasonable attorney’s
   39  fees and costs. Incomplete or inaccurate disclosure of unpaid
   40  adjudicated claims due the state, its agency, officer, or
   41  subdivision, may be excused by the court upon a showing by the
   42  preponderance of the evidence of the claimant’s lack of
   43  knowledge of an adjudicated claim and reasonable inquiry by, or
   44  on behalf of, the claimant to obtain the information from public
   45  records. Unless the appropriate agency had actual notice of the
   46  information required to be disclosed by paragraph (c) in time to
   47  assert a setoff, an unexcused failure to disclose shall, upon
   48  hearing and order of court, cause the claimant to be liable for
   49  double the original undisclosed judgment and, upon further
   50  motion, the court shall enter judgment for the agency in that
   51  amount. Except as provided otherwise in this subsection, the
   52  failure of the Department of Financial Services or the
   53  appropriate agency to make final disposition of a claim within 6
   54  months after it is filed shall be deemed a final denial of the
   55  claim for purposes of this section. For purposes of this
   56  subsection, in medical malpractice actions and in wrongful death
   57  actions, the failure of the Department of Financial Services or
   58  the appropriate agency to make final disposition of a claim
   59  within 90 days after it is filed shall be deemed a final denial
   60  of the claim. The statute of limitations for medical malpractice
   61  actions and wrongful death actions is tolled for the period of
   62  time taken by the Department of Financial Services or the
   63  appropriate agency to deny the claim. The provisions of this
   64  subsection do not apply to such claims as may be asserted by
   65  counterclaim pursuant to s. 768.14.
   66         (14) Every claim against the state or one of its agencies
   67  or subdivisions for damages for a negligent or wrongful act or
   68  omission pursuant to this section shall be forever barred unless
   69  the civil action is commenced by filing a complaint in the court
   70  of appropriate jurisdiction within 4 years after such claim
   71  accrues; except that an action for contribution must be
   72  commenced within the limitations provided in s. 768.31(4), and
   73  an action for damages arising from medical malpractice or
   74  wrongful death must be commenced within the limitations for such
   75  actions an action in s. 95.11(4).
   76         Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2011, and
   77  applies to causes of action accruing on or after that date.
   78  
   79  ================= T I T L E  A M E N D M E N T ================
   80         And the title is amended as follows:
   81         Delete everything before the enacting clause
   82  and insert:
   83                        A bill to be entitled                      
   84         An act relating to sovereign immunity; amending s.
   85         768.28, F.S.; requiring that a claim in a wrongful
   86         death case be presented to the Department of Financial
   87         Services within 2 years after the claim accrues;
   88         providing that failure of the Department of Financial
   89         Services or the appropriate agency to make final
   90         disposition of a claim for wrongful death within 90
   91         days after it is filed is deemed to be a final denial
   92         of the claim; tolling the statute of limitations for
   93         the period of time taken by the Department of
   94         Financial Services or other agency to deny a medical
   95         malpractice or wrongful death claim; providing that
   96         actions for wrongful death against the state or one of
   97         its agencies or subdivisions must be brought within
   98         the period applicable to actions brought against other
   99         defendants; providing for the application of the act
  100         to causes of action accruing on or after the effective
  101         date; providing an effective date.