The Florida Senate

766.309  Determination of claims; presumption; findings of administrative law judge binding on participants.--

(1)  The administrative law judge shall make the following determinations based upon all available evidence:

(a)  Whether the injury claimed is a birth-related neurological injury. If the claimant has demonstrated, to the satisfaction of the administrative law judge, that the infant has sustained a brain or spinal cord injury caused by oxygen deprivation or mechanical injury and that the infant was thereby rendered permanently and substantially mentally and physically impaired, a rebuttable presumption shall arise that the injury is a birth-related neurological injury as defined in s. 766.302(2).

(b)  Whether obstetrical services were delivered by a participating physician in the course of labor, delivery, or resuscitation in the immediate postdelivery period in a hospital; or by a certified nurse midwife in a teaching hospital supervised by a participating physician in the course of labor, delivery, or resuscitation in the immediate postdelivery period in a hospital.

(c)  How much compensation, if any, is awardable pursuant to s. 766.31.

(2)  If the administrative law judge determines that the injury alleged is not a birth-related neurological injury or that obstetrical services were not delivered by a participating physician at the birth, she or he shall enter an order and shall cause a copy of such order to be sent immediately to the parties by registered or certified mail.

(3)  By becoming a participating physician, a physician shall be bound for all purposes by the finding of the administrative law judge or any appeal therefrom with respect to whether such injury is a birth-related neurological injury.

History.--s. 68, ch. 88-1; s. 4, ch. 89-186; s. 21, ch. 91-46; s. 3, ch. 94-106; s. 312, ch. 96-410; s. 1805, ch. 97-102.