HB 903

1
A bill to be entitled
2An act relating to workers' compensation attorney's fees;
3amending s. 440.34, F.S.; requiring a fee, gratuity, or
4other consideration to be paid to an attorney representing
5a claimant as approved by a judge of compensation claims
6or court having jurisdiction in accordance with statutory
7guidelines; revising the amount of attorney's fees that
8may be paid; clarifying amounts a claimant is eligible to
9recover from a carrier or employer; providing an effective
10date.
11
12     WHEREAS, in 2003, premiums for workers' compensation
13insurance in Florida ranked among the highest in the nation,
14financially crippling Florida businesses and hurting Florida's
15ability to attract business and limiting economic growth, and
16     WHEREAS, in 2003, upon a thorough analysis of the workers'
17compensation system, the Florida Legislature recognized that the
18availability of hourly attorney fee awards operated as a
19significant cost driver with respect to workers' compensation
20premiums and that the reliable and effective way to contain
21those costs was to provide certainty in the awards of attorney's
22fees, and
23     WHEREAS, in 2003, the Florida Legislature enacted
24comprehensive workers' compensation reform, a critical element
25of which amended section 440.34, Florida Statutes, to impose
26concrete limitations on awards of attorney's fees and delete the
27Lee Engineering v. Fellows discretionary factors which
28previously fostered an excessive litigation volume by allowing
29awards of unpredictable and unbridled hourly fees, and
30     WHEREAS, since the enactment of this reform, and in
31material part because of the attorney's fee reform, workers'
32compensation insurance has become vastly more available and
33affordable for Florida's businesses, and
34     WHEREAS, following the enactment of the 2003 reforms, the
35Legislature's goal of affordability was achieved as evidenced by
36the premium decrease in workers' compensation premiums over the
37next 5 consecutive years, by an average aggregate amount of 60.2
38percent, to their lowest levels since 1984, including the
39greatest one-year reduction in workers' compensation premiums in
40Florida history in 2007, and
41     WHEREAS, on October 23, 2008, the Florida Supreme Court
42effectively revived the discretionary factors in its ruling on
43Murray v. Mariner Health, despite the express removal of those
44factors, and
45     WHEREAS, this judicial nullification of critical workers'
46compensation reform presents a real threat to the continued
47availability and affordability of workers' compensation
48insurance, particularly in these challenging economic times, and
49     WHEREAS, it is the intent of the Legislature to clarify
50beyond dispute that the reforms on awards of attorney's fees are
51an essential element of a functioning and self-executing
52workers' compensation system, NOW, THEREFORE,
53
54Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
55
56     Section 1.  Section 440.34, Florida Statutes, is amended to
57read:
58     440.34  Attorney's fees; costs.--
59     (1)  A fee, gratuity, or other consideration shall may not
60be paid to an attorney representing for a claimant in connection
61with any proceedings arising under this chapter, as unless
62approved as reasonable by the judge of compensation claims or
63court having jurisdiction over such proceedings pursuant to this
64section. Any attorney's fee approved by a judge of compensation
65claims for benefits secured on behalf of a claimant must be less
66than or equal to 20 percent of the first $5,000 of the amount of
67the benefits secured, 15 percent of the next $5,000 of the
68amount of the benefits secured, 10 percent of the remaining
69amount of the benefits secured to be provided during the first
7010 years after the date the claim is filed, and 5 percent of the
71benefits secured after 10 years. The judge of compensation
72claims shall not approve a compensation order, a joint
73stipulation for lump-sum settlement, a stipulation or agreement
74between a claimant and his or her attorney, or any other
75agreement related to benefits under this chapter that provides
76for an attorney's fee in excess of the amount permitted by this
77section. The judge of compensation claims is not required to
78approve any retainer agreement between the claimant and his or
79her attorney. The retainer agreement as to fees and costs may
80not be for compensation in excess of the amount allowed under
81this subsection or subsection (7) section.
82     (2)  In awarding a claimant's attorney's fee, the judge of
83compensation claims shall consider only those benefits secured
84by the attorney. An attorney is not entitled to attorney's fees
85for representation in any issue that was ripe, due, and owing
86and that reasonably could have been addressed, but was not
87addressed, during the pendency of other issues for the same
88injury. The amount, statutory basis, and type of benefits
89obtained through legal representation shall be listed on all
90attorney's fees awarded by the judge of compensation claims. For
91purposes of this section, the term "benefits secured" does not
92include future medical benefits to be provided on any date more
93than 5 years after the date the claim is filed. In the event an
94offer to settle an issue pending before a judge of compensation
95claims, including attorney's fees as provided for in this
96section, is communicated in writing to the claimant or the
97claimant's attorney at least 30 days prior to the trial date on
98such issue, for purposes of calculating the amount of attorney's
99fees to be taxed against the employer or carrier, the term
100"benefits secured" shall be deemed to include only that amount
101awarded to the claimant above the amount specified in the offer
102to settle. If multiple issues are pending before the judge of
103compensation claims, said offer of settlement shall address each
104issue pending and shall state explicitly whether or not the
105offer on each issue is severable. The written offer shall also
106unequivocally state whether or not it includes medical witness
107fees and expenses and all other costs associated with the claim.
108     (3)  If any party should prevail in any proceedings before
109a judge of compensation claims or court, there shall be taxed
110against the nonprevailing party the reasonable costs of such
111proceedings, not to include attorney's fees. A claimant shall be
112responsible for the payment of her or his own attorney's fees,
113except that a claimant shall be entitled to recover an a
114reasonable attorney's fee in an amount not to exceed the amount
115authorized under subsection (1) from a carrier or employer:
116     (a)  Against whom she or he successfully asserts a petition
117for medical benefits only, if the claimant has not filed or is
118not entitled to file at such time a claim for disability,
119permanent impairment, wage-loss, or death benefits, arising out
120of the same accident;
121     (b)  In any case in which the employer or carrier files a
122response to petition denying benefits with the Office of the
123Judges of Compensation Claims and the injured person has
124employed an attorney in the successful prosecution of the
125petition;
126     (c)  In a proceeding in which a carrier or employer denies
127that an accident occurred for which compensation benefits are
128payable, and the claimant prevails on the issue of
129compensability; or
130     (d)  In cases where the claimant successfully prevails in
131proceedings filed under s. 440.24 or s. 440.28.
132
133Regardless of the date benefits were initially requested,
134attorney's fees shall not attach under this subsection until 30
135days after the date the carrier or employer, if self-insured,
136receives the petition.
137     (4)  In such cases in which the claimant is responsible for
138the payment of her or his own attorney's fees, such fees are a
139lien upon compensation payable to the claimant, notwithstanding
140s. 440.22.
141     (5)  If any proceedings are had for review of any claim,
142award, or compensation order before any court, the court may
143award the injured employee or dependent an attorney's fee to be
144paid by the employer or carrier, in its discretion, which shall
145be paid as the court may direct.
146     (6)  A judge of compensation claims may not enter an order
147approving the contents of a retainer agreement that permits the
148escrowing of any portion of the employee's compensation until
149benefits have been secured.
150     (7)  If an attorney's fee is owed under paragraph (3)(a),
151the judge of compensation claims may approve an alternative
152attorney's fee not to exceed $1,500 only once per accident,
153based on a maximum hourly rate of $150 per hour, if the judge of
154compensation claims expressly finds that the attorney's fee
155amount provided for in subsection (1), based on benefits
156secured, fails to fairly compensate the attorney for disputed
157medical-only claims as provided in paragraph (3)(a) and the
158circumstances of the particular case warrant such action.
159     Section 2.  This act shall take effect upon becoming law.


CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.