Gov. Ron DeSantis said that he would veto a controversial bill that would allow family members to pursue non-economic damages in malpractice cases, WFSU Public Media reported May 27.
Under current law, parents cannot pursue non-economic damages in malpractice cases involving the deaths of their children if those children are 25 or older. Adult children 25 or older are also prohibited from seeking non-economic damages in cases involving their parents.
The governor said that he supported caps on non-economic damages to “disincentivize jackpot justice” and that the current provisions of the new bill would cause lawsuits to skyrocket. He will vote on the bill by May 30, according to the report.
“What they want to do is to sue for non-economic damages,” he said. “What that is going to do is…lead to a flood of lawsuits against practitioners and against hospitals. Malpractice premiums are going to go up. It’s going to be harder to recruit physicians into Florida, and ultimately health-care costs will go up.”
