In a world where transparency is becoming increasingly important, it is alarming to see how trial lawyers across Florida have spent years taking advantage of our legal system to line their own pockets.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Tom Gaitens, Executive Director Florida Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse tgaitens@cala.com   FLORIDA LEGISLATURE PASSES HISTORIC CIVIL JUSTICE REFORM Awaiting the Governor’s Signature, HB 837 Passes [TALLAHASSEE, FL] March, 23rd 2023—Today, Florida Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse commends the Florida Legislature for passing landmark civil justice reform, building off an already successful December special session. Over the past three months, the Florida Legislature has enacted the most significant set of legal reforms in more…

Imagine, as if on cue, the Florida Legislature responded with significant legislation to respond to the December release of the American Tort Reform Foundation’s‭ (‬ATRF‭) ‬annual Judicial Hellholes report.

The escalating dollar figure awarded in personal injury lawsuits might be good for trial lawyers, but it’s terrible for most Florida people. Taking advantage of legal loopholes makes the cost of everything—from insurance rates to everyday goods and services—go up across the board.

Lawsuit abuse is a problem that hits all Floridians every day. Currently, trial lawyers have an incentive to take advantage of our state’s legal system for their own benefit, and when they do, it hurts everyone.

It has been reported that our state has one of the worst legal climates in the country and, unfortunately, it is hurting the future of Florida families and businesses by driving up costs for consumers.

While people have spent a generation flocking to the Sunshine State for the chance to live out the American dream, the past decade has seen their homeowner insurance rates spike to a level that is putting responsible homeownership out of reach for millions.

Halloween is upon us,‭ ‬and kids statewide look forward to having fun with ghosts and goblins. Unfortunately,‭ ‬many adults and homeowners are playing their own game of trick or treat these days.‭

In recent years, Florida has become a hotbed for medical malpractice lawsuits.

In Florida, it is far from uncommon for residents to need repairs to their homes. Whether it be a tropical storm, a hurricane, or any other common cause of damage to Florida homes, our residents rely on their insurance to come through for them.

Florida’s courts are being commandeered by con artists and fraudsters, earning massive paydays at the expense of everyday small business owners.

Lawsuit abuse is a significant cost driver in Florida’s property insurance market. Bad actors and third-party contractors are turning consumers’ insurance policies into a cash cow for themselves.

Hispanic-run businesses are the backbone of Florida’s economy. They make up over 30-percent of the state’s small business sector, with well over 780,000 businesses providing much-needed goods, jobs, and services to their communities.

As a small businesswoman, I have to watch every dollar that flows in and out of my business. Unfortunately, that dollar seems to have become

Florida’s trial lawyers sure know how to play defense. Lawmakers are nearing the halfway mark of the 2022 Legislative Session, and it looks

Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse (CALA) released its 2022 lawsuit economic impact report on Wednesday, detailing the state’s legal climate, and the results were mixed.

As we‭ ‬continue the‭ ‬2022‭ ‬Florida legislative session,‭ ‬it is instructive to look both at where we are and‭ ‬where we going as a state as it relates…

Despite the Legislature landing on a watch list of “Judicial Hellholes,” the Florida Justice Reform Institute says Florida has…

As we almost get through this last wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, Florida businesses can at least rest assured that…

Many small businesses across Florida are just now starting to bounce back from the COVID-19 pandemic. After a chaotic…

With the COVID-19 delta variant recently impacting the Sunshine State’s economy in a big way, Florida businesses were…

Economic growth is a topic of nearly constant discussion and debate in almost every community around the United States, especially as we…

Economic growth is a topic of nearly constant discussion and debate in almost every community around the United States…

Marion County commissioners this week slashed fees for building permits. But, simultaneously, critics denounced the board’s parallel plan for…

I want to thank the Florida Legislature for its hard work and wisdom in passing COVID liability protections earlier this year…

The COVID-19 pandemic has been a wakeup call for many people to start taking their healthcare more seriously…

There is a lot on business owners’ plates, especially as we fully adjust back from the pandemic restrictions. One thing that…

Amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, it was troubling to see news stories about potential lawsuits against small…

The COVID-19 pandemic has hit all Floridians hard, but veterans are struggling more than most. From rising health-care…

Since the beginning of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, healthcare workers have been at the forefront of the fight…

Florida is home to millions of seniors and retirees on fixed incomes who want nothing more than to enjoy the Sunshine…

All Floridians could use a monetary bonus, one that would help the bottom line of every family, each business — large or…

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has exposed many of Florida’s vulnerabilities. As we finally return to some sense of…

As a former small hotelier, I know that two over-looked champs for our economy are the small restaurants and hotels…

The ideas behind the development of legislation reforming or reorganizing Florida’s automobile insurance are well intended…

Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse (CALA) released their 2021 lawsuit economic impact report on Thursday, detailing the state’s legal climate amidst the backdrop of the pandemic…

As of yesterday, it has become public that Tampa Area businessman, Tom Gaitens, will be the new Executive Director of Florida Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse…

Tom Gaitens has been tapped to serve as the new executive director of Florida Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse (FLCALA)…

Well, it is time for the 2021 legislative session to begin again…

I’ve been a small business owner for as long as I can remember…

Like everyone else, the ongoing pandemic has weighed heavily on employers…

As the COVID-19 crisis drags on, businesses across Florida have begun to reopen in line with guidance from the Governor’s office and public health officials…

Americans are addicted to lawsuits…

As a retired Air Force general, I have immense empathy for those fighting on the front lines in the war against COVID-19…

Lawsuits put a well-documented strain on employers and job creators across our great state…

It’s fair to assume that when it comes to abuse of our judicial system, most people don’t consider it to impact their daily lives and that unless you’re a lawyer or a judge, you don’t really have to worry about it…

We read all the time about medical malpractice lawsuits generating tens of thousands of dollars, but we should remember that letting them get out of hand, like they are here in Florida, does major damage to healthcare providers and makes treatment less accessible for patients…

Preston Scott interviews Florida NFIB Executive Director Bill Herrle…

Legal billing is driving up costs for everyone when we are all already struggling through COVID-19…

One of the most overlooked problems stemming from Florida’s overabundance of lawsuits is the effect it has on the most vulnerable people in the state. This is especially true for small businesses owned by members of the state’s Hispanic community…

I’ve worked as a healthcare professional for over 25 years, and I’ve never witnessed anything like what’s been happening in the past few months – and I’m not talking about the global pandemic. I’m talking about the way that some lawyers have been leveraging COVID-19 for their own personal benefit…

With the COVID-19 pandemic far from over, veterans of the United States and armed forces continue to suffer through the reality of higher costs for groceries, medicines, and other necessities that have gone up due to a combination of public health restrictions and excessive lawsuits…

If you’ve noticed an increase in your insurance costs, you’re not alone. For many Floridians, rising insurance costs have become the new norm, and overinflated medical damages in personal injury lawsuits are largely to blame…

As the economy reopens, prices continue to rise at the grocery store and beyond. Of course, issues related to COVID-19 are responsible, but there is also another reason most don’t consider: runaway lawsuits clogging our courtrooms…

During a crisis, it is unfortunate that some folks look for an opportunity just to game the system…

Every year it seems like medical bills in Florida climb higher and bring insurance rates up along with them…

One letter to The News-Press recently detailed the ways that lawsuit abuse is hurting Florida’s small businesses and, in turn, the state economy as a whole. Learn more about what they think can be done to alleviate the lawsuit abuse burden on the state’s small businesses…

Frivolous lawsuits are a major problem for Florida businesses. Florida Daily reports on a recent roundtable discussion featuring many of the state’s business leaders, who talked about the issue and what can finally be done to ease the costs of lawsuit abuse for Florida businessowners…

Florida took an important step toward curbing lawsuit abuse by passing Assignment of Benefits reform, but the state can’t stop now. This article in The Florida Times-Union takes a look at how the recent reform will help, with an eye toward what should come next…

Lawsuit abuse comes with a cost, and we all foot the bill. Unfortunately, this can have devastating consequences for the small businesses that help our communities thrive. In the Orlando Sentinel, NFIB Florida Executive Director Bill Herrle outlines a new report released alongside CALA showing how small businesses and their employees are hurt by the copious lawsuit abuse allowed to run rampant in the state…

Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse was recently joined by NFIB Florida to discuss the state’s most recent legislative session, as well as to rollout out the latest CALA report revealing the damage lawsuit abuse inflicts on the Florida’s communities and small businesses. See this piece by Florida Politics to learn why, while Assignment of Benefits reform may be a good start, there is still more work to do in the session ahead…

In this letter to Tallahassee Reports, one local businessowner discusses the reverberating effects that worker’s compensation suits can have on small businesses, and why such issues are often better addressed outside of the courtroom…

As Raymond Johnson writes in this piece, not all lawyers are bad, but there are too many bad ones running amok in Florida. By taking advantage of Assignment of Benefits Agreements, they have managed to inflate insurance claims, squeezing insurance companies for millions and forcing them to raise rates, which means small businesses and everyday Americans are left to foot the bill…

Illustrating the dire consequences of letting lawsuit abuse run rampant, William Large looks at the suits trial lawyers are currently pursuing against Florida nursing homes. Without action, Large says, seniors around the state could experience a drop in their quality of care…

Don Brown, a former Florida state representative, discusses the dire need for lawsuit reform in the Florida legislature and the state’s recent ranking as a ‘Judicial Hellhole…’

Frivolous lawsuits are causing Floridians’ health, car and homeowner insurance policies to skyrocket to unaffordable levels, In the past, the Florida legislature has failed to address this issue, but Governor Ron DeSantis’s Supreme Court picks could influence and push for a legislative solution…

According to a Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse study, tort costs have caused Florida to lose $11 billion in productivity. Florida Justice Reform Institute, a Tallahassee- based group, has been lobbying for tort reform for years and support CALA’s efforts…

Tort reform is a slow process and it can seem impossible, especially when advocating for substantive improvements that curtail income to trial lawyers. The worst thing Floridians can do here is nothing, it’s time to stand up for our businesses and communities and put an end to lawsuit abuse…