Insights

Judges Question Challenges Brought to Florida’s No Fault Insurance Law

September 20, 2013

A three-judge panel from the 1st District Court of Appeals expressed their reservations Tuesday about a challenge made by acupuncturists, massage therapists and chiropractors to key parts of Florida’s 2012 landmark reform...

Motion for Summary Judgment Granted in Two Pinellas PIP Cases

September 11, 2013

The Pinellas County Court ruled in favor of Direct General Insurance in two recent PIP cases heard in the Small Claims Division. In both cases, the plaintiff alleged breach of contract for failure to pay 80% of reasonable and...

Florida Fraud Investigation Leads to Arrests in Workers’ Comp Scheme

August 29, 2013

Five individuals from the Tampa Bay area are now facing criminal charges relating to a workers’ compensation insurance fraud scheme, following a lengthy investigation by the Department of Financial Services’ Division of...

Florida Ranks #4 Nationally for High Car Insurance Costs

August 28, 2013

Bankrate.com recently published its first Car Cost Index report, ranking Florida at no.4 in the country in car insurance costs. The median cost of car insurance in Florida was estimated at $1,042 a year, with the national...

Insurance Agent Imposter Arrested for Selling Fake Proof of Insurance Cards

August 26, 2013

The Florida Division of Insurance Fraud arrested a second woman allegedly involved in selling phony proof of insurance cards. The arrest followed an investigative story, “25 Percent of Florida Drivers Don’t Have...

Lake Worth Man Arrested in 2008 Fake Accident Scheme

August 23, 2013

Insurance fraud, vehicle accident fraud, and grand theft are the charges facing a Lake Worth man who allegedly submitted $20,000 in false PIP claims to insurer AIG. According to a Sun-Sentinel article titled, “Lake Worth...

Operation Sledgehammer Leads to Insurance Fraud Guilty Pleas

August 21, 2013

Guilty! That is the plea by four of the 92 individuals charged with federal fraud in a massive staged auto accident fraud scheme. The U.S. Attorney recently announced that Weston chiropractor Dr. Aaron Freedlander, Hollywood...

MRI Machine Housed in Kendall Semi-Trailer Forced to Close

August 20, 2013

Virtual Imaging, a Miami-Dade County healthcare company that operates several outpatient medical diagnostic imaging facilities, was recently forced to close an MRI machine that had been operating from a parked semi-trailer....

Florida Chiropractor Jailed for PIP Insurance Fraud

August 16, 2013

Cape Coral chiropractor Dr. Stephen M. Lovell, former operator of Xtreme Care Rehabilitation Center Inc., was recently sentenced to five years in prison for conspiracy to commit health care fraud. Lovell was also ordered to...

Tampa Area Alleged PIP Fraud Clinics Subject to State, not County, Enforcement

August 14, 2013

Hillsborough County’s effort to cut PIP fraud by regulating the healthcare clinics that facilitate staged accident rings came to a halt following a recent Second District Court of Appeal decision. The ruling upheld a lower...