Florida Law Weekly – July 27, 2018

Manzaro v.  HCA, (3rd DCA)

In this wrongful death malpractice case, the Manzaro Court held that the Trial Court properly dismissed the complaint where there was a failure to comply with the statutory presuit requirements pursuant to Florida’s medical malpractice laws. The Trial Court conducted a two-hour hearing to afford the plaintiff the opportunity to demonstrate that he conducted a good faith investigation and had a reasonable basis for the claims asserted in the complaint. As the Manzaro Court concluded, while the death certificate asserted that the decedent died of natural causes, the autopsy report of the plaintiff’s expert was inconclusive. There was no corroborating expert affidavit and the Trial Court further found that there were scant details among the facts to explain the actual proximate cause of the wrongful death alleged. The Trial Court also found that it was not at all clear what the doctors and hospitals did or failed to do that constituted a breach of the standard of care that may have resulted in the wrongful death. As this finding was made after the expiration of the two-year statute of limitations, the matter was dismissed with prejudice properly.