Araujo v. Winn-Dixie Stores, Inc.
In a slip-and-fall case where the jury found the plaintiff 50% comparatively negligent and awarded $231,435.13, the Third DCA affirmed the final judgment and the denial of the plaintiff's rule 1.380(c) attorney's fee motion. The court held that Worley does not bar defense cross-examination of a non-party treating physician about the percentage of his practice and income derived from referrals by the plaintiff's law firm, that spoliation jury instructions (Std. Instr. 301.11(a)-(b)) were properly refused absent any duty to preserve additional video or any showing of intentional destruction, and that fees under rule 1.380(c) are unavailable where the denied admissions concerned hotly contested central issues.
Key facts
- Plaintiff sued Winn-Dixie Stores, Inc. for injuries sustained in a slip-and-fall incident at a Winn-Dixie store.
- At trial, the jury found plaintiff 50% comparatively negligent and awarded $231,435.13 in damages.
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Why it matters
The Worley discussion is the headline: defense counsel in personal-injury cases can cite this opinion to establish that financial-bias inquiry directed at a non-party treating physician about law-firm referral income is… — full analysis with a trial
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