Halifax Hospital Medical Center v. Office of the Attorney General, Department of Legal Affairs (consolidated with North Broward Hospital District, South Broward Hospital District, School Board of Miami-Dade County, Sarasota County Public Hospital District, Putnam County School Board, and Lee Memorial Health System)
The Attorney General settled Florida's opioid litigation and, as required by the settlement agreements, sought a declaratory judgment that she had released the separate damages claims of school boards and public hospital districts that had filed their own suits against the opioid defendants. The trial court granted summary judgment for the Attorney General; the First DCA reversed, holding the Attorney General's parens patriae and statutory authority does not extend to unilaterally releasing or extinguishing the unique, individualized damages claims of legislatively and constitutionally created subdivisions that have statutory power to sue and be sued.
Key facts
- The Attorney General settled Florida's opioid litigation and sought a declaratory judgment that the settlement released the separate damages claims of school boards and public hospital districts that had independently sued opioid defendants.
- The trial court granted summary judgment for the Attorney General, but the First DCA reversed, finding the Attorney General lacked authority to unilaterally release the unique, individualized damages claims of legislatively and constitutionally created subdivisions with independent power to sue.
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Why it matters
This is a major separation-of-powers and settlement-authority decision with immediate consequences for the Florida opioid global settlement and any future multi-defendant public-entity litigation. Counsel representing… — full analysis with a trial
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