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Florida Statute 768.19 - Full Text and Legal Analysis
Florida Statute 768.19 | Lawyer Caselaw & Research
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The 2025 Florida Statutes

Title XLV
TORTS
Chapter 768
NEGLIGENCE
View Entire Chapter
768.19 Right of action.When the death of a person is caused by the wrongful act, negligence, default, or breach of contract or warranty of any person, including those occurring on navigable waters, and the event would have entitled the person injured to maintain an action and recover damages if death had not ensued, the person or watercraft that would have been liable in damages if death had not ensued shall be liable for damages as specified in this act notwithstanding the death of the person injured, although death was caused under circumstances constituting a felony.
History.s. 1, ch. 72-35.

F.S. 768.19 on Google Scholar

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Amendments to 768.19


Annotations, Discussions, Cases:

Cases Citing Statute 768.19

Total Results: 68  |  Sort by: Relevance  |  Newest First

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Metro. Life Ins. Co. v. McCarson, 467 So. 2d 277 (Fla. 1985).

Cited 285 times | Published | Supreme Court of Florida | 10 Fla. L. Weekly 154, 1985 Fla. LEXIS 3223

...Calmari & J. Perillo, Contracts §§ 17-2, 17-6 (2d ed. *280 1977). Therefore, Lucille McCarson would not have been able to maintain a cause of action either for breach of contract or for bad faith dealing on the contract. Florida's Wrongful Death Act, in section 768.19, Florida Statutes (1981), requires, as a condition precedent to bringing the action for wrongful death, that the decedent have a cause of action on which she could have brought suit had she survived....
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Wallace v. Dean, 3 So. 3d 1035 (Fla. 2009).

Cited 159 times | Published | Supreme Court of Florida | 34 Fla. L. Weekly Supp. 52, 2009 Fla. LEXIS 138, 2009 WL 196394

...[I]f the defendant does attempt to aid him, and takes charge and control of the situation, he is regarded as entering voluntarily into a relation which is attended with responsibility."). Accordingly, we hold that the complaint states a negligence-based wrongful-death cause of action against the Sheriff of Marion County. See § 768.19, Fla....
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Knowles v. Beverly Enter.-Florida, 898 So. 2d 1 (Fla. 2004).

Cited 89 times | Published | Supreme Court of Florida | 2004 WL 2922097

...cribed by law." § 46.021, Fla. Stat. (1997). The Wrongful Death Act, on the other hand, permits a cause of action "[w]hen the death of a person is caused by *9 the wrongful act, negligence, default, or breach of contract or warranty of any person." § 768.19, Fla....
...At the risk of oversimplifying what is perhaps a more complex problem, we are inclined to think it is fundamental that the wrongful death statute is not applicable except in wrongful death actions, i.e., where it is claimed that the death of a person was "caused by the wrongful act, negligence, [or] default ..." of another. § 768.19, Florida Statutes (1983)....
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Martin v. United Sec. Servs., Inc., 314 So. 2d 765 (Fla. 1975).

Cited 62 times | Published | Supreme Court of Florida

...New Consolidated Statutory Action for a Death by Wrongful Act The new statutes, styled the "Florida Wrongful Death Act," [14] are a product of the Florida Law Revision Commission [15] and were intended to merge the survival action for personal injuries and the wrongful death action into one lawsuit. Section 768.19 [16] of the new Act provides for a cause of action in wording similar to that of now repealed Section 768.01....
...The findings and recommendations of the Commission with regard to the new Wrongful Death Act were embodied in its pamphlet entitled Florida Law Revision Commission, Recommendations and Report on Florida Wrongful Death Statutes (December 1969). [16] § 768.19, F.S....
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Stern v. Miller, 348 So. 2d 303 (Fla. 1977).

Cited 45 times | Published | Supreme Court of Florida

...Page, Jr., Page & White, Orlando, for James and Cecilia Algood, amicus curiae. Robert Orseck, Podhurst, Orseck & Parks, Miami, for Academy of Florida Trial Lawyers, amicus curiae. HATCHETT, Justice. This is an action for wrongful death brought under Florida's Wrongful Death Act [Section 768.19, Florida Statutes (1973)]....
...Miller was seven months pregnant. Her child was subsequently stillborn. It is her contention that at the time of the accident the unborn child was viable and would have survived but for the accident. The Millers brought an action for wrongful death pursuant to Section 768.19, Florida Statutes (1973), which reads: When the death of a person is caused by the wrongful act, negligence, default, or breach of contract or warranty of any person, including those occurring on navigable waters, and the event would h...
...l be liable for damages as specified in this act notwithstanding the death of the persons injured, although death was caused under circumstances constituting a felony. The trial court ruled that a viable fetus is not a "person" within the meaning of Section 768.19 and dismissed respondents' complaint for failure to state a cause of action....
...4th DCA 1976). The District Court then certified its decision to this court to decide questions of great public interest: 1. Whether an unborn, viable child killed as a direct and proximate result of another's negligence, is a "person" within the intent of Section 768.19, Florida Statutes (1973)? 2....
...If so, what are the types of damages recoverable for the wrongful death of a viable, unborn child? We have jurisdiction. [1] An action for wrongful death is a creature of statute, unknown to the common *305 law. If the respondents have a cause of action, it must be founded on Section 768.19, Florida Statutes....
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Gaboury v. Flagler Hosp., Inc., 316 So. 2d 642 (Fla. 4th DCA 1975).

Cited 39 times | Published | Florida 4th District Court of Appeal

...ntained in Fla. Stat. § 47.011 controls, consistent with the law and rationale of the Florida cases herein cited, and the law generally in other jurisdictions. 22 Am.Jur.2d, Death, § 189 (1965); Annot., 36 ALR2d 1146, 1150, § 4 (1954). Fla. Stat. § 768.19, reads as follows: "When the death of a person is caused by the wrongful act, negligence, ......
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Variety Child.'s Hosp. v. Perkins, 445 So. 2d 1010 (Fla. 1983).

Cited 36 times | Published | Supreme Court of Florida

...We take the view contrary to that of the district court of appeal and hold that the judgment for personal injuries rendered in favor of the injured party while living barred the subsequent wrongful death action based on the same tortious conduct. Our holding is based upon the language contained in section 768.19, Florida Statutes (1981), which provides: When the death of a person is caused by the wrongful act, negligence, default, or breach of contract or warranty of any person, including those occurring on navigable waters, and the event woul...
...Once the defendant has compensated his victim for his wrongdoing, he must be freed from the fear of future liability to another party arising from that same act against that same victim. OVERTON, J., concurs. ADKINS, Justice, dissenting. The question before the Court is one of statutory interpretation. Section 768.19, Florida Statutes, requires that the initial injury be one that "would have entitled the person injured to maintain an action and recover damages if death had not ensued." This language is capable of two different interpretations....
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Dewey Brown, as the Pers. Rep. of the Est. of Charlie Brown v. United States, 838 F.2d 1157 (11th Cir. 1988).

Cited 24 times | Published | Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit | 1988 U.S. App. LEXIS 2498, 1988 WL 9630

...epresentative of Charlie Brown's estate, as party plaintiff in the suit originally commenced by Charlie Brown. At the same time, the attorney moved the court to amend the complaint so as to set forth an action for wrongful death under Fla.Stat. Sec. 768.19 (1985)....
...rial defendants had also been transformed into a wrongful death suit. As in the federal court suit, Dewey Brown had been substituted as plaintiff. Furthermore, as in the federal court suit, the wrongful death claims were brought under Fla.Stat. Sec. 768.19 (1985)....
...arose when Charlie Brown died." The Florida Wrongful Death Act provides that a wrongful death action may be maintained on behalf of statutory beneficiaries if the decedent was entitled to bring an action based on the wrongful event. See Fla.Stat. Secs. 768.19-.20 (1985)....
...ill not be hampered by permitting plaintiffs to forgo a second administrative claim in wrongful death actions. In Florida a wrongful death action depends on the same proof of negligence needed to maintain a personal injury action. See Fla.Stat. Sec. 768.19 (1985)....
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Horton v. Unigard Ins. Co., 355 So. 2d 154 (Fla. 4th DCA 1978).

Cited 19 times | Published | Florida 4th District Court of Appeal

...Suffice to say we are persuaded by the dictum in Orefice, supra, because we perceive no reason not to apply the doctrine of interspousal immunity to a wrongful death claim by the personal representative of a deceased wife's estate against her erstwhile husband. Section 768.19, Florida Statutes (1975), provides, among other things, that when a death is caused by the wrongful act or negligence of a person and the event would have entitled the person injured to maintain *156 an action and recover damages if de...
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Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. v. Phlieger, 508 So. 2d 713 (Fla. 1987).

Cited 17 times | Published | Supreme Court of Florida | 12 Fla. L. Weekly 256, 1987 Fla. LEXIS 1923

...In August 1981, Jay Phlieger was killed as a result of an allegedly defective roof design in his Nissan truck. In June 1983, less than two years after Mr. Phlieger's death, his widow, in her capacity as his personal representative (respondent herein), filed a wrongful death action against Nissan, pursuant to section 768.19, Florida Statutes (1983)....
...years after the date of the commission of the alleged fraud, regardless of the date the defect in the product or the fraud was or should have been discovered. The district court reasoned that since this action was a wrongful death action pursuant to section 768.19 [1] rather than a products liability action, "by its very language, section 95.031(2) does not apply and, rather, the two year statute of limitations for wrongful death actions found in section 95.11(4)(d) applies." 487 So.2d at 1097....
...iance upon existing law pertaining *718 to the length of time within which they could bring suit. Therefore, I concur with the result reached by the majority opinion, but I do so for entirely different reasons than those expressed therein. NOTES [1] § 768.19, Fla....
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Florida Convalescent Centers v. Somberg, 840 So. 2d 998 (Fla. 2003).

Cited 17 times | Published | Supreme Court of Florida | 28 Fla. L. Weekly Supp. 122, 2003 Fla. LEXIS 166, 2003 WL 252155

...The survivors that can recover damages are statutorily defined to be "the decedent's spouse, children, parents, and, when partly or wholly dependent on the decedent for support or services, any blood relatives and adoptive brothers and sisters." § 768.18(1), Fla. Stat. (1997). Section 768.19, Florida Statutes (1997), explains when an action for wrongful death may be brought, while 768.20, Florida Statutes (1997), explains: The action shall be brought by the decedent's personal representative, who shall recover for the bene...
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Toombs v. Alamo Rent-A-Car, Inc., 833 So. 2d 109 (Fla. 2002).

Cited 15 times | Published | Supreme Court of Florida | 27 Fla. L. Weekly Supp. 915, 2002 Fla. LEXIS 2270, 2002 WL 31426259

...action from existing altogether. See Toombs v. Alamo Rent-A-Car, 762 So.2d 1040, 1042 (Fla. 5th DCA 2000). Accordingly, the Fifth District affirmed the trial court's order granting summary judgment and certified conflict with Alley. Id. [4] ANALYSIS Section 768.19, Florida Statutes (1995), which defines the right of action under the Wrongful Death Act (the Act), provides: When the death of a person is caused by the wrongful act, negligence, default, or breach of contract or warranty of any perso...
...n or watercraft that would have been liable in damages if death had not ensued shall be liable for damages as specified in this act notwithstanding the death of the person injured, although death was caused under circumstances constituting a felony. § 768.19, Fla....
...ter of law. [4] The summary judgment granted by the trial court did not affect the claim for personal injuries on behalf of Stuttard's minor daughter. [5] The accident which gave rise to the instant wrongful death action occurred on January 8, 1996. Section 768.19 has remained unchanged since its enactment in 1972....
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Dressler v. Tubbs, 435 So. 2d 792 (Fla. 1983).

Cited 15 times | Published | Supreme Court of Florida

...FOR A NEGLIGENT TORT CAUSING INJURY OR DEATH? 419 So.2d at 1154. The cause before the trial court was an action for wrongful death brought by the personal representative of Carole Tubbs's estate. The relevant part of the Florida Wrongful Death Act, Section 768.19, Florida Statutes (1977), provided: When the death of a person is caused by the wrongful act, negligence, default, or breach of contract or warranty of any person, including those occurring on navigable waters, and the event would have...
...Sessions, 80 So.2d 905 (Fla. 1955). Contrary to the majority's view, the proper focus of Florida's wrongful death act is the language "the event would have entitled the person injured to maintain an action and recover damages if death had not ensued." § 768.19, Fla....
...view of this particular language of the wrongful death act, the trial court correctly dismissed the action seeking damages for the wife's estate. *795 The Fifth District Court in the present case recognized that Raisen v. Raisen and the language of section 768.19 would compel this result....
...unity. I would therefore answer the certified question in the negative and hold that the doctrine of interspousal immunity is not waived to the extent of available liability insurance. NOTES [1] Section 768.01, Fla. Stat. (1953), the counter-part to § 768.19, Fla....
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Johnson v. Mullee, 385 So. 2d 1038 (Fla. 1st DCA 1980).

Cited 13 times | Published | Florida 1st District Court of Appeal

...consequent damage until a later date. The court found that Nancy's cause of action was barred in March 1975 by the two-year statute of limitations for claims based upon medical malpractice. The court further found: *1040 ... Under the provisions of section 768.19 and Florida decisionary law, a bar to the decedent's right to recovery for her personal injury had she lived will also bar any subsequent recovery for her wrongful death by her personal representative; and that since decedent would not have been entitled within the intendment of § 768.19 to maintain an action if death had not ensued, her personal representative has no statutory right of action for wrongful death....
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Laizure v. Avante at Leesburg, Inc., 109 So. 3d 752 (Fla. 2013).

Cited 12 times | Published | Supreme Court of Florida | 38 Fla. L. Weekly Supp. 102, 2013 WL 535417, 2013 Fla. LEXIS 249

injury claim into one for wrongful death. See § 768.19, Fla. Stat. (2009). Consequently, courts generally
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Linder v. Calero Portocarrero, 747 F. Supp. 1452 (S.D. Fla. 1990).

Cited 11 times | Published | District Court, S.D. Florida | 1990 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 12494, 1990 WL 138866

...The Plaintiffs seek damages through the Florida Wrongful Death Act and the Florida Survivor Statute, as well as under the common law tort of civil conspiracy. An important commonality involving both statutory causes of action under the Florida Wrongful Death Act, Fla.Stat. § 768.19, [4] and the Florida Survivor Statute, Fla.Stat....
...and the event would have entitled the person injured to maintain an action and recover damages if death had not ensued, the person ... [who] would have been liable in damages if death had not ensued shall be liable for damages as specified in this act notwithstanding the death of the person injured.... Fla.Stat. § 768.19 (emphasis added)....
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Capone v. Philip Morris USA, Inc., 116 So. 3d 363 (Fla. 2013).

Cited 11 times | Published | Supreme Court of Florida | 38 Fla. L. Weekly Supp. 402, 2013 WL 2631180, 2013 Fla. LEXIS 1180

remained substantively unchanged since 1951. Section 768.19 of the Florida Wrongful Death Act provides:
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Smith v. Lusk, 356 So. 2d 1309 (Fla. 2d DCA 1978).

Cited 8 times | Published | Florida 2nd District Court of Appeal

...Appellants filed this appeal in the Supreme Court which transferred it here. Section 46.021, Florida Statutes (1975), provides in part: "Actions; surviving death of party. — No cause of action dies with the person. All causes of action survive and may be commenced ... in the name of the person prescribed by law." Section 768.19, Florida Statutes (1975), reads in part: "When the death of a person is caused by the wrongful act, negligence ......
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Hudson v. Keene Corp., 445 So. 2d 1151 (Fla. 1st DCA 1984).

Cited 7 times | Published | Florida 1st District Court of Appeal

...before the suit for wrongful death was filed, appellant could not recover from appellees on the wrongful death claim. The question presented in this case boils down to whether, based on the language found in the wrongful death statute, specifically Section 768.19, Florida Statutes, the wrongful death claim is barred by the running of the limitations period with regard to Ela Hudson's personal injury suit, even though ordinarily the limitations period for a wrongful death action is two years, Section 95.11(4)(d), Florida Statutes. Section 768.19 provides: When the death of a person is caused by the wrongful act, negligence, default, or breach of contract or warranty of any person, including those occurring on navigable waters, and the event would have entitled the person injur...
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Perkins v. Variety Child.'s Hosp., 413 So. 2d 760 (Fla. 3d DCA 1982).

Cited 7 times | Published | Florida 3rd District Court of Appeal

...The trial court denied plaintiff's motion to strike these defenses on the grounds that they were valid defenses, then entered a Final Summary Judgment for the hospital. The parties agree that resolution of the main issue pivots on the interpretation to be given certain language in the Florida Wrongful Death Act, Section 768.19, Florida Statutes (1979)....
...on the part of the defendant, under circumstances giving rise to liability in the first instance, rather then to subsequent changes in the situation affecting only the interest of the decedent"). The Florida Supreme Court has consistently found that Section 768.19, Florida Statutes (1979), Wrongful Death Act, creates an independent cause of action in the statutory beneficiaries....
...Appellant is correct in arguing that under Florida law, the statutory language refers to the qualifying nature of the "event," and not to whether the decedent ever sued in his lifetime. Epps v. Railway Express Agency, supra . In Warren v. Cohen, 363 So.2d 129 (Fla. 3d DCA 1978), the Third District Court of Appeal agreed that Section 768.19 created an independent cause of action but for public policy reasons held that a release executed by deceased bars a subsequent action for wrongful death....
...tions 768.16-768.27, Florida Statutes (1979), the plaintiff relies heavily upon the Florida Supreme Court decision in Shiver v. Sessions, 80 So.2d 905 (Fla. 1955). It is agreed that this issue must be determined through an interpretation of the Act. Section 768.19 thereof provides: When the death of a person is caused by the wrongful act, negligence, default, or breach of contract or warranty of any person, including those occurring on navigable waters, and the event would have entitled the pers...
...Manhattan Brewing Co., 103 F. Supp. 744 (N.D.Ill. 1952), brought under the Indiana wrongful death statute, is a settlement case. The holding in Warren v. Cohen, supra, at 131, is limited to a "release signed by the decedent prior to her death." [1] § 768.19, Fla....
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Duncan v. Flynn, 342 So. 2d 123 (Fla. 2d DCA 1977).

Cited 7 times | Published | Florida 2nd District Court of Appeal

...But, the Fourth District Court of Appeal in Miller v. Highlands Ins. Co., 336 So.2d 636 (Fla. 4th DCA 1976), recognized the trend of allowing recovery of prenatal injuries to viable children and concluded that a viable unborn child is a "person" within the meaning of Section 768.19....
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Hampton v. A. Duda & Sons, Inc., 511 So. 2d 1104 (Fla. 5th DCA 1987).

Cited 6 times | Published | Florida 5th District Court of Appeal | 12 Fla. L. Weekly 2124, 1987 Fla. App. LEXIS 10326

...85, 15 So. 876 (1894). Relying on these decisions, several district court decisions have also recognized the rule that the decedent must have a valid cause of action at his death as a condition precedent to his survivor bringing a cause of action under section 768.19....
...n or watercraft that would have been liable in damages if death had not ensued shall be liable for damages as specified in this act notwithstanding the death of the person injured, although death was caused under circumstances constituting a felony. § 768.19, Fla....
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Phlieger v. Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., 487 So. 2d 1096 (Fla. 5th DCA 1986).

Cited 6 times | Published | Florida 5th District Court of Appeal | 11 Fla. L. Weekly 743, 1986 Fla. App. LEXIS 7060

...The trial court agreed and entered summary judgment in favor of Nissan. On appeal, Mrs. Phlieger argues that the trial court erred in applying the products liability statute of repose to bar her suit. Mrs. Phlieger brought this wrongful death action pursuant to section 768.19, Florida Statutes (1983) which provides as follows: Right of action....
...f the completed product to its original purchaser regardless of the date the defect was discovered. Here, however, the action, although admittedly based on negligence, strict liability, and breach of warranty, was a wrongful death action pursuant to section 768.19....
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Davis v. Simpson, 313 So. 2d 796 (Fla. 1st DCA 1975).

Cited 6 times | Published | Florida 1st District Court of Appeal

...Harper Field of Keen, O'Kelley & Spitz, Tallahassee, for defendants. McCORD, Judge. This case is brought before us as a certified question from the Circuit Court, Gulf County, Florida. The question presented is: Is a full term, viable, but stillborn fetus a "person" within the meaning of § 768.19, Florida Statutes, 1973? Although none of the parties have raised the point of the propriety of this action as a certified question and appear to be desirous that we treat it as such, it does not meet the test of Rule 4.6, Florida Appellate Rules, for a certified question....
...The effect of the dismissal was a ruling by the trial court that no cause of action exists under the death by wrongful act statute on behalf of any estate of the fetus; that a full term, viable, but stillborn fetus is not a "person" within the meaning of the wrongful death statute, § 768.19, Florida Statutes....
..." (Emphasis supplied) While the above italicized statement of the Supreme Court was dictum in Stokes, it reflects the view of the Supreme Court as to the proper construction of the then death by wrongful act statute. Petitioners contend that the word "person" in § 768.19, Florida Statutes, 1973, should be construed to include a viable, unborn fetus....
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Williams v. Bay Hosp., Inc., 471 So. 2d 626 (Fla. 1st DCA 1985).

Cited 6 times | Published | Florida 1st District Court of Appeal | 10 Fla. L. Weekly 1569

...At the risk of oversimplifying what is perhaps a more complex problem, we are inclined to think it is fundamental that the wrongful death statute is not applicable except in wrongful death actions, i.e., where it is claimed that the death of a person was "caused by the wrongful act, negligence, [or] default ..." of another. § 768.19, Florida Statutes (1983)....
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Abdelaziz v. AMISUB of Florida, 515 So. 2d 269 (Fla. 3d DCA 1987).

Cited 5 times | Published | Florida 3rd District Court of Appeal | 12 Fla. L. Weekly 2407

...against them. A We have no trouble in summarily rejecting the plaintiffs' first point on appeal. The law in Florida is well settled that a wrongful death claim, as here, does not lie for the wrongful death of a fetus, regardless of viability, under Section 768.19, Florida Statutes (1983), because a fetus is not a "person" under the above statute....
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Laizure v. Avante at Leesburg, Inc., 44 So. 3d 1254 (Fla. 5th DCA 2010).

Cited 5 times | Published | Florida 5th District Court of Appeal | 2010 Fla. App. LEXIS 14543, 2010 WL 3808683

..., such an action is predicated on the "wrongful act, negligence, default or breach of contract or warranty" committed by the defendant which, as the result of the decedent's death, transformed a personal injury claim into one for wrongful death. See § 768.19, Fla....
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Hughes v. Unitech Aircraft Serv., Inc., 662 So. 2d 999 (Fla. 4th DCA 1995).

Cited 5 times | Published | Florida 4th District Court of Appeal | 1995 WL 653331

...Prior to its amendment in 1972, Florida's wrongful death statute, section 758.01, began: "Whenever the death of any person in this state shall be caused by the wrongful act... ." This portion of the statute was amended in 1972 so that it now begins, in section 768.19, Fla....
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50 State Sec. Serv., Inc. v. Giangrandi, 132 So. 3d 1128 (Fla. 3d DCA 2013).

Cited 5 times | Published | Florida 3rd District Court of Appeal | 2013 WL 6212039, 2013 Fla. App. LEXIS 18916

breach of contract or warranty” caused the death. § 768.19, Fla. Stat. (2011). The Florida Supreme Court
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Randall v. Walt Disney World Co., 140 So. 3d 1118 (Fla. 5th DCA 2014).

Cited 4 times | Published | Florida 5th District Court of Appeal | 2014 WL 2781819, 2014 Fla. App. LEXIS 9338

court held that Florida’s Wrongful Death Act, section 768.19, Florida Statutes (2008), did not require dismissal
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Griffis v. Wheeler, 18 So. 3d 2 (Fla. 1st DCA 2009).

Cited 4 times | Published | Florida 1st District Court of Appeal | 2009 Fla. App. LEXIS 10491, 2009 WL 2342722

...the person ... that would have been liable in damages if death had not ensued shall be liable for damages as specified in this act notwithstanding the death of the person injured, although death was caused under circumstances constituting a felony. § 768.19, Fla....
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Miller v. Highlands Ins. Co., 336 So. 2d 636 (Fla. 4th DCA 1976).

Cited 4 times | Published | Florida 4th District Court of Appeal | 1976 Fla. App. LEXIS 15359

..., Florida Statutes (1973). An action for wrongful death is entirely a creature of statute, being unknown to common law. If Kathryn Miller and her husband have a cause of action for the wrongful death of their unborn, viable child it must be based on § 768.19, which provides: "When the death of a person is caused by the wrongful act, negligence, default, or breach of contract or warranty of any person, including those occurring on navigable waters, and the event would have entitled the person in...
...cumstances constituting a felony." The primary issue on this appeal, and the question which we must first decide, is whether an unborn, viable child, killed as a direct and proximate result of another's negligence, is a "person" within the intent of § 768.19....
...e hold that a stillborn fetus is not within the statutory classification... . [O]ur judgment is concluded primarily by the particular language of the Florida Statute in the light of its historical background." (At 700.) A condition of recovery under § 768.19 is that "......
...Nationwide Mutual Insurance Co., supra, and hold that the Miller child, if it had survived and had been born alive would have been entitled to maintain an action and recover damages for its prenatal injuries. We now reach the crucial question of whether an unborn but viable child is a "person" within the meaning of § 768.19....
...or the tortious destruction of a human life." (At 55.) We conclude that the better view is that which allows a cause of action for the wrongful death of a viable, unborn child. In our opinion a viable unborn child is a "person" within the meaning of § 768.19. We have not overlooked the case of Davis v. Simpson, 313 So.2d 796 (Fla. 1st DCA 1975), wherein the First District Court of Appeal reached a contrary conclusion, holding that the term "person" within the meaning of § 768.19 does not include a full *641 term, viable, but stillborn fetus....
...Our Constitution recognizes that the District Courts of Appeal may from time to time have divergent opinions. A procedure exists by which conflicts may be resolved and the law brought into harmony. Article V, Section 3(b)(3), Florida Constitution. Having determined that under § 768.19 there is a cause of action for the wrongful death of a viable, unborn child we are faced with the secondary question of damages....
...Under the current wrongful death statutes, which represent a new departure on the entire subject, the element of damage created by § 768.21(4) is merely a statement of one of the modes of recovery available once the right of action has been established under § 768.19....
...In view of the legislative mandate that this statute is remedial and shall be liberally construed we hold that the Legislature intended to include a viable, unborn child within the meaning of the term "minor child" in § 768.21(4). In summary we hold that a viable, unborn child is a "person" within the meaning of § 768.19, and that a cause of action exists for the wrongful death of such a child....
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Tubbs v. Dressler, 419 So. 2d 1151 (Fla. 5th DCA 1982).

Cited 3 times | Published | Florida 5th District Court of Appeal

...Does the doctrine of either interspousal or interfamily immunity bar a wrongful death action on behalf of the deceased wife's children against the deceased husband's estate and his insurer, when the claim is for the coverage provided by the husband's liability insurance policy? Section 768.19, Florida Statutes (1977) says: When the death of a person is caused by the wrongful act, negligence, default or breach of contract or warranty of any person ......
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Lewis v. City of St. Petersburg, 98 F. Supp. 2d 1344 (M.D. Fla. 2000).

Cited 3 times | Published | District Court, M.D. Florida | 2000 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 8485, 2000 WL 781042

...l activities protected by state law immunities; and (7) Plaintiff's statement that police officers were "conducting themselves in a careless and negligent manner" does not state sufficiently the conduct alleged to be negligent. *1348 Florida Statute § 768.19, in pertinent part, states: When the death of a person is caused by the wrongful act, negligence, default, breach of contract, or warranty of any person ......
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Young v. St. Vincent's Med. Ctr., Inc., 673 So. 2d 482 (Fla. 1996).

Cited 3 times | Published | Supreme Court of Florida

...Borgmann, ACLU Cooperating Counsel, New York City, for American Civil Liberties Union Foundation and American Civil *483 Liberties Union Foundation of Florida, Inc., Amici Curiae. PER CURIAM. We have for review a decision of the district court certifying the question of whether a fetus is a person within the meaning of section 768.19, Florida Statutes (1993) (Florida Wrongful Death Act)....
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Enter. Leasing Co. v. Alley, 728 So. 2d 272 (Fla. 2d DCA 1999).

Cited 3 times | Published | Florida 2nd District Court of Appeal | 1999 WL 43516

...The issue before us depends upon the construction of the language of the Wrongful Death Act, which conditions a decedent's survivors' cause of action upon the right of the decedent, if the decedent had lived, to have maintained an action and recovered damages arising out of the event. The Wrongful Death Act, section 768.19, Florida Statutes (1995), provides in part: [W]hen the death of a person is caused by the wrongful act, negligence, default, or breach of contract or warranty of any person, including those occurring on navigable waters, and the event...
...(Emphasis supplied; citations omitted.) In citing Shiver with approval and quoting the above statement from Perkins with approval, our supreme court in Phlieger cautions against narrowly interpreting Perkins as follows: The district court reasoned that since this action was a wrongful death action pursuant to section 768.19 rather than a products liability action, "by its very language, section 95.031(2) does not apply and, rather, the two year statute of limitations for wrongful death actions found in section 95.11(4)(d) applies." 487 So.2d at 1097....
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Burks v. Beary, 713 F. Supp. 2d 1350 (M.D. Fla. 2010).

Cited 3 times | Published | District Court, M.D. Florida | 2010 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 42267, 2010 WL 1742086

...The Act provides a right of action "[w]hen the death of a person is caused by the wrongful act [or] negligence . . . of any person . . . and the event would have entitled the person to maintain an action and recover damages if death had not ensued." Id. § 768.19....
...As earlier noted, the Act provides a right of action "[w]hen the death of a person is caused by the wrongful act [or] negligence . . . of any person . . . and the event would have entitled the person to maintain an action and recover damages if death had not ensued." § 768.19, Fla....
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In re Engle Cases, 45 F. Supp. 3d 1351 (M.D. Fla. 2014).

Cited 2 times | Published | District Court, M.D. Florida | 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 133727, 2014 WL 4542998

the death of the harmed individual. Fla. Stat. § 768.19. The legislature, however, is specific about how
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Est. of Osorio v. Miami-Dade Cnty., 191 F. Supp. 3d 1366 (S.D. Fla. 2016).

Cited 2 times | Published | District Court, S.D. Florida | 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 79761, 2016 WL 3221138

damages if death had not ensued .,..” Fla. Stat. § 768.19. The Estate claims the cause of the wrongful death
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In Re Guardianship of JDS, 864 So. 2d 534 (Fla. 5th DCA 2004).

Cited 2 times | Published | Florida 5th District Court of Appeal | 2004 WL 42619

...That on Saturday, August 30, 2003 at 10:00 o'clock a.m. in Orange County, Florida, J.D.S. gave birth by cesarean section to a baby girl known as Baby S. 2. Baby S weighed 6 pounds, 7 ounces and her length was 21½ inches. [6] § 744.102(8), Fla. Stat. (2003). [7] § 744.102(19), Fla. Stat. (2003). [8] § 768.19, Fla....
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Homaday v. Smith & Nephew, Inc., 994 F. Supp. 2d 1264 (M.D. Fla. 2014).

Cited 2 times | Published | District Court, M.D. Florida | 2014 WL 260568, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 10292

personal injury action abates. See Fla. Stat. § 768.19 (“When a personal injury to the decedent results
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Young v. St. Vincent's Med. Ctr., 653 So. 2d 499 (Fla. 1st DCA 1995).

Cited 2 times | Published | Florida 1st District Court of Appeal | 1995 WL 234614

...A.M.I.S.U.B. of Florida, Inc., 515 So.2d 269 (Fla. 3d DCA 1987), review denied, 525 So.2d 876 (Fla. 1988); and Davis v. Simpson, 313 So.2d 796 (Fla. 1st DCA 1975). While we feel that the question of whether a fetus is a person within the meaning of section 768.19, Florida Statutes (1993), has been extensively addressed in the previously cited cases, in deference to the views expressed by Judge Mickle and his special concurrence, we again certify this question to be one of great public importance....
...Miller, 348 So.2d 303 (Fla. 1977). I write, however, to address appellant's invitation to our supreme court to revisit these decisions. The question at issue in this case is whether there is a right of recovery under the Florida Wrongful Death Act, sections 768.19-768.27, Florida Statutes (1989), on behalf of a stillborn child who died as a result of injuries received while in her mother's womb....
...n or watercraft that would have been liable in damages if death had not ensued shall be liable for damages as specified in this act notwithstanding the death of the person injured, although death was caused under circumstances constituting a felony. Section 768.19, Florida Statutes (1989)....
...(Emphasis supplied.) The first court called upon to interpret the new Act was this court in the case of Davis v. Simpson, 313 So.2d 796 (Fla. 1st DCA 1975). In answering the circuit court's certified question "[is] a full term, viable, but stillborn fetus a `person' within the meaning of § 768.19, Florida Statutes, 1973," in the negative, this court opined that the determinative issue was whether or not it was the intent of the Legislature in its enactment of the new Wrongful Death Act to include within the meaning of the term "person" an unborn fetus....
...Duncan, 358 So.2d at 180. [10] Recent efforts to amend the Wrongful Death Act have been defeated. In 1988, identical bills were filed in both the House and Senate that would have added the term "unborn children" to the definitions of "person" and "minor children" in § 768.19....
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England v. United States, 632 F. Supp. 1340 (M.D. Fla. 1986).

Cited 2 times | Published | District Court, M.D. Florida | 1986 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 26770

...he question to the Florida Supreme Court (See Article V, section 3(b)(4) of the Florida Constitution), this Court simply decides whether the defense is applicable in the case at bar as it believes the Florida Court would decide. 6. Florida Statutes, Section 768.19 provides: When the death of a person is caused by the wrongful act, negligence, default, or breach of contract or warranty of any person ......
...and the event would have entitled the person injured to maintain an action and recover damages if death had not ensued, the person ... that would have been liable for damages if death had not ensued shall be liable for damages as specified in this act.... 7. The language of section 768.19 suggests that defenses that would bar a decedent's recovery if he had survived should also apply to bar recovery from a surviving plaintiff in a wrongful death action....
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Starling v. R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co., 845 F. Supp. 2d 1215 (M.D. Fla. 2011).

Cited 1 times | Published | District Court, M.D. Florida | 2011 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 151514, 2011 WL 6965854

damages if death had not ensued ....” Fla. Stat. § 768.19. B. The Capone Decision6 The Wrongful Death Act’s
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Hilsman v. Winn Dixie Stores, Inc., 639 So. 2d 115 (Fla. Dist. Ct. App. 1994).

Cited 1 times | Published | District Court of Appeal of Florida | 1994 Fla. App. LEXIS 6006, 1994 WL 275379

survivors for damages under the Wrongful Death Act (§ 768.19, Fla.Stat.); therefore, it is living tissue of
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Toombs v. Alamo Rent-A-Car, 762 So. 2d 1040 (Fla. 5th DCA 2000).

Cited 1 times | Published | Florida 5th District Court of Appeal | 2000 WL 1033055

...Julia Studdard was killed in an automobile that her husband had rented from Alamo. Her husband and two minor children survived. We affirm. Toombs sought damages on behalf of the two surviving minor children under Florida's Wrongful Death Act pursuant to section 768.19, Florida Statutes (1997) [1] and brought a claim against Alamo as owner of the rented vehicle that was involved in the accident....
...band to drive to determine his condition and fitness for that purpose. Even if Raydel survives, does it apply when the action is being brought by the wife's survivors under the Wrongful Death Act? To answer this question, we must consider Shiver and section 768.19, Florida Statutes. Section 768.19 defines a "right of action" in the context of the Wrongful Death Act....
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Sharbaugh v. Beaudry, 267 F. Supp. 3d 1326 (N.D. Fla. 2017).

Cited 1 times | Published | District Court, N.D. Florida

for damages as specified in the act, Fla. Stat. § 768.19, which incltide economic losses of the estate
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Capone v. Philip Morris U.S.A. Inc., 56 So. 3d 34 (Fla. 3d DCA 2010).

Cited 1 times | Published | Florida 3rd District Court of Appeal | 2010 Fla. App. LEXIS 18323, 2010 WL 4861743

suit as required under the Wrongful Death Act, section 768.19, Florida Statutes (2008). By the time the September
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Waldron v. Spicher, 349 F. Supp. 3d 1202 (M.D. Fla. 2018).

Published | District Court, M.D. Florida

actions proximately caused Anthony's death. See § 768.19, Fla. Stat. (2017). Where reasonable persons may
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Franzen v. Mogler, 744 So. 2d 1029 (Fla. 1st DCA 1997).

Published | Florida 1st District Court of Appeal | 1997 Fla. App. LEXIS 11888, 1997 WL 656303

notwithstanding the death of the person injured.... ” § 768.19 Fla. Stat. (1995). WDA also states that the cause
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Mary E. Sheffield, etc. v. R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. (Fla. 2021).

Published | Supreme Court of Florida

under circumstances constituting a felony. § 768.19, Fla. Stat. The Wrongful Death Act also explicitly
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Skyrme v. Rj Reynolds Tobacco Co., 75 So. 3d 769 (Fla. 2d DCA 2011).

Published | Florida 2nd District Court of Appeal | 2011 Fla. App. LEXIS 18404, 2011 WL 5832338

...Alamo Rent-A-Car, Inc., 833 So.2d 109, 118 (Fla.2002) ("[T]he language of the [Wrongful Death] Act makes clear a cause of action for wrongful death that is predicated on the decedent's entitlement to `maintain an action and recover damages if death had not ensued.'" (quoting § 768.19, Fla....
...5th DCA 2010) (holding that a wrongful death "action is predicated on the `wrongful act, negligence, default or breach of contract or warranty' committed by the defendant which, as the result of the decedent's death, transformed a personal injury claim into one for wrongful death" (quoting § 768.19, Fla....
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Stanley v. Delta Connection Academy, Inc., 12 So. 3d 781 (Fla. 5th DCA 2009).

Published | Florida 5th District Court of Appeal | 2009 Fla. App. LEXIS 3967, 2009 WL 1159195

plaintiffs’ damages, and what those damages are. See § 768.19, Fla. Stat. (2002); Jenkins v. W.L. Roberts, Inc
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Maria Montefu Acosta v. Miami-Dade Cnty. (11th Cir. 2024).

Published | Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit

Argued: Jan 30, 2024

under Florida’s Wrongful Death Act, Fla. Stat. § 768.19. After timely removing Acosta’s
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Greer v. Ivey, 242 F. Supp. 3d 1284 (M.D. Fla. 2017).

Published | District Court, M.D. Florida | 2017 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 65448, 2017 WL 1424345

recover damages if death had not ensued.” Fla. Stat. § 768.19. According to the Act, a wrongful death action
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Young v. St. Vincent's Med. Ctr., Inc., 673 So. 2d 482 (Fla. 1996).

Published | Supreme Court of Florida | 21 Fla. L. Weekly Supp. 122, 1996 Fla. LEXIS 437, 1996 WL 110000

whether a fetus is a person within the meaning of section 768.19, Florida Statutes (1993) (Florida Wrongful
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Andrew Andreasen, Etc. v. Klein, Glasser, Park & Lowe, P.l., Etc. (Fla. Dist. Ct. App. 2022).

Published | District Court of Appeal of Florida

action on their own behalf if they had survived. § 768.19, Fla. Stat.; see also Toombs v. Alamo Rent-A-
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Sarah Jerrels, as Pers. Rep. of the Est. of Dylan Jerrels v. Est. of Jasper W. Jerrels, Jr. (Fla. Dist. Ct. App. 2019).

Published | District Court of Appeal of Florida

upon "[a] strict reading of Florida Statute § 768.19, [Fla. Stat. (2016)]" explaining that "[h]ad
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Auto-Owners Ins. Co. v. DeJohn, 640 So. 2d 158 (Fla. Dist. Ct. App. 1994).

Published | District Court of Appeal of Florida | 1994 Fla. App. LEXIS 7507, 1994 WL 390781

brought suit under the Wrongful Death Act, section 768.19-768.21, Florida Statutes (1991). Auto-Owners
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Wixtrom v. Dep't of Child. & Families, 864 So. 2d 534 (Fla. 5th DCA 2004).

Published | Florida 5th District Court of Appeal | 2004 Fla. App. LEXIS 161

(2003). . § 744.102(19), Fla. Stat. (2003). . § 768.19, Fla. Stat. (1993). . § 827.04(1), Fla. Stat
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Brinda Coates, etc. v. R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. (Fla. 2023).

Published | Supreme Court of Florida

Act creates a statutory right of action, see § 768.19, Fla. Stat. (1997), and provides that the injury
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Innocent v. Cent. Truck Lines, Inc., 680 F. Supp. 1523 (S.D. Fla. 1988).

Published | District Court, S.D. Florida | 1988 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 1522, 1988 WL 17104

siblings and mother pursuant to Fla.Stat.Ann. § 768.19 (West 1986). They seek to recover both for the
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Cosman v. Rodriguez, 153 So. 3d 371 (Fla. 2d DCA 2014).

Published | Florida 2nd District Court of Appeal | 2014 Fla. App. LEXIS 20367, 2014 WL 7156334

...death of a person is caused by the wrongful act, negligence, default, or breach of contract or warranty of any person . . . , and the event would have entitled the person injured to maintain an action and recover damages if death had not ensued." § 768.19. The Act manifests the state's public policy to shift the loss from the survivors to the wrongdoer; the Act is remedial and must be liberally construed. § 768.17. The wrongdoer is liable for "damages as specified in this act." § 768.19. Survivors may recover "the value of lost support and services." § 768.21(1)....
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Smith v. R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co., 103 So. 3d 955 (Fla. 2d DCA 2012).

Published | Florida 2nd District Court of Appeal | 2012 Fla. App. LEXIS 21520, 2012 WL 6216756

but it cited for support only section 768.19. Id. at 35. Section 768.19 creates a right of action; it
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Joselyn Santiago v. Raytheon Tech. Corp. (11th Cir. 2020).

Published | Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit

cause of action for wrongful death, see Fla. Stat. § 768.19, “which was not recognized at common law.” Nissan
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Earl E. Graham v. R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co., 782 F.3d 1261 (11th Cir. 2015).

Published | Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit | 2015 U.S. App. LEXIS 5657, 2015 WL 1546522

...r damages if death had not ensued, the person . . . that would have been liable in damages if death had not ensued shall be liable for damages as specified in this act notwithstanding the death of the person injured . . . . Fla. Stat. § 768.19....
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Forry v. Scottsdale Ins. Co., 899 So. 2d 1260 (Fla. 2d DCA 2005).

Published | Florida 2nd District Court of Appeal | 2005 Fla. App. LEXIS 5559, 2005 WL 924346

complaint alleged a claim for wrongful death, see § 768.19, Fla. Stat. (2001), and a separate claim for violation
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Harris v. R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co., 383 F. Supp. 3d 1315 (M.D. Fla. 2019).

Published | District Court, M.D. Florida

and recover damages if death had not ensued.... § 768.19, Fla. Stat. In contrast to a survival claim, a

This Florida statute resource is curated by Graham W. Syfert, Esq., a Jacksonville, Florida personal injury and workers' compensation attorney. Attorney Syfert regularly works with Chapter 768 in the context of negligence and personal injury claims and represents clients throughout Northeast Florida. For legal consultation, call 904-383-7448.