Orlando Divorce Attorney

New Alimony Laws?

admin — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 16:38:11 +0000

The Florida legislature is taking up reforming the otherwise antiquated alimony laws in the state. There have been a number of articles in national publications and outlets including CNBC, CBS, USA Today and he Huffington Post that talk about how Florida’s alimony laws are among the most outdated in the country because they are so inflexible.

USA Today writes about a bedridden Florida man who is still obligated to pay alimony for a marriage that was over 20 years ago even though he doesn’t have the capacity for work and his ex-wife is still employed. According to CBS, those that testified before the state judiciary committee include:

A math professor whose boyfriend is paying permanent lifetime alimony to an educated woman in her mid-40s, after she left the marriage. She refuses to work because she would lose the alimony. If the math professor and her boyfriend marry, their family income can be counted as available resources to raise the ex-wife’s alimony, even though the professor supports herself and her own son.
A man who is paying lifetime alimony of 52 percent of his income, in a marriage that lasted less than 10 years. Alimony was awarded to a healthy 35-year-old woman who had been arrested during the marriage. The judge specifically noted that she must receive permanent lifetime alimony because of her arrest record.
A 76-year-old man who cannot retire and has been paying alimony for 27 years to a woman who abandoned him and their five children.

As it stands today (2/9), the judiciary committee voted 6-0 in favor of the proposed changes. The next stop is back to the sponsors for negotiation and hopefully a vote at the next session. Rumor has it that the Governor is in favor of this. FYI, it is SB 748/HB 549.

We think this is long overdue.

Authorities Raid Suspected Central Fla Pill Mill

admin — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 08:24:51 +0000

Investigators said they’re looking into the practices of a Central Florida doctor Thursday, who may be responsible for several area pill mills.

Agents with the Metropolitan Bureau of Investigation raided multiple medical buildings.

The connection between the different clinics was Dr. Richard Hays.

At the Miracle Medical Clinic in Pine Hills, agents carried out boxes of evidence. They said the doctor there was running a pill mill there and believe Hays has a similar operation in Kissimmee.

A check at local pharmacy chains led them to the doctor.

“A sampling of a few different chains, we have well over 800,000 Oxycontins dispensed at pharmacies under prescriptions written by Dr. Richard Hays,” Florida Department of Law Enforcement investigator Tom Foy said.

Foy said the sheer number shocked investigators. According to Foy, 300,000 pills of the same drug were dispensed in one year in the entire state of California.

“That’s a lot of pills. We’re talking one doctor, and just a sampling in two years — a 100,000,” Foy said.

The Health Department suspended the doctor’s medical license, but he has not been arrested or charged.

Bill would regulate private attorney referral services

admin — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 22:43:45 +0000

Great article at:

Florida Bar News

Referral services and lawyers will have to disclose financial ties to medical or law firms they refer to. So, if a lawyer refers a client to a medical clinic and has a financial tie to that clinic, they will have to disclose that to the client. All seems like the right thing to do!