Lauren Book Introduces Legislation to Strike Down 'Free Kill' Law

State Senate Minority Leader Lauren Book (D-FL) has introduced a new bill looking eliminate the “free kill” law which bars family members of adult relatives that have fell victim to medical malpractice from filing lawsuits. According to PBS affiliate WUFT, the free kill law “generally prevents families from filing medical malpractice lawsuits against doctors or hospitals when the victims are adults.” For instance, should the bill be no more, adult children would be allowed to sue on behalf of their parents who were victims of malpractice.

“No matter who you are or who you leave behind, Florida law should apply to and protect all Floridians equally in cases of wrongful death -- that’s our goal,” stated Sen. Book. “We are working to ensure equal protection under Florida law, and to bring our state into posture with the rest of the nation by eliminating arbitrary carve-outs which leave families of adult children and parents suffering in cases of medical malpractice.”

Efforts were made to end the bill in a bipartisan fashion in years prior.

Book’s press release mentions that “Additionally, advocates have argued Florida’s free kill law marginalizes ‘standard of care’ for certain categories of the population, including adults with disabilities which may have prevented them from becoming parents, women suffering from infertility, and others.”

The bill filed to end the “free kill” law is currently known as Senate Bill (SB) 690.