In a ruling that could have implications for medical malpractice cases across the state, the Florida Supreme Court said a Jacksonville hospital system was required to provide records to a patient’s family because of a 2004 constitutional amendment.
The 5-2 ruling overturned a decision by the First District Court of Appeal, which said a federal patient-safety law shielded the hospital system from having to turn over some documents in a malpractice lawsuit. The ruling stemmed from a voter-approved ballot initiative, known as Amendment 7, that was designed to expand access to records in malpractice cases.
