Ends Six-Year Court Battle
The Florida Chamber of Commerce applauds the Florida Supreme Court for today issuing an opinion adopting Florida’s expert witness standards to the higher Daubert standard, and eliminating junk science from Florida’s court. This is a significant move that ends a six-year old battle in which the previous court’s attempts to undermine the Florida Legislature by keeping in place the weaker Frye standard in place.
“This is an important step forward in improving Florida’s legal climate, and providing predictability in the courtroom, stability for job creators, and greater economic prosperity for Floridians,” said David Hart, Executive Vice President of the Florida Chamber of Commerce.
With today’s action, Florida will no longer be an outlier since our state courts will now join the U.S. Supreme Court, all federal courts and most states in using the Daubert standard. Florida courts will now use the same fair and simple standard that implements a multi-faceted test to decide on the admissibility of expert evidence.
The Florida Chamber-backed Daubert standard, was passed by the Florida Legislature in 2013. However, former activist Supreme Court justices refused to adopt the Daubert standard into the Florida Evidence Code.
Due to the mandatory retirement of three justices, Governor Ron DeSantis appointed three new justices. Today’s opinion marks a significant departure from the previous court and signals a court that may help end Florida’s reign as a “judicial hellhole.”
About the Florida Chamber of Commerce
Established in 1916 as Florida’s first statewide business advocacy organization, the Florida Chamber of Commerce is the voice of business and the state’s largest federation of employers, chambers of commerce and associations aggressively representing small and large businesses from every industry and every region. The Florida Chamber works within all branches of government to affect those changes set forth in the annual Florida Business Agenda, and which are seen as critical to secure Florida’s future. The Florida Chamber works closely with its Florida Political Operations and the Florida Chamber Foundation. Visit FloridaChamber.com for more information.
