The 1st District Court of Appeal has upheld an injunction that keeps the state from imposing key parts of a 2012 personal-injury protection law, as the fight over the auto-insurance overhaul remains in the court system, reports the News Service of Florida.
Leon County Circuit Judge Terry Lewis ruled March 20 the law illegally prevents accident patients from using PIP claims to pay for treatment by acupuncturists, chiropractors and massage therapists. He also found fault with the law’s lower limit on how much will be paid for non-emergency medical care.
Gov. Rick Scott and state Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater championed the law as a means to reduce auto insurance fraud. Scott signed the law in May 2012, with key provisions going into effect on Jan. 1, 2013.
Lewis wrote on April 17 that he issued the injunction against an automatic stay by the state to “prevent the potential harm to citizens injured in automobile accidents who, under the present PIP statute, may not receive necessary medical care.”
