In a long-sought move, the University of Miami won a legislative victory when Florida lawmakers agreed to extend state lawsuit protection to university doctors working in public hospitals. Gov. Rick Scott will likely sign the bill into law. Scott is also expected to sign another lawsuit-limitation bill that passed Wednesday that changes the way people can sue automobile makers. The vote to give "sovereign immunity" to UM has been years in the making. The state protects government hospital employees, residents and interns including those at Miami's Jackson Health System from major medical malpractice judgments. But UM medical school doctors who teach at Jackson are not covered by the protected status.
