Florida has to Pay Over $1 million in Legal Fees to Lawyers Who Won Docs vs. Glocks

No Conservatives, Government Cannot Proscribe Speech – We Thought You Knew That

The ‘small government, pro Constitution” conservatives in Florida wanted the state to keep doctors from asking about guns in a house.  The doctors wanted to make sure children were safe from firearms that were left around the house, because, well, because a lot of children are killed each year.  But conservatives felt government should control speech.  In court, they lost.

Lawmakers pursued the legislation after hearing from some patients who complained that their doctors had asked unwelcome questions about guns. The National Rifle Association, which supported the law, said pediatricians were interrogating parents about firearms to try to ban guns.

Under the law, doctors could lose their licenses and face fines up to $10,000 per offense if they inquired about gun ownership and firearm habits. A group of doctors sued the state in 2011, saying that medical providers must be allowed to discuss guns with patients in the same way they discuss other safety risks and dangers, particularly for children.

In February, a full panel of the United States Circuit Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit decided in a 10-to-1 ruling that the state could not punish doctors for discussing gun safety with patients.

And now to place the cherry on top of the sundae, Florida will have to pay big bucks to the lawyers who won the case.

Florida has agreed to pay $1.1 million in legal fees to lawyers who sued the state over a 2011 law that barred doctors from talking to patients about gun ownership, according to a gun control organization involved in the case.

The organization, the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence, said Gov. Rick Scott of Florida had approved the reimbursement to lawyers who represented doctors and medical organizations in the case, which came to be known as “Docs v. Glocks.”

One reason this is so great is that the Brady Center now has big bucks to go after other laws which try to prevent gun safety.  They will save many lives.