In 1991 Jack Hamilton obtained an $85,000 verdict for the plaintiff who had been injured in an auto accident. The jury found no permanent injury – and therefore no money for pain and suffering – but awarded $85,000 for economic damages (medical bills and lost wages). The defendant’s insurance company Allstate appealed and attorney Jack Hamilton argued the case before the 5th District Court of Appeals. The appellate court affirmed the verdict and the judgment, making Florida law history. This was the first case the held that a plaintiff can still collect economic damages without there being a permanent injury. This holding has since been adopted by the Florida Supreme Court and is now the law of the land.
