The parents of a 13-year-old Tampa girl who hanged herself after enduring classmates’ taunts over a revealing photo texted to a boy have sued the school district. The parents of Hope Witsell filed a federal lawsuit this week, accusing the …
A year-long investigation led to the arrest of a woman accused of staging an accident and insurance fraud. Officials said Monday they have audio and video of 36-year-old Tina Marie Figueroa admitting to intentional involvement in two crashes to collect …
Boaters beware. It’s flying fish season. Wildlife officials are reminding boaters that Gulf sturgeon as long as 8 feet and weighing 200 pounds are migrating into the Suwannee River this month. Sturgeon, with hard cartilaginous backbone and scales on the …
Oil giant BP has agreed to pay $30 million to seven Florida Panhandle counties for tourism promotion over the next three years. Gov. Rick Scott joined BP executive Luke Keller on Monday to announce the grant. It’s designed to help …
A bill that would further reform medical malpractice suits in Florida has been approved by a House panel. The Health Care Appropriations subcommittee approved the bill (HB 479) by a vote of 11-3 on Friday. But it also retained the …
Never mind Washington’s budget problems. The Justice Department wants to retrofit a Miami federal courtroom with two jury boxes for a massive insurance fraud trial. Prosecutors have proposed the unusual two-jury solution to get around legal obstacles of trying all …
A Semmes, Alabama woman pleaded guilty in Mobile to charges that she hired her nephew to burn down her house for insurance money last year. Sarah Juanita Comstock and her sister, Donna Kirkland Venerable, pleaded guilty last week to aiding …
A lawsuit that was brought by the mother of a Disney World worker killed during an accident in 2009 has been voluntarily dismissed. Orange County court records show the suit was dismissed on March 24, but the reason of the …
The National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) released its 2010 questionable claims (QC) report for Florida based on referrals received from January 1, 2008 through December 31, 2010. During this period, a total of 22,679 QCs came from Florida and 84% …
A South Florida woman is accused of biting off the tip of another woman’s ring finger during a fight over an alleged affair. Collier County Sheriff’s deputies said 43-year-old Clodia Coicour was charged with aggravated battery after the incident earlier …