Award-Winning Personal Injury Law Firm in Fort Lauderdale
550 S Andrews Ave
STE 630
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301
Phone Number: (954) 467-6400
ALL FIELDS REQUIRED
Written and edited by our team of expert legal content writers and reviewed and approved by Daniel Harwin
- Content last updated on:
- September 17, 2026
Freedland Harwin Valori Gander is proud to serve Fort Lauderdale with trusted, trial-ready representation for victims of medical malpractice, catastrophic injury, and wrongful death. If a doctor, hospital, or healthcare provider caused you or someone you love serious harm, FHV Legal is here to help you hold them accountable.
As the seat of Broward County and one of South Florida’s largest cities, Fort Lauderdale is home to major hospital systems, a busy court docket, and a population that depends on both working well. When a medical error slips through the cracks of that system, the people affected need a firm with the resources and courtroom reputation to push back. That’s the role FHV Legal plays for Fort Lauderdale families.
If you have been harmed by a medical provider’s carelessness in the Fort Lauderdale area, call us immediately at (954) 467-6400 for a free case evaluation.
Table of Contents
What You Need to Know About Medical Malpractice in Fort Lauderdale
Medical malpractice occurs when a healthcare provider fails to meet the accepted standard of care and that failure causes real, lasting harm. It’s often not a single dramatic error but a chain of smaller failures: a symptom minimized, a consult delayed, a handoff between departments where something important got lost. FHV Legal represents families across the full range of these cases, including:
- Surgical errors: wrong-site surgery, retained instruments, or avoidable complications during a procedure.
- Misdiagnosis or delayed diagnosis: cancer, stroke, or sepsis identified too late to treat effectively.
- Birth injuries: cerebral palsy, oxygen deprivation (HIE), and other harm sustained during labor and delivery.
- Anesthesia errors: dosage mistakes or inadequate monitoring during sedation.
- Hospital negligence: understaffing, poor communication, and breakdowns in coordinated care.
- Failure to monitor or post-op complications: missed warning signs after surgery or during recovery.
- Fatal medical errors and wrongful death: when negligence takes a loved one from their family.
Medical errors cause unimaginable harm. Let FHV Legal help you pursue justice.
Common Challenges People Face With Medical Malpractice Claims in Broward County
Florida law imposes strict procedural requirements on injured patients before a medical malpractice case can even be filed. Understanding these steps early, ideally with an attorney guiding you, often determines whether a claim moves forward at all.
- Pre-suit investigation: state law requires a good-faith investigation and a corroborating affidavit from a qualified medical expert before filing.
- Strict filing deadlines: claims are generally subject to a two-year statute of limitations and a four-year statute of repose, with limited exceptions.
- Proving the standard of care: you must show a similarly trained provider would have acted differently, not simply that the outcome was poor.
- Well-funded defense teams: hospitals and insurers assign experienced defense counsel and risk-management staff as soon as an incident is reported.
Medical malpractice claims involving Fort Lauderdale providers are typically filed and litigated at the Broward County Courthouse, where FHV Legal’s attorneys appear regularly.
How to Know When You Should Contact a Lawyer for a Medical Error
Many families aren’t sure whether what happened to them qualifies as malpractice, or whether it’s worth pursuing. A short, honest conversation with an experienced attorney is usually the fastest way to find out. Consider reaching out if:
- Your condition, or a loved one’s, worsened significantly after a procedure or hospital stay.
- You were told a complication was unavoidable, but something about it still doesn’t sit right.
- A diagnosis was missed, delayed, or dismissed despite clear symptoms.
- A hospital or provider became vague, defensive, or unwilling to answer direct questions.
- A loved one died unexpectedly during or shortly after medical treatment.
You don’t need complete medical records or a legal background before you call. That’s exactly what our investigation process is for.
Your story matters, and we’re ready to fight for it in court. Call FHV Legal in Fort Lauderdale today.
Why Fort Lauderdale Families Trust FHV Legal
Fort Lauderdale residents are often treated at Broward Health Medical Center or Holy Cross Hospital, two of the city’s major acute-care campuses, and many are also referred to Cleveland Clinic Weston or Memorial Hospital West in Pembroke Pines for specialized or catastrophic care. FHV Legal’s attorneys understand the standards of care at each of these institutions and how their legal teams respond when a serious error is alleged.
Our clients travel in from Victoria Park, Rio Vista, and Coral Ridge along Las Olas Boulevard, US-1, and I-95, and their cases are routinely heard at the Broward County Courthouse downtown. That local familiarity, with the hospitals, the roads, and the courthouse, is central to how FHV Legal builds a winning case for Fort Lauderdale families.
Beyond Medical Malpractice: Catastrophic Injury, Wrongful Death & More
Medical negligence is our core focus, but FHV Legal also represents Fort Lauderdale clients in a range of related, high-stakes injury matters, including:
- Catastrophic injury and permanent disability claims
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Spinal cord injuries and paralysis
- Wrongful death
- Defective and dangerous product liability
- Nursing home abuse and neglect
- Class actions and mass tort litigation
- Select vehicle or premises injury claims involving high-stakes or complex facts
Settlement vs. Trial: What Fort Lauderdale Clients Should Understand
The large majority of medical malpractice cases settle before trial, but the size of that settlement depends almost entirely on whether the hospital’s legal team believes you’re truly prepared to go to court. A firm known for settling quickly tends to receive lowball offers. FHV Legal builds every Fort Lauderdale case as if it will be tried before a jury, using respected medical experts and thorough investigation, which is exactly what gives us leverage at the negotiating table, and exactly why we’re ready to try the case when a fair offer never comes.
The Legal Process: What to Expect When You Work With FHV Legal
- Free, confidential consultation: we listen to what happened and explain your options honestly, with no cost and no pressure.
- Investigation and medical record review: we gather records, timelines, and testimony to pinpoint exactly where care broke down.
- Independent medical expert review: board-certified physicians evaluate the case and provide the affidavit Florida law requires.
- Negotiation: we engage hospitals, providers, and their insurers from a position of preparation, not desperation.
- Trial-ready litigation: if a fair resolution isn’t offered, we’re prepared to take your case before a Broward County jury.
We’ve taken on Florida’s largest hospitals. Let us fight for you. Call FHV Legal today.
Our Fort Lauderdale Office Location
Our Fort Lauderdale medical malpractice lawyers are located at 550 South Andrews Avenue, Suite 630.
The 550 building is located in the SOLO District of Downton Fort Lauderdale between SE 5th Street and SE 6th Street.
It is adjacent to the Broward County Courthouse.
Parking is available at 613 SE 1st Avenue, in the County I Lot, at 625 SE 1st Avenue, and in Courthouse Lot 1.
FHVG serves all of the Fort Lauderdale area, including the following neighborhoods:
Meet Our Team
Medical Malpractice Verdicts and Settlements
Our medical malpractice attorneys have won more than $2.6 billion for our clients, and below are just a few examples of the hundreds of notable case results we have achieved in local Broward County, Florida cases:
- $24.5 million wrongful death verdict for the family of a woman who died during childbirth due to medical malpractice
- $20 million wrongful death verdict against a doctor for failure to monitor a patient who died from a narcotics overdose.
- $15.2 million arbitration award for a woman who suffered a stroke during childbirth
- $10 million settlement on behalf of a woman who suffered a brain injury due to medical malpractice
- $9 million medical malpractice settlement on behalf of a family after a young woman was discharged from the hospital with signs and symptoms of a subarachnoid hemorrhage and subsequently died
- $6.5 million medical malpractice settlement for the family of a husband and father who died of cardiopulmonary arrest as a result of overprescribed medication
- $5.3 million settlement for an elderly gentleman whose spinal cord injury became permanent as a result of emergency room malpractice
- $2.7 million medical malpractice settlement for a delayed diagnosis of cancer after doctors failed to interpret pathology results after a nasal surgery
- $1.25 million settlement for failure to timely diagnose and treat a post-operative infection after a total knee arthroplasty
Types of Medical Malpractice Claims We Handle
Freedland Harwin Valori Gander excels in several practice areas, specializing in medical malpractice and negligence. As a personal injury law firm in Fort Lauderdale, we help clients hold negligent doctors and hospitals accountable.
Medical malpractice: Medical malpractice, or negligence, occurs when a medical provider fails to provide the medical care a competent professional with the same experience and knowledge would have provided. If you or a loved one has suffered harm from a doctor’s incompetence, recklessness, or poor decision-making, our nationally recognized Fort Lauderdale medical malpractice attorneys can hold them accountable.
We have handled numerous types of medical malpractice claims, including radiology errors, medication errors, surgical errors, medical errors, misdiagnoses and failure to diagnose, plastic surgery mistakes, and wrongful deaths.
Dangerous drugs and medical devices: Drugs and medical devices are supposed to manage and improve our health. Examples of such devices and drugs include talcum powder, Essure, Uloric, Invokana, and IVC filters. Unfortunately, manufacturers can fail to thoroughly test these drugs and devices, failing to make them as safe as possible. Our legal team can help file a personal injury claim if you or a loved one developed an injury or illness or died due to dangerous drugs and medical devices.
Birth injuries: Birth injuries are harm that happens to infants before, during, or immediately after delivery. Severe birth injuries can lead to cognitive challenges and cerebral palsy. If a medical provider’s negligence causes your child’s birth injuries, we can help you file a birth injury lawsuit against the responsible parties.
Fort Lauderdale Medical Malpractice FAQs
What Is the Time Limit for Filing a Medical Malpractice Lawsuit in Broward County?
The time limit for filing a medical malpractice lawsuit in Broward County, Florida, is two years from the date the medical error took place.
In some cases, the medical error does not become apparent until it causes symptoms months or years after the incident. Florida has implemented the discovery rule for cases like this, which means the two years begins on the date you discovered the injury or reasonably should have discovered it.
However, there is a hard deadline of four years after the negligence took place, regardless of when you discovered the injury. This is known as a statute of repose. There is an exception to the four-year deadline if the injury was undiscoverable because of fraud by the health care provider, in which case it increases to seven years after the negligence took place. However, you must still file your case within two years of discovery.
Although two years may seem like a long time, it is crucial to involve a reputable medical malpractice lawyer in Broward County as soon as possible after you are injured or discover your injury. Extensive investigative work and case preparation are required before your case can be filed, and if you miss the deadline, you forever lose the right to pursue damages for your injuries.
How long do I have to file a medical malpractice claim in Florida?
Generally two years from when the injury was discovered or reasonably should have been discovered, subject to a four-year statute of repose. Exceptions exist, so it’s important to speak with an attorney as soon as possible.
What does it cost to hire FHV Legal?
We handle medical malpractice and catastrophic injury cases on a contingency-fee basis, meaning you pay nothing upfront and no fee unless we recover compensation for you.
What compensation can I recover?
Depending on the facts of your case, damages may include past and future medical expenses, lost income and earning capacity, pain and suffering, and, in wrongful death cases, funeral costs and loss of companionship.
Do I need to prove the doctor intended to cause harm?
No. Medical malpractice does not require intent: only that the provider failed to meet the accepted standard of care and that failure caused your injury.
Hospitals have lawyers. Doctors have insurance teams. You deserve someone in your corner, too. Freedland Harwin Valori Gander (FHV Legal) has built a reputation across South Florida for standing up to major hospital systems and insurance companies on behalf of families who were failed by the very people they trusted with their care.
Contact Freedland Harwin Valori Gander now for a free, confidential consultation about your Fort Lauderdale medical malpractice or injury case.
Our Fort Lauderdale Client Testimonials
The Process of a Fort Lauderdale Medical Malpractice Claim
Freedland Harwin Valori Gander offers a client-centric approach to the legal process. After listening to your story, our Fort Lauderdale medical malpractice attorneys can provide personalized consultations and tailored legal strategies. We can also guide you through every step of the case.
- Determine your eligibility for filing a medical malpractice lawsuit: Before we do anything else, we will analyze your case to determine your eligibility. If you are not eligible to file a medical negligence lawsuit, we can match you with other sources of financial aid.
- Gather and preserve evidence: If you are eligible to file a medical malpractice lawsuit, we can assist in gathering and preserving evidence. Examples of evidence include doctor’s notes, hospital records, expert testimony from third-party medical providers, police reports, videos, photos, emails, and phone call recordings.
- Complete and file your paperwork on time: Our attorneys can use their knowledge and experience to complete and file your paperwork to meet the deadline imposed by Florida’s statute of limitations.
- Negotiate with the opposing side: After filing your paperwork, our legal professionals can negotiate with the opposing side to secure maximum compensation.
- Take your case to court: If the other side refuses to settle, we can represent you in court. We’ll use our courtroom skills to fight for your rights before the judge or jury.
Book a free consultation with one of our medical malpractice lawyers in Fort Lauderdale, FL, to learn how we can help you and your family.
Legal Terms To Know if Another Party Has Injured You
If another party has injured you and are interested in filing a claim, you should be familiar with the following legal terms:
- A claimant is a person, company, or institution making a claim, such as an insurance claim or a request for state benefits.
- A plaintiff is a person, company, or institution who starts a lawsuit by filing a complaint in court.
- A defendant is a person, company, or institution sued or accused by the plaintiff in a court of law.
- Duty of care is a legal or moral obligation to ensure others’ well-being or safety. Someone who violates their duty of care by acting recklessly or negligently is liable for any harm another party suffers due to their behavior.
- Damages are money awarded or claimed in compensation for an injury or loss.
- Compensation is typically money paid to an injured party to make them whole and restore them to their previous condition.
- Statutes are written laws passed by legislative bodies. One of the most important statutes in personal injury law is Florida’s statute of limitations, which imposes the deadline for filing personal injury claims. Personal injury and medical malpractice actions have a two-year statute of limitations, while product liability actions must be filed within four years of the accident date.
- Liability is the legal responsibility for harm. For example, a doctor is liable for a birth injury if evidence connects the doctor’s negligence with the birth injury.
- A contingency fee is an amount of money a lawyer receives as a fee only if they win the case.
How Liability Is Determined in a Fort Lauderdale Medical Malpractice Case
Liability in a medical malpractice case can fall on any licensed healthcare provider involved in your care, including the following:
- Doctors
- Nurses
- Hospitals
- Nursing homes
- Birthing centers
- Pathologists
- Radiologists
- Pharmacists
These parties may be held liable for medical malpractice when you can prove that all of the elements of negligence are present, which include the following:
- The medical provider owed you a duty of care. For instance, a doctor owed you a duty of care due to having a doctor-patient relationship with you.
- The provider breached the duty of care. To further the above example, a doctor breached their duty of care by failing to identify signs of fetal distress.
- The provider’s breach of duty significantly contributed to or caused the accident. The doctor’s breach of duty caused your baby to suffer oxygen deprivation, leading to cerebral palsy.
- You or another victim suffered some loss due to the breach of duty. Your child’s cerebral palsy affects their ability to move. As such, they require mobility aids such as wheelchairs and leg braces. They may also have fewer employment opportunities.
Health care providers breach the duty of care when the fail to provide a reasonable standard of care. The reasonable standard of care is the set of decisions that a prudent medical provider with similar qualifications would have provided given the information available at the time.
When you hire our skilled Fort Lauderdale medical malpractice lawyers, you can count on us to identify all of the liable parties through a thorough investigation of every action or lack of action taken by your health care providers. We will compare their conduct with the level of care that would have been considered reasonable and hold them accountable when for their failure to provide you the quality of care you deserved.
Fort Lauderdale Injury and Accident Resources Near Me
Check out these resources to learn more about Fort Lauderdale injuries and accidents.
- LawHelp.org can match you with free or low-cost legal aid providers in every state.
- Broward County Bar Association is a professional association of lawyers in the county, offering resources and services to the public.
- Miami-Dade Bar is the largest lawyer network in Miami-Dade County and provides legal information and resources to the community.
- Florida Rural Legal Services provides top civil legal services for seasonal and migrant farmworkers throughout Florida.
- Community Legal Services of Mid-Florida provides no-cost legal services in 10 counties in Central Florida.
- Coast to Coast Legal Aid of South Florida provides free civil legal services to eligible residents of Broward County.
Seeking Justice for Your Injuries? Contact Freedland Harwin Valori Gander
If another person’s negligence has harmed you or a loved one, contact the medical malpractice lawyers at Freedland Harwin Valori Gander in Fort Lauderdale, FL, for a free consultation. We have helped victims regain their lives after injuries for over two decades. Read our testimonials to see how we have helped our clients.
If you’re looking for an attorney for a malpractice suit, call (954) 467-6400 or fill in this online form to put our 20-plus years of experience to work for you.
