Florida Justices Tackle Test for Lying Plaintiffs’ ‘Death Knell’

The Florida Supreme Court voiced approval for trial courts’ power to dismiss cases of lying plaintiffs, but a chaotic Wednesday argument demonstrated the justices weren’t in agreement about the right test.

The case focused on whether plaintiff Jonida Goga’s slip-and-fall complaint can be dismissed against supermarket giant Publix because the plaintiff lied about injury recovery after her fall in a Florida store. At deposition, and again in a hearing before the trial court, Goga doubled-down on false statements about her recovery, leading the judge to toss her case.

But the justices pressed attorneys for the grocer and Goga about whether ...