Claimants' Attorney Fees Nearly Tripled in Year After Castellanos

The amount of hourly fees awarded to claimants’ attorneys nearly tripled in fiscal year 2017 over the prior year, but stakeholders warned Monday that the increase most likely is related to the hoarding of fee petitions until after the Florida Supreme Court released its decision in the Castellanos case. According to unreleased data that will be published later this year in the annual report by the Office of Judges of Compensation Claims (OJCC), claimants’ attorneys’ hourly fees went from a statewide total of $25.9 million in fiscal 2016 to $75.4 million last ye...