JCC Backs Firefighter in Heart/Lung Case

Attorneys for police and firefighters in Lakeland, Fla., are gearing up for at least five trials in June aimed at winning compensation under the state's controversial "heart/lung" law, which has triggered statewide debate. Geoffrey Bichler, a Winter Park, Fla., attorney representing Lakeland Fire Department Battalion Chief James Hills, said the recent spate of challenges is framed around an allegation that cities throughout Florida are evading the 40-year-old law by routinely denying claims without investigating them. Bichler and other attorneys say cities routinely paid benefits under F...