Protect the Team
Laws and Statutes
Florida Statutes 768.1355: Florida Volunteer Protection Act
Florida Statutes 768.13: Good Samaritan Act; Immunity from civil liability
Federal
42 U.S.C. Title 42 Chapter 139: Volunteer Protection
"The purpose of this chapter is to promote the interests of social service program beneficiaries and taxpayers and to sustain the availability of programs, nonprofit organizations, and governmental entities that depend on volunteer contributions by reforming the laws to provide certain protections from liability abuses related to volunteers serving nonprofit organizations and governmental entities".
"Except as provided in subsections (b) and (d) of this section, no volunteer of a nonprofit organization or governmental entity shall be liable for harm caused by an act or omission of the volunteer on behalf of the organization or entity if-
- (1) the volunteer was acting within the scope of the volunteer's responsibilities in the nonprofit organization or governmental entity at the time of the act or omission;
- (2) if appropriate or required, the volunteer was properly licensed, certified, or authorized by the appropriate authorities for the activities or practice in the State in which the harm occurred, where the activities were or practice was undertaken within the scope of the volunteer's responsibilities in the nonprofit organization or governmental entity;
- (3) the harm was not caused by willful or criminal misconduct, gross negligence, reckless misconduct, or a conscious, flagrant indifference to the rights or safety of the individual harmed by the volunteer; and
- (4) the harm was not caused by the volunteer operating a motor vehicle, vessel, aircraft, or other vehicle for which the State requires the operator or the owner of the vehicle, craft, or vessel to-
- (A) possess an operator's license; or
(B) maintain insurance.
Florida
Florida Statutes 768.1355: Florida Volunteer Protection Act
A n y p e r s o n w h o v o l u n t e e r s t o p e r f o r m a n y s e r v i c e f o r a n y n o n p r o f i t o r g a n i z a t i o n , i n c l u d i n g a n o f f i c e r o r d i r e c t o r o f s u c h o r g a n i z a t i o n , w i t h o u t c o m p e n s a t i o n f r o m t h e n o n p r o f i t o r g a n i z a t i o n , r e g a r d l e s s o f w h e t h e r t h e p e r s o n i s r e c e i v i n g c o m p e n s a t i o n f r o m a n o t h e r s o u r c e , e x c e p t r e i m b u r s e m e n t f o r a c t u a l e x p e n s e s , s h a l l b e c o n s i d e r e d a n a g e n t o f s u c h n o n p r o f i t o r g a n i z a t i o n w h e n a c t i n g w i t h i n t h e s c o p e o f a n y o f f i c i a l d u t i e s p e r f o r m e d u n d e r s u c h v o l u n t e e r s e r v i c e s . S u c h p e r s o n , a n d t h e s o u r c e o f a n y s u c h c o m p e n s a t i o n , i f t h e v o l u n t e e r i s n o t a c t i n g a s a n a g e n t o f t h e s o u r c e , s h a l l i n c u r n o c i v i l l i a b i l i t y f o r a n y a c t o r o m i s s i o n b y s u c h p e r s o n w h i c h r e s u l t s i n p e r s o n a l i n j u r y o r p r o p e r t y d a m a g e i f :
- ( a ) S u c h p e r s o n w a s a c t i n g i n g o o d f a i t h w i t h i n t h e s c o p e o f a n y o f f i c i a l d u t i e s p e r f o r m e d u n d e r s u c h v o l u n t e e r s e r v i c e a n d s u c h p e r s o n w a s a c t i n g a s a n o r d i n a r y r e a s o n a b l y p r u d e n t p e r s o n w o u l d h a v e a c t e d u n d e r t h e s a m e o r s i m i l a r c i r c u m s t a n c e s ; a n d
( b ) T h e i n j u r y o r d a m a g e w a s n o t c a u s e d b y a n y w a n t o n o r w i l l f u l m i s c o n d u c t o n t h e p a r t o f s u c h p e r s o n i n t h e p e r f o r m a n c e o f s u c h d u t i e s .
( 2 ) ( a ) A n y p e r s o n . . . w h o g r a t u i t o u s l y a n d i n g o o d f a i t h r e n d e r s e m e r g e n c y c a r e o r t r e a t m e n t e i t h e r i n d i r e c t r e s p o n s e t o e m e r g e n c y s i t u a t i o n s r e l a t e d t o a n d a r i s i n g o u t o f a p u b l i c h e a l t h e m e r g e n c y d e c l a r e d p u r s u a n t t o s . 3 8 1 . 0 0 3 1 5 , a s t a t e o f e m e r g e n c y w h i c h h a s b e e n d e c l a r e d p u r s u a n t t o s . 2 5 2 . 3 6 [Governor's declaration of emergency] o r a t t h e s c e n e o f a n e m e r g e n c y o u t s i d e o f a h o s p i t a l , d o c t o r 's o f f i c e , o r o t h e r p l a c e h a v i n g p r o p e r m e d i c a l e q u i p m e n t , w i t h o u t o b j e c t i o n o f t h e i n j u r e d v i c t i m o r v i c t i m s t h e r e o f , s h a l l n o t b e h e l d l i a b l e f o r a n y c i v i l d a m a g e s a s a r e s u l t o f s u c h c a r e o r t r e a t m e n t o r a s a r e s u l t o f a n y a c t o r f a i l u r e t o a c t i n p r o v i d i n g o r a r r a n g i n g f u r t h e r m e d i c a l t r e a t m e n t w h e r e t h e p e r s o n a c t s a s a n o r d i n a r y r e a s o n a b l y p r u d e n t p e r s o n w o u l d h a v e a c t e d u n d e r t h e s a m e o r s i m i l a r c i r c u m s t a n c e s .
( d ) A n y p e r s o n w h o s e a c t s o r o m i s s i o n s a r e n o t o t h e r w i s e c o v e r e d b y t h i s s e c t i o n a n d w h o p a r t i c i p a t e s i n e m e r g e n c y r e s p o n s e a c t i v i t i e s u n d e r t h e d i r e c t i o n o f o r i n c o n n e c t i o n w i t h a c o m m u n i t y e m e r g e n c y r e s p o n s e t e a m , l o c a l e m e r g e n c y m a n a g e m e n t a g e n c i e s , t h e D i v i s i o n o f E m e r g e n c y M a n a g e m e n t , o r t h e F e d e r a l E m e r g e n c y M a n a g e m e n t A g e n c y i s n o t l i a b l e f o r a n y c i v i l d a m a g e s a s a r e s u l t o f c a r e , t r e a t m e n t , o r s e r v i c e s p r o v i d e d g r a t u i t o u s l y i n s u c h c a p a c i t y a n d r e s u l t i n g f r o m a n y a c t o r f a i l u r e t o a c t i n s u c h c a p a c i t y i n p r o v i d i n g o r a r r a n g i n g f u r t h e r c a r e , t r e a t m e n t , o r s e r v i c e s , i f s u c h p e r s o n a c t s a s a r e a s o n a b l y p r u d e n t p e r s o n w o u l d h a v e a c t e d u n d e r t h e s a m e o r s i m i l a r c i r c u m s t a n c e s .
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