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Medical MalpracticeTheodore (Ted) Babbitt
Shareholder
THEODORE (TED) BABBITT is a former managing partner at Babbitt & Johnson, P.A. who for the past five decades has represented individuals in personal injury, wrongful death, and commercial cases. In 1970, he obtained the first verdict in Palm Beach County for a plaintiff in a medical malpractice case; in 1975, he obtained the first jury verdict in Palm Beach County in excess of one million dollars.
When Mr. Babbitt was 17 years old he joined the U.S. Marine Corps and still managed to be sworn in as an attorney at age 23. He earned a B.A. with honors from the University of Florida in 1963 and received his J.D. from the University of Florida Levin College of Law in 1965. In the ensuing years, he has written more than 100 articles that have appeared in national and local publications. He was selected by his peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America© 2021, in which he has been listed since 1987.
Since 1975, Mr. Babbitt has been a member of the Inner Circle of Advocates, an invitation-only membership limited to 100 of the top plaintiff lawyers in the United States. He is a fellow of the International Academy of Trial Lawyers and The American College of Trial Lawyers and has been selected as a Florida Super Lawyer since 2006. He is a former president of the Palm Beach County Bar Association, where he has also held several other leadership positions over the years.
Mr. Babbitt is a commercial pilot and flight instructor who has logged more than 4,500 hours since 1969. He is rated for single- and multi-engines as well as gliders and holds certification from Flight Safety International. He has volunteered as an Angel Flight pilot to help sick people get needed treatment.
Publications & Presentations
- Certification Examination Question for Civil Trial Lawyers, Topic: “Negligence”, 1984.
- Form Interrogatories for Automobile Negligence cases in conjunction with membership on Abuse of Discovery Subcommittee.
- You CAN Take it With You – the Videotaped Will, by Theodore Babbitt, Philandrea Press, 10/84.
- “Staying Out of Malpractice Suits”, for the South Florida Medical Review. 9/85.
- Certification Examination Question for Civil Trial Lawyers, Topic: “Medical Malpractice”, 1986.
- “Hospital Records – Introducing Them as Evidence, Using them at Trial”, for TRIAL, The Monthly Magazine of The Association of Trial Lawyers of America, March 1988.
- Refuting ERISA Preemption of State Law Claims in HMO Cases, for Trial Magazine, 5/98.
- Author of 141 articles on legal subjects including: Author of a monthly column in the Palm Beach County Bar Bulletin
- Commenting on recent cases and published continuously since October of 1978.
Speaking Engagements
- “Trial Psychology” to the Trial Lawyers Section of the Florida Bar. Tampa, FL., 10/78 and 10/80.
- “The New Wrongful Death Act”, to the Florida Bar CLE program in West Palm Beach, Miami and Pensacola, FL 1982.
- Lecturer and trial team member for the National Institute of Trial Advocacy. Chapel Hill, N.C., 1977 – 1979.
- “Anatomy of a Medical Malpractice Case”, to the Academy of Florida Trial Lawyers. Vail, CO., 12/79.
- “Law and Medicine”, to the Academy of Florida Trial Lawyers in Seminar entitled New Development & Creative Techniques in Personal Injury Litigation. Vail, CO, 12/83
- “Legal Liability of EMT’s and Paramedics”, to the Palm Beach County EMT’s and Paramedics, West Palm Beach, FL, 1984.
- “Law Office Management” to the Academy of Florida Trial Lawyers in seminar entitled Effective Organization of Your Trial and Trial Preparation. Crested Butte, CO., 3/84.
- “The Tort System, Trial by Jury”, for the Palm Beach Kiwanis Club, 7/84
- “Requests for Admissions and Physical and Mental Examinations of Persons”, in conjunction with a Hampton Seminars, Inc. program entitled Documentary and Other Non-Depositional Discovery – Plowing the Paper Trail. Miami and Tampa, FL, 10/85.
- “Dealing with Damages in Personal Injury Litigation: Wrongful Death” for the Personal Injury Continuing Legal Education Committee of the Palm Beach County Bar Association. West Palm Beach, FL 2/86.
- “Personal Injury Seminar” for the Personal Injury/Wrongful Death Continuing Legal Education Committee of the Palm Beach County
Bar Association. West Palm Beach, FL 2/17/87. - “Use of Medical Records in Proving Damages” for the Association of Trial Lawyers of America. Dallas, TX 10/23/87.
- “Opening Statement” for 7th Annual Divorce Law Update and 1989 Civil Litigation Conference by the Law Education Institute, Inc. Vail, CO 1/7/89.
- “Pretrial and Courtroom Use of Records” for the AFTL 1989 Annual Workhorse Seminar. Tampa, FL 2/2/89.
- “Doctors Operating Out of Their Specialty in the Area of Cosmetic Surgery” for the Association of Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery. West Palm Beach, FL 4/12/90.
- “Medical Malpractice Update” for The Palm Beach County Bar Association’s 8th Annual Personal Injury & Wrongful Death Seminar. West Palm Beach, FL 3/28/91.
- “Medical Malpractice” for The New Mexico Trial Lawyers Foundation Convention, The Ultimate Seminar, Santa Fe, New Mexico 6/21-22/91.
- “Closing Deals: Tips from the Veterans” for the AFTL Settlement, Demand Packages & Technology Seminar in Miami, FL 9/19/96.
- “Deposing the Adverse Oncologist in a Failure to Diagnose Breast Cancer Case” for the ATLA 1997 Winter Convention, Boca Raton, FL 1/20/97.
- “Spoliation Overcoming the Defense Objections of Risk Management Peer Review and Attorney/Client” for the Inner Circle Convention, Williamsburg, VA 10/12-17, 1997.
- “Pathology Malpractice – Seeing Cancers that Aren’t There or Missing Cancers That are There” for the Inner Circle Convention, Williamsburg, VA 10/12-17/97.
- “Cross-Examining Medical Experts” for the Palm Beach County Bar Associations 15th Annual Personal Injury and Wrongful Death Seminar, West Palm Beach, FL 3/5/98.
- “Effectively Deposing the Defense Expert in the Medical Malpractice Case” for The Academy of Florida Trial Lawyers, Orlando, FL 6/25/98.
- “Error in Medicine” for the Palm Beach County Society of Plastic & Reconstructive Surgeons, Manalapan, FL 11/9/99.
- “Medical Malpractice Case Law Update” for the Academy of Florida Trial Lawyers, Tampa, FL, 5/22/00.
- “Winning Your Case at Trial – How to Get the Job Done” for the Academy of Florida Trial Lawyers, Tampa, FL, 2/21/02.
- “Medical Malpractice: Current Threats to Winning a Medical Malpractice Case” for the Academy of Florida Trial Lawyers, Orlando, FL, 3/21/02 and Ft. Lauderdale, FL, 3/22/02.
- “Cross Examination of Defendant’s Expert” for the Palm Beach County Bar Association, West Palm Beach, FL, 4/5/02.
- “Jury Selection: Varied Perspectives” for the Palm Beach County Trial Lawyers Association, West Palm Beach, 4/24/03.
- “Technology for Trial Lawyers” for the Palm Beach County Trial Lawyers Association, Palm Beach, 5/9/03.
Awards
- Ted Babbitt was selected by his peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America© 2021 for the following categories:
- Medical Malpractice Law – Plaintiffs
- Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs
- Product Liability Litigation – Plaintiffs
- Selected to Florida Super Lawyers list, 2006 – Present
- The Best Lawyers in America©, 1987 – Present
- Florida Trend’s Florida Legal Elite™, 2016
- Governor’s Task Force on Medical Malpractice
- Trial Lawyer of the Year, 2010 – Present
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