Case Name: Sanford DOLGIN, M.D., Appellant, v. Angela DOMBKOWSKI and Christopher Dombkowski, Appellees
Court: Florida District Court of Appeal
Jurisdiction: Florida
Decision Date: 2006-09-08
Citations: 942 So. 2d 1
Docket Number: Nos. 5D04-3584, 5D05-448
Parties: Sanford DOLGIN, M.D., Appellant, v. Angela DOMBKOWSKI and Christopher Dombkowski, Appellees.
Judges: GRIFFIN and MONACO, JJ., Concur.
Reporter: Southern Reporter, Second Series
Volume: 942
Pages: 1–2

Head Matter:
Sanford DOLGIN, M.D., Appellant, v. Angela DOMBKOWSKI and Christopher Dombkowski, Appellees.
Nos. 5D04-3584, 5D05-448.
District Court of Appeal of Florida, Fifth District.
Sept. 8, 2006.
Rehearing Denied Nov. 13, 2006.
Mark Hicks and Dinah S. Stein, Hicks Kneale, P.A., Miami, for Appellant.
Bonita K. Brown, D. Finn Pressly, Joseph K. Lopez and Martin W. Palmerof Fowler, White, Boggs, Banker, P.A., Tampa, for Appellees.

Opinion:
PER CURIAM.
Sanford Dolgin, M.D. raises four issues in this challenge of a $593,000 medical malpractice verdict in favor of Angela and Christopher Dombkowski. First, he contends that the trial court erred when it allowed without notice the introduction of expert testimony by treating physician Dr. Castellano; second, the trial court erred when it failed to award a setoff of $113,166.80, representing contractual discounts; third, the trial court erred when it reduced the disability setoff by Social Security tax contributions; and fourth, the trial court erred in the award of prejudgment interest from the date of the verdict. We reverse in part and affirm in part.
We affirm as unpreserved the issue concerning the introduction of Dr. Castellano's undisclosed expert. See Moyer v. Reynolds, 780 So.2d 205, 207-08 (Fla. 5th DCA 2001). We also affirm the trial court's ruling that denied a setoff for contractual discounts. The court conducted a hearing on Dolgin's post-trial motion for setoff and correctly concluded that Dolgin had failed to demonstrate that no subrogation lien could give rise to a claim against the Dombkowskis for past medical expenses. Because the burden of proof rested upon Dolgin to prove no subrogation lien, see Galante v. USAA Casualty Insurance Co., 695 So.2d 456, 457 (Fla. 4th DCA 1997), the supreme court's decision in Goble v. Frohman, 901 So.2d 830 (Fla.2005), is distinguishable.
We reverse, however, the trial court's reduction of the disability payments collateral sources setoff by $22,716, the amount Mrs. Dombkowski paid into Social Security over her lifetime. There is no authority for such a credit. The Dombkowskis cite no authority directly supporting this novel proposition, and the trial court erred in accepting their argument. The supreme court declared in Purdy v. Gulf Breeze Enterprises, Inc., 403 So.2d 1325, 1329 (Fla.1981), that the collateral sources statute refers to the costs incurred by claimants to secure actual policies from which they received benefits for whatever period of time the policy is in effect. Mrs. Domb-kowski cannot demonstrate that the amounts she paid into Social Security over her lifetime were paid to secure the disability benefits she actually received. These payments were not made to secure any particular insurance benefit, but an entire panoply of federal social programs.
Because the appellees properly concede error in the trial court's award of prejudgment interest from the date of the verdict to the date of the final judgment, we reverse on this issue. See Amerace Corp. v. Stallings, 823 So.2d 110 (Fla.2002).
Accordingly, we reverse the final judgment and remand for the trial court to amend the final judgment to reflect a set- off for disability payments without regard to amounts paid into Social Security and no award of prejudgment interest from the date of the verdict. We otherwise affirm.
AFFIRMED in part, REVERSED in part, and REMANDED with instructions.
GRIFFIN and MONACO, JJ., Concur.
THOMPSON, J., concurs in part, dissents in part, with opinion.