HB 53

1
A bill to be entitled
2An act for the relief of Ashraf Kamel and Marguerite
3Dimitri by the Palm Beach County School Board; providing
4for an appropriation to compensate Ashraf Kamel and
5Marguerite Dimitri for the wrongful death of their minor
6child, Jean A. Pierre Kamel, as a result of the negligence
7of the Palm Beach County School Board; providing a
8limitation on the payment of fees and costs; providing an
9effective date.
10
11     WHEREAS, Jean A. Pierre Kamel, age 13, was killed on
12January 27, 1997, when he was shot by 14-year-old Tronneal
13Mangum in front of Conniston Middle School, a Palm Beach County
14public school, and
15     WHEREAS, Jean A. Pierre Kamel's surviving father, Ashraf
16Kamel, brought a wrongful-death action against the Palm Beach
17County School Board seeking damages for Marguerite Dimitri,
18Jean's mother, and himself for their anguish and mental pain and
19suffering due to the tragic death of their minor son, and
20     WHEREAS, before the shooting occurred, Tronneal Mangum and
21Jean Kamel, both of whom were students at Conniston, had a prior
22confrontation, namely Mangum's kicking Jean Kamel in his
23prosthetic leg, and
24     WHEREAS, Jean Kamel and Tronneal Mangum met with a guidance
25counselor and told the counselor that Mangum had a watch that
26belonged to Jean Kamel, and
27     WHEREAS, Jean Kamel told an agent or employee of the school
28board that "Tronneal is out to get me" just days before he was
29shot and killed, and
30     WHEREAS, on the day of the shooting, Tronneal Mangum
31traveled to Conniston Middle School on the school bus with a
32loaded firearm and entered school property carrying the weapon,
33and
34     WHEREAS, the Palm Beach County School Board was on notice
35that students had brought firearms to Conniston Middle School on
36previous occasions, and
37     WHEREAS, on February 8, 2002, a Palm Beach County jury
38found that the Palm Beach County School Board was negligent and
3980 percent liable for the death of Jean Kamel, and that Jean
40Kamel was 20 percent comparatively negligent for his own death,
41and
42     WHEREAS, the same jury determined that the amount of
43damages of Ashraf Kamel and Marguerite Dimitri for their anguish
44and mental pain and suffering as a result of the negligence of
45the Palm Beach County School Board was $2 million, and
46     WHEREAS, on February 22, 2002, the circuit court reduced
47the jury verdict to final judgment in the sum of $1,602,400,
48based on the offset for 20 percent comparative negligence, and
49     WHEREAS, on May 14, 2002, the circuit court entered a cost
50judgment in favor of Ashraf Kamel in the amount of $13,490, and
51     WHEREAS, the Palm Beach County School Board appealed the
52final judgment, and the Fourth District Court of Appeal rejected
53the appeal in a per curiam affirmed opinion issued on February
5412, 2003, and
55     WHEREAS, on February 27, 2003, the Palm Beach County School
56Board filed a Motion for Rehearing and Certification of Issues
57of Great Public Importance, which was denied by the Fourth
58District Court of Appeal on March 20, 2003, and
59     WHEREAS, on April 17, 2003, the Palm Beach County School
60Board tendered to Ashraf Kamel, as personal representative of
61the Estate of Jean A. Pierre Kamel, a payment of $200,000, in
62accordance with the statutory limits of liability set forth in
63s. 768.28, Florida Statutes, and
64     WHEREAS, Ashraf Kamel and Marguerite Dimitri and the Palm
65Beach County School Board agreed to settle the claim for a total
66of $560,000, and
67     WHEREAS, Ashraf Kamel, as personal representative of the
68Estate of Jean A. Pierre Kamel, seeks satisfaction of the
69$360,000 balance of the settlement agreement, NOW, THEREFORE,
70
71Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
72
73     Section 1.  The facts stated in the preamble to this act
74are found and declared to be true.
75     Section 2.  The Palm Beach County School Board is
76authorized and directed to appropriate from funds of the school
77board not otherwise encumbered and to draw a warrant payable to
78Ashraf Kamel, as personal representative of the Estate of Jean
79A. Pierre Kamel, for the total amount of $180,000, to compensate
80Ashraf Kamel for injuries and damages sustained due to the death
81of Jean A. Pierre Kamel, minor son of Ashraf Kamel and
82Marguerite Dimitri, as a result of the negligence of the school
83board.
84     Section 3.  The Palm Beach County School Board is
85authorized and directed to appropriate from funds of the school
86board not otherwise encumbered and to draw a warrant payable to
87Marguerite Dimitri for the amount of $180,000, to compensate
88Marguerite Dimitri for injuries and damages sustained due to the
89death of Jean A. Pierre Kamel, minor son of Ashraf Kamel and
90Marguerite Dimitri, as a result of the negligence of the school
91board.
92     Section 4.  The amount paid by the Palm Beach County School
93Board pursuant to s. 768.28, Florida Statutes, and the amounts
94awarded under this act are intended to provide the sole
95compensation for all present and future claims arising out of
96the factual situation described in this act which resulted in
97the death of Jean A. Pierre Kamel. The total amount paid for
98attorney's fees, lobbying fees, costs, and other similar
99expenses relating to this claim may not exceed 25 percent of the
100total amounts awarded under this act.
101     Section 5.  This act shall take effect upon becoming a law.


CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.