TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — A Judge in Tallahassee has dismissed a lawsuit that sought to force the state to pay unemployment benefits to the thousands of Floridians who are still waiting for claims to be processed or believe they were inappropriately denied.
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After hearing arguments from both sides, the Judge Angela Dempsey said she did not have authority to revise state law to allow the state to pay the claims and then chase down anyone who made a fraudulent or inaccurate unemployment claim.
She also said the plaintiffs could appeal if they wanted to.
Gov. Ron DeSantis has ordered an investigation into how the state ended up with a faulty unemployment website that he has previously described as a clunker.
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It has been weeks since they filed their unemployment claims and they're waiting to receive money. At this point they are fed up, and this case could have some pretty high stakes.
From March 15 through May 3, the state reported receiving more than a million unemployment claims. But, only about 478,000 people have actually received any money.
State officials said the applications are bogged down by the faulty system. DeSantis ordered the investigation this week into how the system was built and why it is such a failure.
Despite upgrades, many people still say they are having trouble filing claims.
Also getting in on the action is attorney John Morgan. Morgan tweeted a video offering DeSantis his services to go after whoever sold the flawed unemployment computer system to the state.
"Here’s my offer: Gov. DeSantis, turn me and my business trial group lose and we will recover that money for the state of Florida," Morgan said in the video, addressing the governor. "You know what I'll charge you to do this? Zero, nothing, I'll put every single penny back in your pocket and the pocket of the unemployment."
Right now our unemployment system in Florida is broken!!
— John Morgan (@JohnMorganESQ) May 6, 2020
Here’s an offer to the state of Florida and @GovRonDeSantis that cannot be refused! pic.twitter.com/uUPvLqX2zk
DeSantis has not publicly responded to Morgan.
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