Leapfrog’s bid to undo safety grade ruling rejected, $10.5M fee fight deferred

Becker’s Hospital Review – Wednesday, June 17, 2026
By Paige Twenter

A federal judge has denied The Leapfrog Group’s attempt to reverse a ruling that found its hospital safety grades violated Florida consumer protection law, and separately put a $10.5 million fee dispute on hold, pending appeal.

On June 17, U.S. District Judge Donald Middlebrooks rejected Leapfrog’s motion to reconsider his March 6 ruling, which found the organization violated Florida’s Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act by penalizing hospitals that declined to participate in its voluntary survey with artificially low safety grades.

Leapfrog had pressed three First Amendment arguments in its reconsideration bid: that its safety grades constitute protected opinion, that the injunction required a finding of actual malice, and that the court order amounts to an unconstitutional prior restraint. Mr. Middlebrooks rejected all three.

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