In the News: Damages for Loss of a Pet

This week in the New York Law Journal Judge John H. Wilson authored an interesting op-ed on the issue of damages for the loss of a companion animal.  The article discusses the state of current case law in New York  as well as a new theory of recovery for damages under the Nassau County District Court case of Mercurio v. Weber, 2003 WL 21497325 (Dist Ct, Nassau Cty, 2003).  For more information see John, H. Wilson, Every Dog Will Have Its Day: Damages for Loss of a Pet, N.Y. L.J. July 9, 2012.

Related Resources

 

Animal Legal & Historical Center hosted by the Michigan State University College of Law is a comprehensive repository of cases, statutes, and articles dealing with animal law.  On of the Topics covered in this repository is "Damages in Pet Companion Animal Cases" see Overview and Cases and Research.

Animal Law Section, National Association for Biomedical Research (NABR), http://www.nabranimallaw.org/Content.aspx?id=428 (last visited July 13, 2012) (industry site with links to state case law authorizing and denying non-economic damages)

William A. Reppy Jr., Punitive Damage Awards in Pet-Death Cases, 1 J. Animal L. & Ethics 19 (2006).

Mark Sadler, Can the Injured Pet Owner Look to Liability Insurance for Satisfaction of a Judgment? The Coverage Implications of Damages for the Injury or Death of a Companion Animal, 11 Animal L. 283 (2005).