PERSONAL INJURY: Connecticut Supreme Court affirms $41.75 million verdict arising out of significant injuries to student

The minor plaintiff was a student in a private boarding school in Connecticut.  On a certified question from the Second Circuit Court of Appeals, the Connecticut Supreme Court holds that Connecticut public policy supports the imposition of a duty on such schools to exercise reasonable care to protect students in their charge from foreseeable dangers, including, in this case, tick-borne encephalitis that the plaintiff contracted while on an educational trip to China.  The Supreme Court also holds that the jury’s award, while generous, did not warrant a remittitur.

The jury awarded $10.25 million in economic damages and $31.5 million in noneconomic damages.  The court noted that the plaintiff suffered significant emotional and physical injuries that had been portrayed as a miserable life.  There was no evidence that the jury’s award was based upon any impermissible factor.

Munn v. The Hotchkiss School, SC 19525 (8/11/17)