The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has agreed to review the Superior Court’s practice of evaluating damages in a piecemeal fashion. The decision to take up the case comes after an Allegheny County jury awarded $500,000 for medical expenses to a man whose feet were partially amputated after he was accidentally electrocuted, but gave him nothing for his pain and suffering.

The justices on Wednesday issued a one-page per curiam order in Mader v. Duquesne Light. According to the order, the court specifically agreed to consider whether it is “within the trial court’s discretion to grant a new trial on all damages when the jury’s verdict as to a significant portion of the damages verdict is so irrational that it shocks one’s sense of justice,” and whether the Superior Court panel that previously heard the case “misapplied the abuse of discretion standard and created new law by requiring a piecemeal evaluation of a clearly improper damages verdict.”

This content has been archived. It is available through our partners, LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law.

To view this content, please continue to their sites.

Not a Lexis Subscriber?
Subscribe Now

Not a Bloomberg Law Subscriber?
Subscribe Now

Why am I seeing this?

LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law are third party online distributors of the broad collection of current and archived versions of ALM's legal news publications. LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law customers are able to access and use ALM's content, including content from the National Law Journal, The American Lawyer, Legaltech News, The New York Law Journal, and Corporate Counsel, as well as other sources of legal information.

For questions call 1-877-256-2472 or contact us at [email protected]