Opinion ID: 2558397
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Admissibility of Post-Death Transfers in Determining Compensatory Damages

Text: [¶ 39] The court's decision to admit evidence of damages is reviewed for abuse of discretion and clear error. See Bard v. Lord, 2010 ME 48, ¶ 8, 997 A.2d 101, 103; see also State v. Rickett, 2009 ME 22, ¶ 9, 967 A.2d 671, 674 (reviewing the trial court's denial of a motion in limine for an abuse of discretion and its legal conclusions de novo). [¶ 40] The court did not err as a matter of law, commit clear error, or abuse its discretion in denying the Stifels' motion in limine and admitting evidence of financial transactions occurring after Hoch's death to calculate the damage award in this case. [¶ 41] Tort damages, with the exception of punitive damages, are intended to make the plaintiff whole by compensating him or her for any injuries or losses proximately caused by the defendant. Reardon v. Lovely Dev., Inc., 2004 ME 74, ¶ 9, 852 A.2d 66, 69. The Chandlers originally filed the complaint by virtue of their authority under the Chandler POA to protect Hoch's interests, and Richard Chandler continued prosecution of the matter as the special administrator and personal representative of Hoch's estate after her death. [¶ 42] The Chandlers' complaint broadly sought damages for the Stifels' tortious conduct, resulting in their exercise of undue influence in securing the Stifel POA and the revocation of the Chandler POA for the purpose of converting Hoch's money assets and property, and in causing Hoch to relinquish or transfer to them valuable legal instruments, money assets and property. By virtue of the tortious actions they took before Hoch's death, actions which have been established as fact by their default, the Stifels proximately caused damage to Hoch before her death and to her estate after her death. Accordingly, the court did not err as a matter of law in admitting evidence of transfers occurring by operation of law under Hoch's German will or other post-death transfers. See, e.g., Theriault v. Burnham, 2010 ME 82, ¶¶ 5 n. 1, 11, 2 A.3d 324, 325, 327 (distinguishing between will contests seeking to set aside an entire will in probate court and a civil tort alleging undue influence over the making or revising of a will and seeking only monetary damages, observing that damages awarded in that case were equivalent to the value of the property bequeathed to the defendant as a result of undue influence).