Opinion ID: 6317300
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Testimony about DALR's Life Care Expenses

Text: Rodríguez-Valentin claimed considerable damages for DALR's future life care costs. Specifically, Gerri Pennachio testified for Rodríguez-Valentin as a life care planning expert, opining about the yearly cost of DALR's care and treatment. According to Pennachio, these costs would include necessary equipment, doctor visits, testing, and physical therapy, among other items. Pennachio determined that DALR would require $278,021.57 per year until age 18. After age 18, Pennachio opined, DALR would need $379,235.57 per year. On cross-examination, Doctors' Center dissected Pennachio's calculations, asking her whether she had offset the yearly amounts by contributions made by insurance or the government and whether she had based her calculations on costs in Florida (where DALR lived at the time of trial) as opposed to Massachusetts (where DALR had lived before moving to Florida). Pennachio acknowledged that she had not offset her calculations based on contributions made by insurance or the government. She did not dispute that she derived her calculations from cost information in Massachusetts even though, at the time of trial, RodríguezValentin and DALR lived in Florida. Additionally, Pennachio acknowledged on cross- examination that she did not discount her yearly estimates to present value. Rather, she opined, the cost increases for DALR's - 5 - medical care and life care over his lifetime would offset any applicable discount rate. Per a pre-trial ruling on Doctors' Center's motion in limine, the court prohibited Pennachio (who lacked requisite expertise) from opining about DALR's life expectancy given his medical condition.1 Ultimately, neither Doctors' Center nor Rodríguez-Valentin presented any expert testimony about DALR's life expectancy.