Opinion ID: 440193
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The Award to the Shaws

Text: 28 The district court awarded the Shaws $2 million pursuant to Revised Code of Washington Annotated (RCWA) section 4.24.010. This statute provides that, in an action by parents for injury to a child, compensation may be recovered for loss of the child's love and companionship, and injury to the parent-child relationship. 8 Each component is evaluated separately. Recovery for loss of companionship compensates the parents for the value of the child's mutual society and protection. Hinzman, 501 P.2d at 1231. Damages for destruction of the parent-child relationship are intended to alleviate parental grief, mental anguish, and suffering. See Harbeson v. Parke-Davis, Inc., 98 Wash.2d 460, 656 P.2d 483, 492-93 (1983). 9 29 The government contends that awards of $1 million on each ground are so large that, in combination with the other damages, they must be considered punitive. For reasons already stated, however, we reject the premise behind this argument. We find little reason to believe that a state will mischaracterize an element of damages as compensatory simply to enable plaintiffs suing under the FTCA to avoid the federal bar against punitive awards. We will therefore examine damage awards based on RCWA section 4.24.010 under the Washington standard of excessiveness. See, e.g., Clark v. Icicle Irrigation Dist., 72 Wash.2d 201, 432 P.2d 541, 545 (1967). 30 We recently had occasion to engage in such review. In Power, supra, a mother brought suit under RCWA 4.24.010 charging defendant railroad company with the death of her daughter. The district court found that the defendant's negligence caused the girl's death and awarded damages of $400,000. We reversed on the ground that no court in Washington has awarded a figure remotely approaching [this amount]. 655 F.2d at 1388. (emphasis added). Our present research confirms that this statement remains accurate. See, e.g., Hinzman, supra ($16,500 award for death of child); Clark, supra ($15,000 award for death of child). 31 The Shaws are entitled to a just award for the mental anguish of raising a severely handicapped child. In contrast to the plaintiffs in Hinzman and Clark, however, their loss is not total. Scotty is able to respond, albeit on a very basic level, to both his mother and father. Moreover, the assistance of the full-time attendant provided for by the pecuniary award will enable the Shaws to keep Scotty at home. Because we firmly believe that a Washington court would consider this award shocking, we will reduce it to $50,000. 32 REVERSED IN PART AND REMANDED IN PART.