Opinion ID: 541068
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Wrongful Death Award

Text: 33 We are constrained to give due deference to the factfinding role of the jury and to the role of the district court in declining the motion for remittitur of the wrongful death award. See Martell v. Boardwalk Enters., Inc., 748 F.2d 740, 750 (2d Cir.1984). The district court's refusal to set aside or reduce a jury award will be overturned only for abuse of discretion. Id. Nevertheless, a judgment cannot be upheld where the damages awarded are so excessive 'as to shock the judicial conscience.'  Id. (quoting United States ex rel. Larkins v. Oswald, 510 F.2d 583, 589 (2d Cir.1975)). To determine whether an award of damages is shockingly excessive when the law of a particular state is applied, we must examine and compare the challenged award with awards made in similar cases in the courts of that state. See id. 34 The New York Estates, Powers and Trust Law requires only fair and just compensation for the pecuniary injuries resulting from the decedent's death. N.Y. Est. Powers & Trusts Law Sec. 5-4.3(a) (McKinney 1981 & Supp.1990). Included in the calculation of that damages award for a decedent minor is the probable, or even possible, benefits which might inure to the parents from their child's entire life, Franchell v. Sims, 73 A.D.2d 1, 5, 424 N.Y.S.2d 959, 962 (4th Dep't 1980), and lost future financial support, Smith v. Hub Mfg., Inc., 634 F.Supp. 1505, 1511 (N.D.N.Y.1986). But in any wrongful death action, especially one involving a child of tender years, the absence of dollars and cents proof of pecuniary loss does not relegate the distributees to recovery of nominal damages only. Parilis v. Feinstein, 49 N.Y.2d 984, 985, 406 N.E.2d 1059, 1060, 429 N.Y.S.2d 165, 166 (1980) (mem.) (citations omitted). Pecuniary injury often is fixed by a jury on the basis of little direct evidence. Id. In the New York courts, no award in excess of $100,000 for the death of a child has been sustained. See, e.g., Coffey v. Callichio, 136 A.D.2d 673, 523 N.Y.S.2d 1011 (2d Dep't 1988) (mem.) ($300,000 reduced to $100,000 for sixteen-year-old decedent); Delosovic v. City of New York, 143 Misc.2d 801, 813-14, 541 N.Y.S.2d 685, 693-94 (Sup.Ct.1989) (wrongful death awards of $100,000 each for the deaths of five-year-old and two-year-old children, factoring recent inflation). Therefore, we find that $250,000 awarded here is shockingly excessive as a matter of New York law and should be reduced. Accordingly, we remand for a new trial on the issue of the amount of the wrongful death damages unless plaintiff agrees to remit all of the wrongful death damages award in excess of $100,000. See Martell, 748 F.2d at 755.