Court Opinion

ID: 9603642
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-22 02:08:25.468299+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T09:11:43.310584
License: Public Domain

CARDINE, Justice,
dissenting.
Appellant was awarded special damages in the amount of $15,680.12. She was awarded general damages for pain, suffering, physical impairment, disfigurement and loss of enjoyment of life in the amount of $1,740. This amount was clearly inadequate for the trauma, injury, hospitalization, surgery, difficult recovery and resultant condition of appellant. The general damages should generally have some reasonable relation to the specials, and not be so small or so great as to shock the conscience of the court. The majority opinion correctly recognizes that Colorado’s substantive law of torts applied in this case, however, the disputed issue involves procedural law which is governed by Wyoming law. I would hold that, pursuant to Wyoming Rule of Civil Procedure 59, there was in the general damages awarded appellant, “(a)(5) Error in the assessment of the amount of recovery [it being] too small,” W.R.C.P. 59(a)(5), and accordingly remand for new trial or for the trial court to amend the judgment by granting an additur.