Motor Vehicle Accident Economic Damages Expert in Louisiana

By Christopher Skerritt, M.Ed., MBA, Chief of Economic Services · Published · Reviewed

KW Economics prepares economic damages analyses for motor vehicle accident cases venued in Louisiana: the components the loss claim consists of, the records that drive them, and a present value built to Louisiana's damages rules and venues. Plaintiff and defense.

A motor vehicle accident economic claim ranges from a documented period of lost pay to lifetime earnings, household services, and care losses after a catastrophic crash, and the analysis is scaled to the injury the record describes. Read the full motor vehicle accident analysis guide.

Louisiana courts and expert standards

Louisiana courts ask the trial judge to act as gatekeeper for expert testimony, examining whether the economist is qualified, whether the method is reliable and accepted in the profession, and whether it was applied reliably to the facts of the case. An economic damages report answers those questions by tying each input to the record and citing its published sources.

Where these cases are heard

Highest court: Louisiana Supreme Court. Federal venues: E.D. La., M.D. La., W.D. La. Court system: lasc.org.

Outside the civil courts, wage-loss disputes in workers' compensation matters proceed before the Louisiana Office of Workers' Compensation Administration.

Damages framework

Louisiana's civil code provides a survival action for the decedent's own damages and a separate wrongful death action for the designated beneficiaries' losses, both measured under a pure comparative fault system. The collateral source rule applies with exceptions the courts have carved out for amounts written off by providers, and judicial interest runs on tort awards from the date of judicial demand.

How the analysis is built

The same four steps apply to a motor vehicle accident case venued in Louisiana; the damages framework above decides which components enter the total.

  1. Document the earnings history, the date the person left work, and any return to work at full or reduced capacity.
  2. Project the but-for earnings over a worklife expectancy with a stated wage growth rate and compare it with the post-injury path.
  3. Value fringe benefits from plan documents or published employer cost data, household services from time-use data, and future care from the life care plan.
  4. Discount each stream to present value at a stated rate and present the alternative scenarios where the return-to-work date or capacity is disputed.

Attorney guides for motor vehicle accident cases

Other case types in Louisiana

Frequently asked: motor vehicle accident cases in Louisiana

Which Louisiana courts hear motor vehicle accident cases?

Motor Vehicle Accident cases venued in Louisiana are heard in the District Court (General jurisdiction; civil and criminal cases at the parish level). Final appeals run to the Louisiana Supreme Court. Matters within federal jurisdiction proceed in the United States District Courts for the Eastern District of Louisiana, Middle District of Louisiana, and Western District of Louisiana.

How does Louisiana's damages framework shape the economic analysis?

Louisiana's civil code provides a survival action for the decedent's own damages and a separate wrongful death action for the designated beneficiaries' losses, both measured under a pure comparative fault system. The collateral source rule applies with exceptions the courts have carved out for amounts written off by providers, and judicial interest runs on tort awards from the date of judicial demand. Louisiana courts ask the trial judge to act as gatekeeper for expert testimony, examining whether the economist is qualified, whether the method is reliable and accepted in the profession, and whether it was applied reliably to the facts of the case. An economic damages report answers those questions by tying each input to the record and citing its published sources.

More questions about motor vehicle accident analysis

References

Request a consultation on motor vehicle accident cases in Louisiana or call (201) 343-0700. Plaintiff and defense counsel.