Spinal Cord Injury Economic Damages Expert in New Hampshire

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

KW Economics prepares economic damages analyses for spinal cord injury cases venued in New Hampshire: the components the loss claim consists of, the records that drive them, and a present value built to New Hampshire's damages rules and venues. Plaintiff and defense.

A spinal cord injury economic claim brings together lost earnings and benefits, the household work the person can no longer do, and the present value of a lifetime care plan dominated by attendant care and equipment replacement cycles. Read the full spinal cord injury analysis guide.

New Hampshire courts and expert standards

New Hampshire courts screen expert testimony for reliability under a statutory standard: the judge asks whether the economist is qualified, whether the opinion rests on sufficient facts and reliable principles and methods, and whether those methods were reliably applied to the case. A damages report is written to that inquiry, with every rate and table traced to a published source.

Where these cases are heard

Highest court: New Hampshire Supreme Court. Federal venues: D.N.H. Court system: courts.state.nh.us.

Outside the civil courts, wage-loss disputes in workers' compensation matters proceed before the New Hampshire Department of Labor, Workers' Compensation Division.

Damages framework

New Hampshire treats a death claim as the decedent's own action carried on by the estate: recovery includes the decedent's pain and suffering, medical and funeral expenses, and the probable duration of life and the capacity to earn money lost by the death, with limited separate allowances for a surviving spouse's and children's loss of comfort and society. Recovery is barred once the plaintiff's fault exceeds the combined fault of the defendants, the common-law collateral source rule applies, and interest on the award runs from the filing of the writ.

How the analysis is built

The same four steps apply to a spinal cord injury case venued in New Hampshire; the damages framework above decides which components enter the total.

  1. Establish the but-for earnings path from the person's history and occupational data, and project it over a worklife expectancy with stated wage growth.
  2. Compare that path with the post-injury path the work-capacity opinions support, whether no earnings, reduced earnings, or earnings after retraining.
  3. Value fringe benefits and household services, and price the care plan item by item with the cost growth rate and replacement interval appropriate to each category.
  4. Discount every future stream to present value at a stated rate and present home-based and facility-based care scenarios when the plan offers both.

Attorney guides for spinal cord injury cases

Other case types in New Hampshire

Frequently asked: spinal cord injury cases in New Hampshire

Which New Hampshire courts hear spinal cord injury cases?

Spinal Cord Injury cases venued in New Hampshire are heard in the Superior Court (General jurisdiction; civil cases with jury trials, felonies). Final appeals run to the New Hampshire Supreme Court. Matters within federal jurisdiction proceed in the United States District Court for the District of New Hampshire.

How does New Hampshire's damages framework shape the economic analysis?

New Hampshire treats a death claim as the decedent's own action carried on by the estate: recovery includes the decedent's pain and suffering, medical and funeral expenses, and the probable duration of life and the capacity to earn money lost by the death, with limited separate allowances for a surviving spouse's and children's loss of comfort and society. Recovery is barred once the plaintiff's fault exceeds the combined fault of the defendants, the common-law collateral source rule applies, and interest on the award runs from the filing of the writ. New Hampshire courts screen expert testimony for reliability under a statutory standard: the judge asks whether the economist is qualified, whether the opinion rests on sufficient facts and reliable principles and methods, and whether those methods were reliably applied to the case. A damages report is written to that inquiry, with every rate and table traced to a published source.

More questions about spinal cord injury analysis

References

Request a consultation on spinal cord injury cases in New Hampshire or call (201) 343-0700. Plaintiff and defense counsel.