Spinal Cord Injury Economic Damages Expert in New Mexico

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 Mexico: the components the loss claim consists of, the records that drive them, and a present value built to New Mexico'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 Mexico courts and expert standards

New Mexico 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. A damages report answers those questions by stating its assumptions and citing its sources.

Where these cases are heard

Highest court: New Mexico Supreme Court. Federal venues: D.N.M. Court system: nmcourts.gov.

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

Damages framework

New Mexico measures wrongful death by the worth of the decedent's life from the decedent's own standpoint, a recovery that belongs to the estate and includes lost earnings, the value of the decedent's life apart from earnings, and the decedent's own pre-death damages, with loss of consortium brought separately by close family. Pure comparative fault reduces the award in proportion, the common-law collateral source rule applies, and prejudgment interest is discretionary and weighs each party's settlement conduct.

How the analysis is built

The same four steps apply to a spinal cord injury case venued in New Mexico; 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 Mexico

Frequently asked: spinal cord injury cases in New Mexico

Which New Mexico courts hear spinal cord injury cases?

Spinal Cord Injury cases venued in New Mexico are heard in the District Court (General jurisdiction; 13 judicial districts; all civil, criminal, and domestic matters) and the Bernalillo County Metropolitan Court (Largest limited jurisdiction court; covers Albuquerque). Final appeals run to the New Mexico Supreme Court. Matters within federal jurisdiction proceed in the United States District Court for the District of New Mexico.

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

New Mexico measures wrongful death by the worth of the decedent's life from the decedent's own standpoint, a recovery that belongs to the estate and includes lost earnings, the value of the decedent's life apart from earnings, and the decedent's own pre-death damages, with loss of consortium brought separately by close family. Pure comparative fault reduces the award in proportion, the common-law collateral source rule applies, and prejudgment interest is discretionary and weighs each party's settlement conduct. New Mexico 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. A damages report answers those questions by stating its assumptions and citing its sources.

More questions about spinal cord injury analysis

References

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