Traumatic Brain Injury Economic Damages Expert in Montana

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

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

A traumatic brain injury economic claim measures the earnings, benefits, and household contributions the injury has taken away and reduces the care plan to present value, with the supervision hours and the residual work capacity stated so they can be tested. Read the full traumatic brain injury analysis guide.

Montana courts and expert standards

Montana courts apply a reliability inquiry to novel scientific evidence and otherwise ask whether the economist is qualified by training and experience and whether the opinion will help the fact finder, leaving the weight of the testimony to cross-examination. An economic damages report is therefore examined on its inputs: whether each rate, table, and assumption traces to the record and to a published source.

Where these cases are heard

Highest court: Montana Supreme Court. Federal venues: D. Mont. Court system: courts.mt.gov.

Outside the civil courts, wage-loss disputes in workers' compensation matters proceed before the Montana Department of Labor and Industry, Employment Relations Division.

Damages framework

Montana pairs a wrongful death action for the heirs' losses with a survival action in which the estate may recover the decedent's lost future earnings net of personal consumption, with the two claims coordinated to avoid double recovery. Recovery is barred once the plaintiff's fault exceeds the combined fault of the defendants, larger awards are reduced after verdict by collateral-source payments that carry no reimbursement right, and prejudgment interest is generally limited to sums that were certain when the loss occurred.

How the analysis is built

The same four steps apply to a traumatic brain injury case venued in Montana; the damages framework above decides which components enter the total.

  1. Establish the but-for earnings path from the person's history or, for a young person, from occupational data for the path they were on.
  2. Draw the post-injury path from actual earnings and the work-capacity opinions in the record, and measure the earnings gap over the remaining worklife.
  3. Value household services and family supervision from time-use data and local rates, and price the care plan item by item with medical cost growth.
  4. Discount every future stream to present value at a stated rate and show the total under each supervision and work-capacity scenario.

Attorney guides for traumatic brain injury cases

Other case types in Montana

Frequently asked: traumatic brain injury cases in Montana

Which Montana courts hear traumatic brain injury cases?

Traumatic Brain Injury cases venued in Montana are heard in the District Court (General jurisdiction; one district in each of 56 counties). Final appeals run to the Montana Supreme Court. Matters within federal jurisdiction proceed in the United States District Court for the District of Montana.

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

Montana pairs a wrongful death action for the heirs' losses with a survival action in which the estate may recover the decedent's lost future earnings net of personal consumption, with the two claims coordinated to avoid double recovery. Recovery is barred once the plaintiff's fault exceeds the combined fault of the defendants, larger awards are reduced after verdict by collateral-source payments that carry no reimbursement right, and prejudgment interest is generally limited to sums that were certain when the loss occurred. Montana courts apply a reliability inquiry to novel scientific evidence and otherwise ask whether the economist is qualified by training and experience and whether the opinion will help the fact finder, leaving the weight of the testimony to cross-examination. An economic damages report is therefore examined on its inputs: whether each rate, table, and assumption traces to the record and to a published source.

More questions about traumatic brain injury analysis

References

Request a consultation on traumatic brain injury cases in Montana or call (201) 343-0700. Plaintiff and defense counsel.