More than 50 years after Patti Page had us singing “How much is that doggie in the window,” a battle has broken out to find out how much a doggie, or other pet, is worth in the courtroom.
The cases, where pets are injured or killed, pull at our heartstrings, with owners asking for pain and suffering, emotional distress and other types of noneconomic damages. In July, the New Jersey Supreme Court weighed in, and fortunately for the welfare of animals, it came up with the right answer: owners can be made economically whole for the loss of their pets, but they cannot seek unlimited, emotion-based damages.
