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Emotional Distress: Case Study

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Final Memo
LRW# Nathan Orlando
November 20, 2015 MEMORANDUM
TO: Brooke Hardy, Managing Partner
FROM: LRW # Nathan Orlando
DATE: November 20, 2015
RE: Mr. Jason Valdes- Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress

Question Presented
Under Kentucky State case law, which provides that a wrongdoer is liable under intentional infliction of emotional distress when their conduct is intentional or reckless, so outrageous that it is beyond the standards of morality and decency, and is causally connected to an individual suffering from emotional distress that can be classified as severe, can a pet owner collect damages for emotional distress when a veterinarian fails to inform a pet owner that she performed a surgery that …show more content…

Valdes will most likely not be able to recover under the tort of intentional infliction of emotional distress. Under Kentucky State case law, a person who suffers from severe emotional distress that is intentionally or recklessly caused by the extreme or outrageous conduct of another has the right to recover for their distress. Craft v. Rice, 671 S.W.2d 247, 251 (Ky. 1984). To recover the plaintiff must first show there are damages that can be monetarily relieved. Burgess v. Taylor, 44 S.W.3d 806, 813 (Ky. Ct. App. 2001). Monetary relief can easily be found in Mr. Valdes’s case because he has to take daily medication for his depression and panic attacks, and has not worked as much as he did before his cat’s death. However, to collect these damages under intentional infliction of emotional distress, the remaining four elements must be met: (1) the wrongdoer’s conduct must have been intentional or reckless, (2) so outrageous as to offend generally accepted standards of morality and decency, (3) there must have been a casual connection between the wrongdoer’s conduct and the distress suffered, and (4) that emotional stress suffered must have been severe. Craft, 671 S.W.2d at …show more content…

Mr. Valdes left his pet cat, who he loved like family, in the care of the veterinarian for her to perform a procedure on it’s ears. While the cat was sedated the veterinarian mistakenly performed a declawing procedure and kept that information from Mr. Valdes even after multiple medical problems arose. Like the defendant in Ammon, the veterinarian did not intentionally cause emotional distress. Even though she withheld the information about the mistaken surgery after more problems arose, her actions unlike the actions of the defendant in Wilson, were not done with the purpose of causing harm. The court will likely hold that since the veterinarian did not mean for her actions to cause Mr. Valdes emotional distress her conduct was not

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