Tennessee Personal Injury Law: Limits on Personal Injury Damages

Many of our clients want to know if there is any sort of artificial limit on compensatory damages that can be awarded in Tennessee personal injury and wrongful death cases.

Unfortunately the answer to that question is yes. There is no limit on so called economic damages like loss of wages or medical expenses. But there are limits on what are known as non economic damages -- damages for pain, for suffering, for disfigurement and disability.

The limit in Tennessee for cases that arise today and thereafter is $750,000 for that type of non economic damages.

There are few exceptions to that $750,000 rule. If, because of somebody else's mistake you are rendered paraplegic, if you are rendered quadriplegic, if you lose two hands or two feet or one of each. If you are burned over 40% of your body or 40% of your face. Or if you are killed in an accident and you leave behind a minor child -- the cap of $750,000 does not apply to you. But still you are only limited to $1,000,000 for those non economic loss.

There are a couple other exceptions that apply but they are only in very rare cases. Quite frankly, our law firm believes these limits are unfair but they are currently the law.

We will be glad to sit down and explain to you whether these limitations will affect your personal injury case in Tennessee.

Feel free to give us a call.