Calif. Court Reinstates Suit Over Cat’s Shooting
A California appeals court has ruled that a Contra Costa County man can recover medical expenses from whoever shot his cat with a pellet gun and seek punitive damages if the person did it deliberately.
The San Francisco Chronicle reports that the First District Court of Appeal in San Francisco overturned a lower court ruling. The lower court said the damages sought by Kevin Kimes of Brentwood could only cover the cat’s market value because cats are property.
But in its 3-0 ruling, the appeals court said different rules apply to property such as Kimes’s tabby, Pumkin, that have special value to their owners.
The ruling reinstated a lawsuit Kimes filed against his neighbors, whom he accuses of shooting Pumkin in 2005. The cat survived but required thousands of dollars in medical care.
Kimes’s neighbors deny the allegation.
- California Sees Two More Property Insurers Withdraw From Market
- EPA Designates PFAS Chemicals as Superfund Hazardous Substances
- Beyond the Claim: How Social Canvassing is Transforming Insurance Fraud Detection
- EVs Head for Junkyard as Mechanic Shortage Inflates Repair Costs
- Mother of 8-Year-Old ‘Violently Sucked’ into Houston Hotel Pool Files Wrongful Death Suit
- Poll: Consumers OK with AI in P/C Insurance, but Not So Much for Claims and Underwriting
- Millions of Recalled Hyundai and Kia Vehicles, With Dangerous Defect, Remain on Road
- Property Restoration Industry: A Culture in Need of Repair?