More Roads to Recovery in Dog Bite Cases in Ohio

The Supreme Court of Ohio has ruled that a victim of a dog bite may sue for both statutory damages and common law damages. In Beckett v. Warren, the Supreme Court Justices felt it was improper to limit the suit to a single claim. The trial court has allowed Beckett to bring suit under the dog bite statute, R.C. 955.28. However, he did not allow suit under common law negligence. Under the statutory claim, Beckett could not recover for punitive damages. The January 6th decision of the Supreme Court, over a dissent, has determined that a victim may concurrently sue for both compensatory damage under the statute and punitive damages under common law negligence theories.

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