Hibpshman v. Prudhoe Bay Supply, Inc.
Alaska Supreme Court
734 P.2d 991 (1987)
- Written by Sarah Hoffman, JD
Facts
Thomas Hibpshman was seriously injured on the job, and he brought suit against his employer, Prudhoe Bay Supply, Inc. (Prudhoe) (defendant) for failing to provide a safe work environment. His wife, Rebecca, joined the case, claiming loss of spousal consortium. His children (plaintiffs) also joined the case, claiming loss of parental consortium. The children’s claims were dismissed, and they appealed to the Supreme Court of Alaska. On appeal, Prudhoe argued (1) that the damages for a child’s loss-of-consortium claim were too speculative, (2) that such a claim posed a danger of double recovery, (3) that social costs such as increased insurance rates outweighed the benefit to the children, and (4) that allowing loss-of-parental-consortium claims would increase the likelihood of complex litigation from multiple separately filed lawsuits regarding the same incident.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Rabinowitz, C.J.)
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