ATLANTA (AP) - Georgia's highest court says the value of a pet injured by someone else's negligence is the animal's fair market value but that the owners may also try to collect costs incurred trying to save the animal.
The Georgia Supreme Court opinion published Monday came in the case of a Robert and Elizabeth Monyak, who sued the Barking Hound Village. The Monyaks say kennel staff gave their dog Lola the wrong medicine in May 2012, causing acute kidney failure and eventually death.
The kennel denies wrongdoing.
If the Monyaks win at trial, the high court says the jury will decide the dog's fair market value and the amount of expenses incurred to determine damages. The opinion says damages can't be based on the value of the animal to its owners.
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