Full Answer
Economic damages cover quantifiable losses — medical bills, lost wages, lost earning capacity, property damage. Non-economic damages cover real but harder-to-measure losses: physical pain, mental anguish, emotional distress, disfigurement, scarring, loss of consortium with a spouse, and loss of enjoyment of activities you used to do.
Jurors decide the dollar value of non-economic damages based on the evidence — testimony, medical records, family observations, and the attorney's argument. Some states cap non-economic damages, particularly in medical malpractice cases.
Non-economic damages often exceed economic damages, especially in cases involving permanent injury or disfigurement.
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