Section 15 Proving Lost Earnings of a Minor

• Library: Damages 2012

In establishing the lost earnings of a minor, the parties are not held to the requirement of estimating those earnings with reasonable certainty, as in the case of an adult. The courts recognize that, because a minor usually has no earnings history, the question of damages for such a loss rests in the sound judgment, experience, and conscience of the jury. SeeNewman v. St. Louis‑San Francisco Ry. Co., 369 S.W.2d 583, 590 (Mo. 1963). But numerous items of evidence can be presented to assist the jury in evaluating the earnings potential of the minor. The following are...